Darkness in Green & Gold: A contemporary fantasy adventure (Green & Gold, book 3)

by Jo Holloway

  She stumbled and caught herself. A crowd of parents and teachers from Valley Green had gathered at the top of the rise where they could see the final hill and the sprints to the finish line. Some instinctive sense pushed her steps away from the crowd to the other side of the open area where only trees lined the edge. The people were loosely clustered in twos and threes, cheering on their kids and students.

  That was when she saw him.

  Glowing green eyes moved up to the front of the crowd. The man was well ahead of her. He turned his head and fixed her with his creepy eyes in the bright afternoon sun. A chill of dread flooded down her limbs. She threw herself up the hill with every bit of strength she could draw. She had to reach him before he could act.

  A knife glinted in the sun in his right hand, and he took a step forward. It was a twin of the one she’d wrenched from the tree and now had stashed in her dorm room. Cara followed the direction of his step and cried out.

  “No!”

  Emma’s amber ponytail swayed across her back in line with the man’s front foot as he dropped to one knee and brought his arm up and forward. Cara was too far behind. She wouldn’t reach Emma. She couldn’t stop him.

  The hand with the knife plunged to the ground. Emma ran on.

  No one reacted to him. Several people turned at her shriek, and the girls running directly ahead of her glanced over their shoulders. But no one responded to the man, who now appeared to be harmlessly tying his shoe. She was the only one who saw him for what he was.

  He stood as she reached him, and her pace slowed. A black streak flashed through the air as Ryx flew between them and rose vertically in front of the group of spectators. He must not have been hiding, because a few people at the sidelines ducked and gasped. They hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary from the true threat walking among them, but they were scared of the raven.

  With a nasty sneer, the man stepped back into the crowd and turned away from her.

  She ended up in the chute at the finish line with no idea how she’d made it there. Her feet had carried her along with the surrounding girls while she reeled in disbelief. She barely acknowledged her team or her coach, who offered a “great job” to Emma and a few others before turning to her.

  “I don’t know what that race was, Cara. That was the worst start I’ve ever seen from you, but then you found your stride and you were running great. Until you completely fell apart again at the end. I know it’s only a friendly competition, but I’ve never seen you so inconsistent. Are you feeling okay?”

  She mumbled a response about feeling sick and stepped away. Ryx was nowhere to be seen, but the owl soared a loose loop above her, and she sensed his wariness as he searched the area for any lingering threat. When their group began walking back toward the parking lot after the boys’ race ended, she caught sight of more animals standing around the edges of the grounds. Deer blended in amongst the trees. A flash of white in a shadow turned out to be a skunk. Several more birds joined the owl’s view from above, flying in overlapping circles. Green gleams caught her attention deeper in the woods from whatever pyxides stood watch out there.

  Where had they all come from? Again, she wondered how they’d known. Had they heard her shout, or had they already been on their way? Whose side were they really on, and how would she know?

  All she knew was Messoryx’s messenger had made his threat perfectly clear. He could reach her here. He could harm others. Had he targeted Emma specifically? Had he seen them climb off the bus together and believed they were friends? That meant he wouldn’t hesitate to go after her actual friends even if he couldn’t get to her. It didn’t matter how much she avoided the woods or kept Pyx close by as bodyguards. As long as she was around, no one was safe.

  CHAPTER 24

  THE BUS RIDE BACK WAS mercifully quiet and lonely. Both Kaylee and Emma gave her questioning looks as they boarded the bus and moved past her. But she took out her phone and refused to make eye contact with anyone until, eventually, everyone left her alone.

  She texted the two people she could talk to about anything. Starting with her uncle, she told him there were still plenty of the outlaw Pyx around. Whatever he thought was happening, he was wrong.

  Then she messaged Wes.

  One of the controlled people was at my race.

  He threatened Emma right in front of me.

  Don’t tell Rhys.

  I know. And Rhys knows.

  Ryx beat you back here.

  We had one here too. Everyone’s okay.

