Eric’s still staring after them. “Yes, always.”
“How do you know her?” I ask Eric. He ignores me.
“There used to be a small village of elders here,” Cassia says.
“Years ago, all the elders picked up and moved to the coast. But Ana stayed.”
“Why?”
She shrugs. “I don’t know what happened, some conflict.
Anyway, Ana raised Elias.”
It makes sense in the tender way he treated her. There’s a thud in the distance, and both Eric and Cassia tense. “What was that?” I scan the passageway Elias and Ana went through.
“What if they’re here?”
“Hollowers don’t know about this place,” Eric says.
“But what if—”
“Stop asking questions. You’re giving me a headache.”
I shut my mouth and listen, trying to shove my anxieties to the back of my head. If they say there’s nothing to worry about, I have to learn to trust them.
~
The hour ticks by painfully slow. Elias and Ana don’t return.
Eric leans against the wall, flipping through pages of books while Cassia stands with me in the center, giving me lessons on how to kill somebody with a dagger. For practice purposes, she made me use a blunt one.
“You have to hold it tighter than that,” Cassia says, adjusting my grip on the dagger. “Otherwise it’ll slip as soon as somebody knocks you.”
To demonstrate her point, she strikes forward and hits my arm. The blunt dagger clatters to the floor.
“See?” She picks it up and hands it back to me.
I sigh, gripping the leather hilt and tightening my fingers around it. “Like this?”
She knocks my hand before I can even blink but I keep hold of the knife. “Better. Now try what I told you.”
I flick my wrist forward, going for her throat. She catches my wrist before I can reach her and twists it behind my back. I let out a sigh of defeat. “I’m terrible at this.”
“You’ll get better,” she assures me, releasing my wrist. “Trust me, you’ll be surprised how much damage you can do when you’re fighting for your life.”
The thought of plunging the dagger deep into somebody’s stomach to save myself makes bile rise to the back of my throat.
“My life being at risk didn’t help me much that day you saved me,” I say, remembering how I’d dragged myself helplessly along the ground. I’d stared Charles right in the eye and accepted that he was going to kill me.
“That’s different. You were severely disoriented and that wasn’t a fair fight. Even if you’d had a weapon, you were outnumbered.”
“That didn’t stop you.”
Cassia smiles, pulling her short hair into a ponytail at the back of her head. “I’m flattered. But that’s not a fair comparison, I’ve been training my whole life. It’s a shame they never taught you how to fight.”
“That really wouldn’t have helped their Kill Milena agenda.”
“Good point,” she says, and pulls one of the books from the shelf. She opens it on her lap. “When we get back to the village, Elias will show you how to fight better.”
My stomach twists at the thought. I don’t doubt Elias already sees me as weak, and teaching me how to fight definitely won’t help my case. I watch her as she flips through the pages just as Elias wanders back in. His eyes are cold, expression dead. “We should leave now.”
Cassia frowns. “We just got here.”
“Ana can’t help us and we should be getting back.”
Nobody says anything for a few moments. Eric, silent in the corner, studies Elias with narrowed eyes. “Elias, what’d she tell you?”
“Nothing, Eric. We need to—”
A short, sharp scream echoes through the tunnel. My body goes rigid and Cassia darts a hand out to grab my wrist. “What was that?”
Elias moves so quickly I barely see it. “Come on.” Cassia drags me behind her as we run from the cave. The icy air rushes through my hair as we sprint through the dark after Elias, the light at the end of the cave getting closer. Elias stands stationary at the end of the cave, his back facing us. Eric’s a few steps ahead of him, kneeling down in the snow. There’s a steely stench to the air. I cover my nose with the sleeve of my shirt and step forward.
“Elias?”
At the sound of my voice, his head turns, golden eyes gazing at me. But they don’t seem the same—they seem far away, lost somewhere distant. “I didn’t sense them,” he says. “The tracks were covered. How could they—how did they . . .”
“Get back in the cave,” Eric demands, rising to his feet.
