“If we’re going to start a search party, I think dark scary valley is a good place to check out.”
Cole pulled her next to him. Amanda tried to enjoy the act, but her mind still circled the image of the strange hand grasping Madgie’s ankle. She and Cole began their decent side by side into the ever-darkening valley.
He led the way, moving with quick precise motions that she found hard to replicate on such uneven terrain. They didn’t have a path to follow, so they climbed over slick moss-covered rocks and had to avoid thick bushes spiked with uninviting thorns. Although she wasn’t good at it, she attempted to tread lightly, wanting to stay as quiet as possible. Something told her she needed to do this, though she didn’t understand why. Shouldn’t we be making as much noise as possible to find Madgie?
Whatever the reasoning behind her hushed footfall, she knew she needed to shrug it off. They had to start calling out for Madgie. It would be hard to spot her through the dense vegetation. Amanda took a breath to call out, and Cole grabbed her arm and shook his head slowly. She was surprised and studied his face. His heavy brow was furrowed in confusion.
“What?” she mouthed to him.
He took a knee and gently pulled her down with him. She didn’t hesitate and knelt beside him, rough earth digging at her flesh.
He pulled her in closely and whispered in his deep melodic voice, “We shouldn’t make our presence known here, not yet. Ever since we stepped into this valley, I’ve had a terrible feeling I can’t shake. Maybe I’m just being paranoid. I mean I can’t track anything down or pin point why, but I feel like we are being hunted.”
She, having felt the same thing, looked into the nearby brush and nodded. “Well, I don’t know how quickly the Ancients work, but I think we need to get used to the feeling of being hunted.”
Amanda didn’t know if they were feeling spooked by someone thousands of miles away or if something sinister lurked just beyond her sight. She hadn’t wanted to worry Cole about something she was so unsure of, but she vocalized her thoughts before she could stop herself.
“I thought I saw someone grab Madgie before we made the leap.”
She waited a few moments and turned to Cole, surprised that he hadn’t responded. Seeing the look of shock on his face, she chastised herself. Why hadn’t she told him sooner? She looked up into his pure brown eyes and saw a bouquet of emotions rattling inside of him. Amanda stuttered.
“I’m sorry, Cole. I should have said something to you, I just wasn’t sure if I—”
“It’s okay, don’t apologize. So much has happened to you in such a short amount of time. I’m sure it’s hard to keep everything lined up. I’m not sure how you’re doing this well. If I looked like you, I’d still be in my cell crying.” He smiled as he took a deep breath in.
If I looked like you? Do I look that bad? She brought her hand to her face.
He reached out to her, taking it away. “I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant that you’re strong, stronger than most.” He drew her hand slowly to his lips, but she pulled it away before he could kiss it. Cole continued talking unabashed. “I’ll always like the way you look,” he said kindly, but she couldn’t imagine that he meant it. “Do you have any idea who was holding onto Madgie?”
She paused and took herself back to that moment. Who was around her? She concentrated hard on the few seconds that the fight had lasted. She felt the presence of her friends, Cole and Madgie were near her. Next, she felt the presence of her unknown pursuers. Three were blocking the door, another two against the far wall, and the older man was partway between her and Frey, attempting to stop his unrelenting stream of attacks. That left one unaccounted for. She spoke his name and felt the acidic contents of her stomach rise to the back of her throat. “Carter.” Cole bit into his lower lip, muffling a curse. “Did Frey come out with him?”
“No, he was on the other side of the room,” she said with confidence.
“Well then it could have been worse. Still, out of all those Healers it had to be him.” Cole tilted his head back, allowing the last of the days light to wrap around his dark curls.
7
A lone man stood tall in the arena. Bright lights hanging high above Finn highlighted the determination on his weathered face. The sound of murmuring dissent rang out all around the arena, but he gathered his strength and continued his plea. “Listen, I’ve known Madgie for nearly seventy years now. She’d never involve herself in something wicked. Madgie has always built up the Hovel. If she has fled, it’s for a good reason. Perhaps she truly believes Amanda can be made whole.”
A deep voice rang out from the Ancients, though none of them had opened their mouths. “She cannot!” the voice said.
The willowy Healer drove on. “You can’t just put a death warrant on Madgie’s head. She hasn’t broken any law. She did what she thought was right. And this young Cole, he loves her.” His moist eyes looked up at the crowd of his peers. “I felt it, and so did you. Will you kill him on sight for saving the one he loves?”
An old woman stood up in the crowd. “That’s right, Finn. Tell them, that they might see,” she shouted.
A young man next to her jerked her down as the arena erupted in equal shouts of agreement and shouts of anger.
Finn lifted his chin slightly at the newfound support. “And Amanda, why couldn’t we have just waited to see if she would recover? I don’t want someone to put me down every time I get a cold,” he joked.
Cries went out all over the teeming arena. “It’s not a cold.”
“She’s evil!”
“No one knows.” “The Ancients do!”
“What are the Ancients, your Kings and Queens, your rulers? No, no one rules over us. Every single one of them was once no more than a Healer, the same as you and me.” Finn couldn’t stop himself from shouting. He quickly turned to the five Ancients towering above him. “We are Healers. We govern ourselves. You haven’t the right to put death on us,” he bellowed. A bright flash of light burst to life at these words. He had no time to react to the bolt of energy that ripped through his chest, burning a hole in his heart. His lifeless body staggered, muscles twitching involuntarily, making him look like a haunting marionette before finally hitting the ground.
The crowd of Healers burst into horrified screams as they gazed at the dead body of Finn, a man who had been a friend to all of them.
The tallest Ancient closed his eyes and waved his disjointed hand across the room. Everything went silent as men and women fell back into chairs, and those who were standing in protest, crumpled to the floor.
The tallest and male leader of the Ancients rubbed his eyes
with sharp fingers and spoke to the others mentally. “Calm down. They are asleep. It was the easiest spell to cast,” Baal said as he looked at the four other beings who had shared such a long life with him. A perfect life.
He knew none were as powerful as they were together, and he worried about what would happen next. This was uncharted territory. The Healers had always been so obedient. They’d catered to his every whim for centuries. Shiphra started all of this upheaval. It had been boiling just under the surface for seven decades.
Baal glided slowly over to Finn’s crumpled form. He turned the thin body over and caressed his still-warm cheek gently. Baal took the sweet old face in his palms and began pressing his hands together, crunching bones and twisting skin until the distorted face was no longer recognizable. He should have killed her when he had the chance.