  What?

  Where?

  At the range again.

  I only caught a glimpse of her eyes in the trees.

  The fox warned me, and your bear got rid of her.

  Was Harrison with you?

  Yep, but nothing actually happened.

  They’re scare tactics.

  They’re working.

  She’d thought she wanted to talk to them all about it. But when she walked into the room full of almost everyone she cared most about at school, their worried faces sucked the words right out of her mouth.

  Rhys’s presence, leaning against the wall across the room from where she sank down onto Wes’s bed, didn’t help her ability to think straight. It was the first time she’d been this close to him since the breakfast table on Monday morning, and the ache in her chest throbbed with new pain. The distress on his face tugged at her, but there was nothing she could do about it. They were all scared for people they cared about.

  Wes stood by the window, staring at the forest beyond the glass. After Liv hugged Cara and then returned to sit beside Jory, Harrison rose from the desk chair and sank down beside Cara on Wes’s bed.

  The room grew tense. Across from her, Rhys stood a little taller against the wall and brushed his hair off his forehead. She couldn’t help noticing he’d left it natural and soft today instead of styling it. Her fingers itched to run through it but she’d missed her only chance.

  A twinge of guilt hit her. After her talk with Emma, it wasn’t something she should even let herself think about. She focused on the friend beside her instead and leaned against Harrison’s shoulder.

  “Scary day, love. You’re all right, though?”

  “Mm hm. I’m all right. Thanks.” She gave Harrison a small smile, and he patted her leg in a reassuring way. Covering his hand with hers and giving it a squeeze, she took comfort from his presence beside her and sensed Jenyx and Tomyx ease a little as well.

  Rhys shifted again, and her eye went to him before she could stop herself. A little color dotted his cheeks when Harrison spoke softly to her.

  “Care to share your thoughts?” Harrison asked.

  “If anything had happened here or to Emma . . .” She stared at her knees when she couldn’t continue.

  Wes turned from the window and drew the curtain. The light in the room shifted from the natural cool blue of the evening outside to the warm yellow of the room lights, making everything feel both more intimate and more serious at the same time. She didn’t dare look back to Rhys, but let go of Harrison’s hand and felt the coolness on her thigh when he took it away.

  “So what do we do to make sure that doesn’t happen?” Wes directed his question to the floor where Jenner and Thomas sat at attention.

  “Our first priority is your safety until this group of Pyx has been dealt with.”

  Cara wanted to rage at Jenyx. She wanted to yell and scream and throw things and tell him and Tomyx that it wasn’t enough. But the words wouldn’t come out past the emptiness from talking to Emma and then nearly seeing her hurt, or worse. The others in the room spoke, but their voices were a wash of sound.

  Her mind went through the week again, starting with the warning from the Pyx in the clearing, carefully skipping over the stuff with Rhys, and ending with the glowing green eyes and the sneer from the man warning her he could get to anyone, anytime. The plans they were discussing wouldn’t matter. They couldn’t keep her safe. They definitely couldn’t keep everyone a
t the school safe. She represented something to Messoryx. Something he hated and needed to eliminate. Maybe it didn’t matter why, even though the question still burned.

  “I’m walking Liv and Cara home. She’s been through enough for today.” His clear, smooth voice cut through the noise of the rest, and she realized it was the first time Rhys had spoken.

  She’d kept her eyes on a patch of floor in front of Jenner’s paws, but the surprising softness in his voice made her glance up without meaning to. The pained look she found on his face jolted her heart. Her mind flashed back to the tenderness in his eyes right before he’d kissed her, and her throat closed. It was too much. Tears welled and ran over to stream down her cheeks.

  Liv jumped up and rushed over. “Hey, we’ve got you. No one’s hurting our Cara.” She took Cara’s hands and pulled her to her feet and into an embrace.

  “Not . . . me . . .” was all Cara could whisper.