“Gather your things, pack up as many of Ana’s books as you can hold. We have to leave. Now. ”
Cassia disappears back into the cave. I stay still, stepping forward to where he was so intently focused only moments before.
Suddenly, I wish I’d never looked at all. The color is the first thing I notice—stark red against white. It smells pungent and steely, making my eyes water. Lying delicately in the snow is a lone hand, torn from its arm. But Ana’s gone.
“Elias, we have to go,” Eric says.
Elias’s eyes are on Eric’s face, but he isn’t looking at him—it’s like he’s not even there. “It doesn’t make any sense.”
“Elias. We have to go. Now.”
A tense silence stretches between them. Elias snaps into action, turning away from the bloodstained snow, and marches back into the cave. Eric grabs my arm on the way past and pulls me with him. When we get back to Ana’s corner, Cassia’s frantically shoving books into backpacks. I try to help her but she swats me away.
“How can we get down?” I ask. “If they’re out there?”
“They took Ana but didn’t attack. They want us to know they’re there, waiting for us,” Eric says, looking around. “So they can ambush us when we come down the mountain.”
“But it’s almost night,” I say. “They won’t wait much longer, they won’t risk it.”
“We should wait it out, then,” Cassia says. “Until nightfall.”
Elias shakes his head. “They have Ana, we’re not waiting.”
“Elias is right,” Eric agrees, looking at me. “If they know she’s with us, I don’t think they’ll waste much more time waiting around.”
The hollowers are here. Charles could be here. “Switch coats with Cassia,” Elias says. “They must’ve seen you already, they wouldn’t risk attacking otherwise.” Cassia catches on before I do, clearly on the same wavelength as Elias, and slips off her coat and hands it to me. I slip mine off without questioning it then wrap hers around me, relishing the warmth that I feel from her body.
Elias looks at Eric. “You two go up and around the mountain, it’s the only other way out of here.”
“What about me?” I ask.
“You won’t be able to make it. But they should follow Cassia and Eric if she’s wearing your coat.”
“We’ll take the bags,” Eric says, slinging one over his shoulder and handing the other to Cassia. She shoves one last book inside before throwing the hood of my coat over her head and putting the straps over her shoulders. And then they exit the cave. I stare at Elias; he’s rifling through the bookshelf.
“Is he here? Is Charles here?”
Elias turns to look at me. “Are you scared?”
“Is it that obvious?”
He drops the books and moves toward me, eyes holding mine.
“If he’s here, he won’t get you. I promise.”
“What about Cassia and Eric?”
“They’re more than capable of taking care of themselves, they’ll be fine. Come on. We’ll try to make our way down.”
I catch his hand. “Ana . . .”
“She’ll be okay.” He pulls away. “I’ll find her.”
He turns around and walks toward the end of the cave. My entire body shakes but I follow, lifting Cassia’s hood over my head in an attempt to keep my face concealed. Elias halts me at the exit bef
ore guiding me around the perimeter of the crater, along the rock face. The snow is cold, blasting us from all directions. We walk down the mountain in silence until he grabs my arm and pulls me flush against him, into a rock. Then, footsteps.
I see them, then. Two hollowers silently trudging up the mountain. “Most of them followed Cassia and Eric, the rest seem to be coming up,” Elias says. My stomach clenches as I wait for him to tell me what to do. “When I tell you, I want you to run. Try to get down the mountain as fast as you can, don’t worry about following the track.”
“You’re not coming with me?”
“I’m going to get Ana.”
“I want to stay with you.” The words come out before I can think them over. He turns to look at me, hard expression softening.
“Milena, you have to trust me.”
“I do, but I . . . what if there are more of them farther down?
They’ll follow me.”
He reaches out, surprising me, the tips of his fingers brushing where I’d been punched. I have to keep myself from flinching—his touch is so gentle it’s like a breeze and not that of a creature who could so easily destroy me. “If they do, they won’t hurt you because they need you.”
“I don’t want them to take me.”
His eyes burn like a candle in a dark room. “They won’t. I’ll find you. I can always find you, Milena.” It’s not the first time he’s said it, but it’s the first time that it comforts me. “Go, now.” He draws away. “You remember what I told you?”
