Jahrra saw the worried look on Denaeh’s face and adjusted her tone. “No, nothing is wrong. It’s just that I forgot. My friends will be worried about me. They’re probably thinking I’m dead or captured! I’m sorry, but I have to go now.”
“Oh, is that all?” Denaeh said, grinning impishly as she dusted off her soil-stained hands.
Jahrra scrambled to her feet in her haste, but stopped before moving any farther. She put her hand to her forehead and groaned.
“What now?” Denaeh asked, looking puzzled.
“Nothing, it’s just . . .” Jahrra began.
Denaeh raised her eyebrows and Jahrra sighed. “Well, you know my classmates dared me to come here, but the thing is I have to prove that I came all the way to the Belloughs. But I have no idea how to prove something like that!”
Jahrra then told the Mystic everything, about the challenge, about her stupidity in falling for the twins’ ruse, and especially about Lake Ossar.
“You see, only if I bring back some proof will they stay away from Lake Ossar for good. It was the only place I could go to get away from them.”
Jahrra sighed deeply and slouched back to the ground, her legs crossed and her shoulders slumped. What was the point in going back if she had failed? She could bring back one of Denaeh’s mushrooms, if the Mystic would let her, but what would that prove? It was no use; she had nothing to show for her accomplishment. She almost wished now that Denaeh had been a witch intent on eating her.
Denaeh gazed down at Jahrra, her lips pursed in scrutiny. She drew one hand up to her chin and her young face took on a pensive look. Jahrra didn’t notice when the Mystic’s thoughtful stance relaxed, but when she finally looked up at the young woman, she was beaming brightly at her.
“What?” Jahrra asked, confused by the Mystic’s sudden joy.
“Jahrra, how good are you at acting?”
That was an odd question, considering the circumstances. But Jahrra simply shrugged. “I guess I’m alright at it, I’ve never really acted before. Why?”
“Well,” Denaeh grinned, her golden eyes sparking with mischief, “I have an idea . . .”
-Chapter Twenty-Two-
What Goes Around Comes Around
“Eydeth! Just let us go! What if she’s hurt or needs our help?”
The only thing that consumed Scede more than his anger was his fear, but Eydeth and his sister just smirked.
“I said she had to do it alone or no deal,” he purred.
“It’s been nearly four hours!” Eydeth screamed, his face turning red. “Surely that’s long enough! And I don’t care anymore, the deal is off!”
Scede stalked off to where Bhun and Aimhe were tied to a sapling, but Eydeth’s voice called over the crowd of students still waiting around to learn Jahrra’s fate.
“Oh, no you don’t. She got herself into this and she can get herself out. No help from her loser friends!”
Scede turned around and glared back at the other boy. Eydeth had called upon his thugs and they were now standing in a semi-circle, blocking off the trail Jahrra had taken earlier that morning.
“You think we’re bad now, wait and see what happens to you at school if you try to go after your stupid friend.”
Ellysian got up from the giant log she’d been sitting on and moved to stand next to her brother. A few more reluctant girls, who were often seen following her around, joined her. Scede looked over at Gieaun, leaning against a eucalyptus tree so she wouldn’t fall over. Ever since Jahrra had disappeared into the woods that morning, she’d grown more and more tense and nervous. Now she was just barely holding on to the little sanity she had left.
Scede secretly cursed his friend for going through with this stupid dare and hoped more than anything that she’d just twisted an ankle or had managed to get lost. He refused to believe she was in any real danger, but he wasn’t about to take any chances. Throwing one last glare of hatred in Eydeth’s general direction, Scede snatched up Bhun’s reins and hopped into the saddle.
“You’d better move unless you want to get trampled!” he shouted to the crowd blocking the path. He meant every word.
Scede looked down at his sister and she stared back, grim faced, but nodded. She hoisted herself up and staggered over to Aimhe who was staring after Bhun in a perplexed manner. Gieaun used an old tree stump to get into the saddle and soon drew her horse up next to her brother’s.
“Now, are you going to move or not?” Scede demanded.
“What’s the use in going in after her?” Eydeth said, trying to keep the twinge of fear from his voice. “If the witch hasn’t captured her then she has most likely died of fright. In fact, that’s probably what has happened to her. She saw an old gnarled tree and thought it was the witch and died on the spot! She would be just dumb enough to do something like that!”
The crowd tossed around a light, nervous chuckle, more to pass the time than for any other reason. They’d been standing around for hours, waiting for either Jahrra to return triumphant or for someone to finally decide she wasn’t coming back at all. A few people had left and a few had come back, but little else had happened since Jahrra’s brave disappearance into the Wreing Florenn. Everyone was ready for a little action, and now that Scede and Gieaun were up on their horses, it looked like something was finally going to happen.
“Have it your way,” Scede said coldly. “Gieaun?”
Gieaun nodded once, gravely, and as the two prepared themselves to charge at the stubborn crowd, a loud, grating cry split the air. Everyone froze, gasping and ducking as a great black creature came flying out of the woods.
“What the . . . ?!”
Scede jerked to the side as a large raven swooped between him and Gieaun. Gieaun screamed, spooking Bhun and Aimhe even more. The horses stomped their feet and whinnied in terror.
The sound of several people shouting and scattering made Scede turn his head. Bhun was still trying to bolt, but Scede had control of him. A crashing sounded over the screaming group of students and Scede almost fell out of the saddle when he saw what it was.
“Run! Get out of here, RUN!!!!!!”
“JAHRRA!?” Gieaun screamed.
“Gieaun, Scede, everybody, RUN, NOW!!!!!”
She looked like a wild animal on top of Phrym, her hair flying free of its braid, her shirt and pants covered in mud. There was plant debris stuck under the saddle and Phrym’s flanks were damp with sweat. Jahrra’s eyes were dark, her face was pale and her jaw was tense with fear.
Everyone stopped their scurrying long enough to ogle at the bedraggled girl who'd flown out of the trees, but then something else happened. A fierce, wicked cackle split the stressed atmosphere. Everyone shivered and darted their panicked eyes back towards the wood where the horrible sound had come from.
“RUN!” Jahrra shrieked again, kicking her heals into Phrym’s sides, causing him to whinny in protest before bolting forward.
And then, before anyone else could move, a dark, hunched figure dressed in a ragged cloak darted between the two largest trees only fifty yards away. If Jahrra’s panicked voice and face hadn’t made her classmates move, the sight of the Witch of the Wreing did.
Ellysian was the first to scream, followed by her brother. If Gieaun and Scede hadn’t been so frightened, they would have laughed at them. The twins hurtled past everyone else, running at full speed to where they had tied their jumpy horses. After that, it was utter chaos. People were screeching and crying and clawing to get away from the forest’s edge. Gieaun and Scede just sat on top of their own nervous horses, staring numbly in shock. Jahrra’s voice finally broke them from their strange trance.