  Her shoulder warmed under Wes’s hand when he closed ranks behind her. She let Liv steer her to the door and down the hall. One side of her body tingled with awareness the whole way back to their dorm as Rhys walked close beside her. After the last few hours, she couldn’t bear to think about what she needed to do now. Tomorrow, she could talk it over with Jenyx, but tonight called for a hot shower and cold ice cream.

  ALL DAY FRIDAY, SHE reconsidered her decision and gave herself one more night before she could bring herself to talk to Jenyx. A few things became clear by the weekend. For one, she couldn’t help how she felt about Rhys, but he had no right to look so concerned for her after the mess he’d made. It wasn’t fair for him to seem like he cared, and she couldn’t be his friend either. That plan had been doomed from the start.

  So she’d have to stay away. Which meant trusting Ryx to keep him safe, and leaving him alone to fix things with Emma. She hadn’t seen him since lunch on Friday, so that was probably what he was off doing right now. The heartbreak of it all had grown each day as she caught his sideways glances and pained looks. Getting away from that might not be a bad thing, although the idea of being physically separated from where he was felt like it might tear her in two. Even now, when he was presumably somewhere on campus, the distance between them twisted an uncomfortable knot under her ribs.

  Then there was Wes. She was still mad at him for turning up at the meeting in the forest.

  “They can’t keep trying to help me or keep me safe, Jenyx.” She was hiding out in her room with Jenner and had finally brought up what had been bugging her since the man showed up at the race. “The people I care about are going to get hurt, and it will be my fault.”

  “It will be no one’s fault but Messoryx. We cannot even blame an army for following the direction of its leader, especially when the alternative is death.”

  “Those Pyx did have a choice about following him in the first place, though.”

  Jenner gave a little gruff from his spot on the floor. She wasn’t sure whether Jenyx was agreeing with her or not, but it felt like a response to the disgust, making her lip curl. A lot of Pyx seemed more than willing to jump on Messoryx’s message and join his forces. Despite what Josh thought might be happening now, it didn’t feel like any fewer of them were around. Not from what she’d seen in the memories left in her mind. Not from what she felt when she came into close proximity with any of them.

  “They did,” Jenyx replied. “We are all capable of making wrong choices.”

  “I don’t feel the hostility as intensely as I used to. Do you think that’s because there are more friendly, supportive Pyx around too? Where are they all coming from?” She’d spotted more unfamiliar pyxides watching the school. When she walked to the stables—always with an escort or two—and even outside classroom windows, there was usually a Pyx somewhere in sight. A flash of green would draw her attention, and she’d check to see if the animal looked familiar. Some did, but a lot were new. As long as they weren’t people, that was all that mattered.

  “I cannot say. There are certainly more. It has become impossible for us to determine if one of the rogue Pyx are near with so many new signatures to sort through. As far as why—all I have to go on is the way I feel drawn to where you are when you need me. That could simply be from spending so much time around you over the years, or even from Jenner’s love for you.”

  She reached down to rub Jenner’s belly. “At least I’ll still have you, buddy.”

  “Cara, child, I will say one more time that I wish you would reconsider.” He paused while she shook her head, and then continued. “However, I do support you, and I will help you in any way I can. Always.”

  She swallowed and nodded. “I guess I need to talk to them. Starting with Wes.”

  In spite of her declaration and her resolve, she lay on her bed a while longer, dreading the next step. Her phone lit up with a message, and she heaved a sigh, barely glancing at the screen. The words registered slowly, and her heart stuttered. It was a message from Rhys. He hadn’t texted her since the night after Messoryx had escaped. Sitting up, she flicked a thumb across the screen to check it and found it was a group message sent to her, Wes, Jory, and Liv.

  We have a big problem.

  Coming back early.

  Meet me at the manor in 2 hrs.

  She frowned at the screen. They couldn’t sneak over to the mansion through the forest. What was he thinking? And where was he? She’d assumed he was nearby with Emma, but it sounded like he’d gone into Portland if it was going to be two hours before he could meet them. She stood up with a groan. They obviously weren’t going to go, but she flipped through her closet for a clean shirt anyway.