“Run. Don’t stop.”
He nods, steps away, looks out at the path, and ushers me forward. It’s clear. There’s silence, just the muted sound of falling snow and the gentle whisper of the wind. I almost don’t move, but Elias nudges me and I dash out from behind the rock, tripping into a pile of snow. I pull the coat over my head and push to my feet, reaching for the dagger in my pocket and gripping it tightly.
My mind races but I don’t turn back—I weave through the trees, maneuvering around rock faces. I run and run and run.
The sky shifts to an ugly gray as the snow hardens, twisting around in the wind and pricking my face. Adrenaline fuels my body, but in the back of my mind the fear screams—for Eric and Cassia, for Elias and Ana, but most of all, for myself: That I’ll run into Charles waiting at the bottom of the mountain. That he’ll stand over me again with a machete and I’ll be too paralyzed to even attempt to protect myself. That I’ll let him kill me, that I won’t even fight back.
Ahead, sparse clusters of trees are scattered across the track leading down. I propel myself around the corner without even watching where I’m going. Big mistake. I see him before he sees me, skidding to a stop as my heart pauses. A middle-aged man I don’t recognize leans against one of the trees, studying his fingers. The hairs rise on the back of my neck. Go, Milena, run. My feet skid in the snow as my breath attempts to catch up with me.
But I’m a second too late.
“Hey!” The earth thumps behind me. I gasp for oxygen, the air like tiny shards of glass stabbing at my throat. Haggard breath fills the air; a hand latches around my ankle and sends me three feet into the air before I land face first in the snow. I shove myself up, limbs flailing as hands grapple my ankles and drag me back along the ground. Dirty snow chokes me. I kick one of my ankles free to collide my foot with my captor’s chest.
It gives me enough time to flop over onto my back as I scramble to reach for the dagger a few feet away. The man drags me closer and takes hold of both my ankles, a wicked grin lighting his face as he restrains me, lower body on top of mine.
“Got you.” The greedy look in his eyes, the wicked set of his grin. I don’t know this man. “Stop struggling.”
I bite down on my lip to suppress a scream and squirm beneath him, afraid the one who comes to my rescue will be the one I’m most afraid of. My fingers brush the hilt of the dagger. When the man puts a hand across my mouth, I bare my teeth and bite it. It tastes of dirt and sweat. He curses, jolting back. I slash the dagger across his arm. He screams, leaping away and giving me time to scramble back across the ground. Fear threatens to shut my body down but I force myself to my feet and stumble farther down the mountain, hobbling on my nontwisted ankle and holding the dagger tighter. The wind howls but my mind screams, half of it calling me to keep going and the other begging me to give up. Voices bounce off the trees as the ground flattens. I don’t know where to go—noise echoes all around me; it’s difficult to tell what’s coming from where.
Down. Go down. I can always find you. Elias’s voice is the only thing that propels me forward. I burst into a clearing, but I’m not alone. There are at least five of them standing guard, machetes in their hands but faces concealed by dark hoods. I almost turn and run in the other direction until I see past them.
In the circle created by their bodies, a figure is hunched over. My heart thumps. Ana.
“Don’t move,” a woman threatens. Ana’s head darts up. Her face is gaunt and pale but her eyes are wide.
I hold my hands up. “Wait. Please . . . what do you want with me?”
The hollowers laugh and murmur mocking words that I can’t make out. I weigh my dwindling options, my confidence weakening as I stare at their long, sharp machetes. Run and leave Ana.
Stay here and get caught. Both options are terrifying. Before I have to make a decision, a buzz fills the air, a power so radiant even the hollowers hesitate. Gold flashes through the forest so fast it’s a blur. Elias. He appears an inch in front of me, between me and the hollowers.
“Let her go,” Elias warns.
“Give us the girl and she’s all yours.”
I tense. Ana raised him, and I’m just some human he picked up a few days ago. The decision isn’t hard. But Elias doesn’t waver, he stands his ground and lifts his chin. Even though I’m inches away, it’s like I can feel his body starting to burn.
