Toland halted. Whirling around, he cast a keen eye on the forest. “It’s getting bigger,” he said.
Elliott stopped next to him. Her face was tomato-red. Dark bags hung from her eyes. Balancing her hands on her knees, she gulped at the oxygen. “We need to… keep going.”
“A lot bigger.” Toland said, ignoring her. “This X-thing better be underground.”
Bailey Mills, still clutching the strange logbook, dragged herself to the others. Her feet stung so bad it brought tears to her eyes. Her heart pounded away inside her chest, like a hammer on a stubborn nail.
She clutched her waist with both hands, barely keeping stitches at bay. Then she turned around.
She could see nearby objects like rocks and dirt and moss. A little farther back, she saw rows of evergreen trees along with fallen needles and pine cones. Beyond that, the forest was ripe with flames. Seeing the fire — that distant instrument of destruction — set her nerves to the breaking point.
It wasn’t the size of the fire, which was difficult to tell at this distance. It was the fact that it appeared alive. The flames vibrated and pulsed with intense fury. As if an ancient dragon existed within them, propelling them onward with nothing but sheer will.
Elliott was the last to turn around. Her mouth drooped as she stared at the fire. “Ohmigod.”
Toland grunted and twisted away from the fire. Mills chased after him, cutting through pines and spruces, and keeping an eye on the distant flames. Her feet still stung and a splitting headache made it hard for her to think. But her discomfort couldn’t compare to the pit of terror embedded deep in her stomach.
Knowledge was a powerful thing. And the possibility that they were in the Vallerio—her Vallerio — had wiped some of her fear away. Unanswered questions still abounded, of course. Questions about the saber and woolly mammoths. Questions about why the animals were so violent and why the saber seemed so intent on killing them. But at least she felt like she was starting to get a handle on the situation.
But the wildfire, well, it was a game changer. And as she hurried onward, tripping over roots and rocks, the pit in her stomach blossomed in particularly nasty fashion, sending shoots of fear through her veins.
The soft snapping and cracking of wet wood crested through the forest. The noises caught hold of Mills’ sanity, nearly ripping it right out of her body. Then a new sound punctuated the night air. It sounded like… yes… it was metal clinking against metal in ferocious fashion. Mills’ gaze shot leftward and she noticed faint glimmers of light. “Wait,” she whispered through clenched teeth. “I see something.”
Toland maintained his pace, but cast a withering look over his shoulder. “Yeah,” he said. “We saw it too.”
“Not the fire, you idiot.” She stopped, pointed to her left. “Over there.”
Applying the brakes, he slid to a stop. His neck swiveled to the side. His eyelids cinched into squint position. Then he started toward the glimmers. With a pained groan, Elliott stumbled after him.
Taking her own route, Mills hiked toward the glimmers at a fast clip. Soon, she caught glimpses of a small clearing, surrounded by tall evergreen trees. A large object rested in the middle of it. It looked silky-smooth from a distance and black as night.
Mills slowed her pace a bit, slipping from tree to tree. At the edge of the clearing, she knelt behind some bushes, making herself as small as possible.
The object was a small corporate helicopter, probably a four-seater with all the right luxuries. It reminded her a little of the one her ex-boyfriend owned. She’d flown in it a few times, usually for quick getaways to the Hamptons.
The tiniest smile curled upon her lips. She barely remembered her ex at this point. But riding in his chopper? Ahhh… that had been divine. Seats as cushy as teddy bears. Succulent dishes prepared in advance by a world-class chef. Windows, clean and free of streaks, offering a portal to the world beyond. And of course, the bottles of expensive liquor. Oh, that liquor… so delish! She could almost taste it on her tongue.
A snarl, vicious yet soft, screeched into her ears, putting an end to her memories. Alarm bells rang in her head.
The saber!
She tried to place the sound, but the forest threw off her senses. She couldn’t tell if it was this way or that, distant or close. The confusion infuriated her and she felt her sanity slip a little closer to a precarious edge.
Footsteps padded over plants and squishy fruit. Heart racing, Mills spun toward the noise. Then she relaxed. It was just Toland and Elliott, slipping out from behind a tree and hurrying to the bushes.
Toland crouched next to her and breathed softly through his mouth. His breath smelled of rotten teeth and garlic and it took all of Mills’ self-control to face him. “Did you hear that?” he whispered.
Mills nodded, too terrified to speak.
Moments later, Elliott crawled up on Mills’ other side. Wild-eyed and caked with mud and leaves, she looked almost feral. “It’s close,” she whispered. “I can feel it.”
“The only way you’ll feel that saber is if it bites you on the ass,” Toland said. “Face it, you’re not exactly Atalanta.”
Elliott gave him a puzzled look.
“Oh, you’ve never read Greek mythology. How shocking.” Toland rolled his eyes and glanced at the chopper. “Expensive bird.”
“You’ve got rich friends, right?” Elliott looked at Mills with pleading eyes. “Maybe it’s one of them.”
If only, Mills thought. But she was pretty sure she’d been MIA just a day or two. Most likely, people hadn’t even noticed her disappearance. But even if they had, she doubted any of her friends, even her besties, would go to much trouble to find her. Sure, they’d make the talk show rounds and have their assistants post moving messages on social media. But that would be the extent of it. She knew that because, quite frankly, she would’ve done the same thing if the roles had been reversed.
Wow, she thought. Just… wow.
“Well?” Toland whispered. “Do you recognize it?”
She shook her head.
The clink-clank of metal brushing up against metal rang out. Mills focused her attention on the waist-deep grass surrounding the helicopter.
The grass shifted a bit and some blades vanished. A head, topped with curly hair, appeared in the clearing. Then it ducked out of view.
Mills shot another glance at the wildfire. It was still distant, but getting closer. She could see red flames. A few orange ones, too. They shot forward and sideways, gradually spreading themselves through the evergreen trees. Thick gray smoke, swirling and churning, curled up behind them and drifted into the sky.
She turned back to the chopper. She was nearly certain they were in the Vallerio. If so, the helicopter most likely belonged to James Corbotch. In fact, it had probably been used to bring her and the others to the forest in the first place.
Fast as fire, she shot through the bushes and entered the field. Her bare feet stung like crazy as she stepped on sharp rocks, lumpy fruit, and God knows what else. But she didn’t stop.
The curly-haired head appeared for a second time. Slowly, it lifted out of the grass like a space rocket, bringing the upper body of a man with it.
Mills ran up to the man. She stared straight into his eyes for a moment, seeing vague signs of recognition. “Where is he?” she said. “Where’s James?”
“You shouldn’t be here.” The man glanced over both shoulders. “It’s not safe.”
“Safe? You want to talk about safe?” Mills was tempted to bash him over the head with the logbook. “Two people died right in front of me, killed by an animal that shouldn’t even exist. That same animal chased my friends and me all over this nightmare of a forest. And it’s still after us. We’re hungry, thirsty, exhausted, and pissed-off. And oh yeah, there’s a forest fire heading this way.”