“I know that. I’m sorry if I made you feel like I didn’t. It’s just that I need to get to New Hovel, to make sure Madgie gets the care she needs, to see Nell so I know she’s safe, to meet Shiphra so she can tell me what’s happening to me, and to find Kaedin before it’s too late.”
“Wow, that’s a long list of needs, and shoes weren’t even on it. What kind of girl are you?” He nudged her with his thick shoulder playfully. “I didn’t stop and think of how stressed out you must be feeling, just been so worried about keeping you safe. Never occurred to me to, you know… talk. Curse of the gender, you know, and based on that small tirade, you’ve been needing to talk.”
Amanda hadn’t thought about how much she did need to talk to someone. She was so used to repressing her thoughts and feelings. Amanda wondered if things would be different at the New Hovel, or if it would be the same old thing with a different label.
“You can talk to me about anything. You know that, right?”
“Of course. You’ve always been the person I talk to. I’ve just gotten used to keeping my thoughts to myself. They always got me into trouble growing up, if you recall.”
“I know what you mean. There’s something I’ve been keeping to myself for a long time. It’s nothing you don’t already know, but I’ve wanted to tell you for as long as I can remember.” Cole stopped talking and rubbed the back of his neck. He averted his eyes, and a blush kissed his cheek.
He’s nervous? Cole was never nervous, she thought, but was only clueless for a moment before his emotions overwhelmed her.
“I lo—”
“Can we leave now?” Armaan’s impatient voice asked from across the room.
“Yeah, sure,” Cole said, jumping up. “I’ll carry Madgie so that you can lead the way.”
Cole hurried off toward Madgie awkwardly, and Amanda was left sitting next to an invisible wolf, wishing he had finished his sentence and that there was a club handy to beat Armaan with. When she’d first realized what he was about to say, she was nervous, not knowing what she would say back and not sure of how it would change their relationship. If there was one thing she’d learned as a Healer, it was how badly I love you could end. Now that it had gone unsaid, she was full of hollow disappointment.
Stupid Armaan! I’m glad I never had a little brother. Could you nip his ankle for me, you know, just a little? she asked, scratching the animal behind the ears. She wasn’t sure, but she thought he seemed pleased by the idea.
By the time she exited the cave, Cole and Armaan were at the edge of the clearing, heads bent together, talking in hushed voices. She didn’t understand why the discretion was necessary until she was a foot away from them. Beyond the clearing was deathly quiet, without even the rustling sound of the wind moving through branches she’d grown so accustomed to hearing the past few days. Not a single woodland creature seemed to be on the move today, but other more sinister creatures were. She looked up as soon as she felt their presence and noticed that Cole’s big arms, cradling Madgie, were shaking.
“You did this,” Cole whispered. “You lead them to us?”
“No, no I swear. They have Ancients on their side too, you know. Calm down, and we’ll find a way around them,” Armaan said.
“You swear? You think that your promises mean anything to me?”
Her brain caught up to the conversation, and she interjected. “We don’t have time to argue. They found us when it was just the three of us,” she said gesturing to Madgie. “This has nothing to do with him! We need to get out of here.”
“Okay, but we are not taking the path that he chose for us. We’ll go this way,” Cole said, turning on his heal.
“You saw what was down that path — nothing but rocks, fallen trees, and overgrown brush! This is the best route, and you know it. Go that way and you’ll have to fight the Guard and nature. We can’t carry Madgie safely through that way.” He looked down the path that they had chosen together.
Amanda’s wolf stood partway down it, beckoning her to follow.
“Just trust me, please!” Armaan pleaded to them both.
Cole stood unmoving, glaring at him as if his mere stare could start the boy’s hair on fire.
“I do,” she said, taking off down the path after her wolf, knowing that Cole would follow her, and he did, begrudgingly, taking up the rear.
“Do you even know where you’re going?” Armaan whispered behind her.
Her feet were flying over the terrain without her telling them to do so. “I think so. I kind of feel like I did last time when Shiphra was pulling me where she wanted me to go.”
“Stop!” he said, grabbing her arm. “This isn’t like the last time. You need to follow me, not that pull.” His voice was so commanding she looked at Cole for help.
“You’re hurting my arm. Let go of me!” She struggled out of his grasp. “Madgie told me to follow this feeling, and I’m not going to follow you if you’re telling me to ignore it!”
Cole was at her side, glowering into Armaan’s face. “I knew you’d try to lead us to them! You are your brother’s lap dog,” he said, his voice full of venom.
“Wait! Please don’t go that way. It isn’t Shiphra. This is nothing like the last time you escaped the Guard,” Armaan pleaded as they backed away from him.
She turned to follow where her feet told her to go, but was stopped short by her wolf’s unmoving frame. Calm down just leave him be, she thought, seeing the fur on his haunches standing on end, reminding her of a deadly pincushion. The invisible string pulled tighter, and she stumbled trying to stay on her feet.
“Come on, Cole, we need to leave here.” She tried to step around her wolf, but he spun, knocking her to the ground. “What’s the matter with you?” she yelled.
Cole was next to her in less than a second. “Are you all right? What happened?”
He helped her to her feet, which she was having a hard time staying on. The tug was so great that it felt like a rope had been lassoed around her. The sensation was heavy and forced, nothing like it had been last time.
“It isn’t her, it’s not Shiphra!” she screamed.
The invisible rope around her burned as it tightened, and she just had time to look at Cole pleadingly before she was pulled off her feet and disappeared into the forest.
20
Her flesh burned, and her body cried out in pain as she flew through the forest, sharp branches tearing chunks out of her exposed skin. Tears streamed down her cheeks in a reaction to pain or anger, she wasn’t sure which.
Why couldn’t she have listen to Armaan? Shiphra had given her so many signs.
As she drew nearer, the entity pulling her in, she hoped Cole and Armaan would stay away. They didn’t stand a chance. The power of an Ancient was nearly limitless, and they were just two young men.
“No!” Amanda screamed, holding back tears. She was so sick of people that she loved being hurt because of her. She thought of Madgie and how close her old friend had come to death. Amanda would try to stand on her own, even though she could feel her energy draining with every inch put between her and her wolf.
Just as Amanda began wondering how long she’d be dragged through the forest, she started feeling the dark energy of the Guard. There weren’t as many as the last time Amanda had encountered them, maybe seven or eight, but she barely noticed them. The brilliance of a single Ancient drowned them out like a full moon blots out the stars.
She came to a halt twenty feet from the towering figure, still in the air and held captive by the invisible rope. He was stroking a large peacock with disjointed hands, looking bored. The bird was dazzling and larger than any she’d ever seen. It seemed to light up the dim forest like a strange sun.