  Liv showed up first, bursting through the door while Cara yanked the fresh shirt over her head.

  “Don’t you knock?”

  “Why? Who are you hiding in here?” Liv gave a dramatic look around. “No, seriously, though. You saw this?” She raised her phone.

  “I saw. You don’t know what it’s about either?”

  “Nope.”

  “Where is he?”

  “In town. He goes back most weekends to see our parents.” Liv’s face fell, and she stooped to pick up Marcus, Delaney’s fluffy Himalayan. She stroked his soft fur and held him close. “I should go with him more. It’s just so hard to see my mom now. But I’m glad he goes.”

  Cara’s heart clenched for them. She’d had no idea Rhys was going into Portland alone on the weekends instead of spending time at school hanging out with his friends and . . . others.

  Don’t think about it.

  “I’m sorry, Liv. But we can’t go over there. It would be insane to go off through the forest after what’s been going on.”

  “He knows that. He wouldn’t have asked us if it wasn’t important. And if there wasn’t a good reason to keep it away from prying eyes and ears at school. Talking in the guys’ room the other night was risky. You know the vents have ears.”

  Wes and Jory showed up at the open door.

  “She’s right. We have to go,” Wes said.

  “That’s stupid, Wes. It’s too dangerous.” Cara’s jaw tightened at the impassive look on his face. Rude words weren’t going to stop him once he got an idea in his head.

  “I don’t think it’s stupid. All they’ve done is warn us. I doubt they’ll try anything if we go in a group, and with you there, we’ll know they’re coming.”

  She grumbled at the determination around her. Jory would go along with Liv, and Wes had already decided.

  Liv took Jory’s hand and glanced between Wes and Cara. “Should we find Harrison? I don’t think he got the message.”

  “No,” Wes answered. “He’s probably at the Treehouse. Let’s leave him out of this.”

  If they were going to do this, Cara was happy to have fewer people in danger. One extra person in the group wouldn’t make the walk any safer and would only endanger Harrison. At least she’d have the rest of them in one place. She might as well tell them her decision all at once when they were together.

  �
��Fine. We’ll go. But I still think this is stupid,” she said.

  “I shall inform some of the Pyx so we have some added protection for you on the way. Will you let Jenner outside, please?” Jenyx asked.

  They met up in the lobby an hour later. Cara wore a small bag across one shoulder. Her hand rested across the opening, brushing the edge of her phone on which she’d been messaging for the last half hour. Her thumb ran across the hilt of the knife she’d taken from her drawer. She might not know how to use it properly, but she felt better with something on her. One of the first things she’d do after this was learn to protect herself better.

  The walk through the forest was nothing like the times she’d run down the path last year. Then, she’d been drawn to the mansion with a fluttery pull and had enjoyed the beauty of the trees around her while anticipating the peacefulness she’d feel when she arrived. After meeting Rhys and Liv last summer, the trips to the mansion in the fall had been full of hope at being able to do something to save Liv. The pull had turned into anticipation of seeing Rhys again each time.

  Now her body and mind fought a silent battle. While she watched the forest and felt for any sense of danger from the Pyx in the trees around them, she also struggled between craving another moment of closeness with Rhys on the one hand, and on the other, not wanting the heartache of seeing him again, knowing they couldn’t have what she wanted. Grawlls padded along the trail behind the group, and other Pyx fanned out around them, but the mood was somber. It suited her fine—like the Pyx all knew how she was feeling, so what she picked up from them was only more of what she felt herself.

  In spite of her worries, they made it to Whalton manor without incident. Rhys’s van sat on the cobblestone driveway, still ticking with heat from the long drive. Cara shuddered at the sight of the door on the edge of the garage leading to the room where they’d held Lydia. Wes squeezed close to her as they crossed the cobblestones where she’d fallen to her knees, drowning in the first visions. She leaned against his shoulder and climbed the stairs with a sigh. Whatever Rhys had to say first, sharing her decision was going to be hard.