“Let her go,” he says lowly, “or I’ll have to get her myself.”
“Elias, no,” Ana calls. One of the hollowers turns around and smacks her across the face.
Elias flinches. “Don’t touch her.”
“What’re you going to do, creature?” the hollower laughs.
“You can’t take on all of us. Without your moon, without your beast, you’re nothing. ”
Elias half turns to look at me. “Run.” He steps forward and closes his eyes. I shudder, and stumble backward. The hollowers shout after me, starting to move. And when I’m only steps away, I can’t help but glimpse back. Even though the sky is a muted gray, Elias glows like he’s bathing in the sun’s rays.
“Elias!” Ana calls. “Elias! Stop!” She leaps across the clearing toward him but gets caught in the crossfire. One of the hollowers reacts on instinct, the hooded figure plunging their machete into her stomach. She doubles over, gasping for breath and Elias’s eyes open. He stumbles forward to catch her. I don’t stick around to watch any longer. Turning around, I run in the other direction, the earth grumbling beneath my feet as footsteps clamber after me. Elias’s shout turns into a cavernous roar that disturbs the birds high above.
A hand hooks around my ankle and tackles me to the ground.
I land with a thud on my back, a hooded figure looming over me. Tears blur my vision as their nails dig into my wrist. But they’re small, smaller than me. I buck my hips and roll over so we’ve switched positions, and with Cassia’s words in my mind, press the dagger to their neck. My fingers shake uncontrollably.
I press harder and squeeze my eyes shut. I can’t kill them.
Do it, Milena. They’ll kill you if you don’t.
Blood prickles where the knife presses, seeping over my fingers. “Stop!” they gurgle. “Millie, stop!” I open my eyes. His hood has fallen off, wide blue eyes filled with horror. A drop of blood runs from the small incision on his throat. “It’s me!” He scratches at my wrists desperately. “It’s me!”
The distant shouts fade into the background. Ana’s dead, Elias is stuck with t
he hollowers, and there have to be more of them hidden within the forest, but all those thoughts get pushed to the back of my head. All I can focus on is the boy who lies beneath me with familiar eyes and inky black hair. He looks older than I remember, less innocent. His hair has been cut to his head, and there’s a faint bruise over his left jaw.
Darius. The boy who was kind to me when nobody else was, whom I chased around the walls and tickled until he laughed so hard he cried. The Darius I’d sneak extra bread rolls to during soup nights. His eyes fill with relief as he stares at me. “Don’t hurt me, I want to help you. I want to—”
His voice tunes out as my body numbs. I remember the last time I saw him. When he joked with me one day and then went on a hunt and treated me like the dirt beneath his feet the next.
This is Darius, who watched with a wicked smile as Charles stood over me with a machete, ready to end my life. Darius did nothing; he encouraged Charles, he wanted me to die. I press the dagger harder against his throat.
“You were going to kill me. You stood there and watched him try to murder me.”
“I’m sorry, Millie, please, I’m sorry. I want to help you! I didn’t understand. Please, let me explain.” Everything inside of me wants to believe him, to scoop him into my arms and take him with me back to the castle. I want to have a piece of home that doesn’t hurt. “I miss you.”
My grip loosens slightly on the dagger. “Why should I believe you?”
His eyes soften and I see the old him, the one who used to jump in puddles when it rained. But before I can blink, his knee goes into my stomach as he flips us around so he’s once again on top of me. “You shouldn’t,” he says, grinning as he pulls me to my feet and pushes me forward, into the forest and away from the screams. “Help! I have her!”
I kick from behind and he releases me, glaring at me as we stand staring at each other in the forest. He reaches for me again with newfound strength and presses me into the tree, my hands trapped between us as I fumble to keep the dagger from slicing my own stomach.
“Stop! Darius, why are you doing this? Please, let me go!”
He grabs my head and pounds it so forcefully against the tree that the world begins to spin. “Shut up, Milena!”
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