by Allison West
"You're his sister. You stay and look after him. I'll go." Rawlie gently guided Jamie onto the grass beside a tree.
"What if you don't come back?" Willow didn't like the idea.
"I could ask the same thing about you."
Grinding her teeth, her bottom lip jutted out. "Okay, fine. Ask if they have anything to help Jamie. Oh, and we need fresh drinking water." An entire ocean, and Willow hadn't found a single source of fresh water. Sweat dripped down her face, but she'd been ignoring herself, her mind on saving Jamie and keeping him out of harm's way.
Willow bent down, running her fingers across her brother's forehead, feeling him burning up. "You have until nightfall. Then, I'm going after you." She didn't want to leave Jamie alone, but she wasn't about to lose two of her most important people in one day. They both meant the world to her.
"Keep low to the ground and quiet. I'll find you." Rawlie bent down and dropped a swift kiss to Willow's lips. Although she had wanted it to linger, she also knew time wasn't on their side.
"What's the plan?" Hudson asked Orla as they headed away from Lil and Arianna. Hudson glanced back, hoping Arianna and Lil had made it safely to Morgan. He knew Orla had sent Arianna away to keep her from interfering with her newest mission.
"Aside from finding Eilith? I don't have one." Orla's face held no hint of emotion. Hudson knew she had to be bottling up her hatred and resentment. Eilith had killed her mother and slaughtered her people. The fae may not have wanted to interfere and had watched from the sidelines when Eilith had killed the human population in Orenda, but that had changed when she stood upon their soil. Hudson grunted under his breath, perturbed. History tended to repeat itself, no doubt.
"How are we going to find her?" Hudson locked eyes on Orla. "She's what, seven years old? You plan on killing a kid?"
Orla's eyes narrowed. "What do you suggest? We sit around and wait for her to start murdering innocent people? We did that once; you saw what happened."
Hudson exhaled a deep breath from his nose. "All issues with her age and the plan aside, where are we going to find her?" He knew nothing of Eilith's upbringing. It would have been helpful to have Arianna around. Certainly, she would have known where her mother grew up.
"Manhattan Academy." Orla pointed north. "It's about ten miles that way. Eilith went to school there. I know it's summer right now, but I'm sure we can manage our way inside and retrieve her records, which should provide an address."
He couldn't believe her suggestion. Easier would have been asking Arianna before Orla sent them away. Maybe he should make her retrieve the information on her own. After all, this had all been her idea, dragging them along and tossing them into the past. Hudson rubbed the back of his neck, hoping he'd see Lil again. "We could have just asked her."
Orla's nostrils flared when she spoke, her cheeks flushed. "How do you suppose I would have done that? It's not an everyday conversation starter. Hey, where did you mom live when she was seven?" Orla's eyes widened and she stomped as she walked, moving faster away from Hudson.
He jogged a few paces to catch up with her. "I get it, Orla. Believe me, I want this to be over with too, but what happens if it works? Do you really believe we have the power to change the future?" He wanted to believe his world would be safe, his mother still alive, but trading one future for another could be dangerous. As it was, he risked losing Lil. He'd been drawn to her in a way he couldn't quite explain. Nothing fathomable made sense, but he'd dreamt of her nearly every night since they'd said goodbye and parted ways, for what he thought would be forever.
Orla kept walking, heading north. They didn't have any money, so catching a bus or taxi was out of the question. "I have to believe it, because, if not, I lose everything." Orla kept a steady pace, her feet slamming hard against the pavement. People moved out of the way as she stormed the sidewalk, block after block.
He walked in stride beside her, keeping his voice down so anyone passing them wouldn't overhear their conversation. "Have you thought about how you're going to do it?" Hudson asked. "It can't be easy murdering a child."
Orla shot Hudson a disgusted look. "Lucky for me, this child already knows sorcery. She's young, but she's not innocent."
"If that's what you tell yourself so you can sleep at night," Hudson said under his breath, careful that Orla could hear him. He wanted her to know that he didn't agree with the plan. Yes, Eilith had destroyed Orenda. Certainly, she had murdered without prejudice, but how did killing her make them any better? Was murdering one life justified to save millions? Hudson didn't want to be the one responsible regarding that decision.
Orla grabbed his arm as they crossed the road. She glanced back over her shoulder, crossing haphazardly through traffic, pulling Hudson along with her.
Cars swerved to avoid the two pedestrians, brakes squealed, and a taxi crashed into a fire hydrant. "Are you crazy?"
"I think we're being followed." Orla pulled Hudson down a narrow alley and out the other side, crossing another street, this time when the light turned. Orla kept glancing behind them.
Hudson turned his body slightly to the side, not seeing a trace of anyone recognizable. Sure, there were people walking; it was New York City. "You're paranoid."
"I'm not. I know what I saw," Orla said. She glanced back one last time before the light turned on the crosswalk, signaling they could walk. "Whoever it was must have gotten spooked."
"Did you get a good look at them?" Had she even seen them at all? Orla had been under a great deal of stress. It wouldn't be unrealistic for her to imagine people or a scenario that wasn't really happening. She'd just lost her mother. It would take time to accept and deal with that loss, something she wasn't doing right now.
Orla frowned and dropped her hold from Hudson. She walked alongside of him but kept her hands at her sides. "Not really. Definitely two people. It's like I could feel their shadows, but that's all I could see."
Hudson studied her expression. Her pupils were blown, her skin pale. Orla probably needed sleep. Finding a place would prove difficult without money. Hudson would deal with that tonight. Right now, he needed Orla to focus. Maybe her idea of finding Eilith wouldn't be so terrible. The girl might have known spells and sorcery, but she hadn't killed anyone yet. There still had to be time to change the future, perhaps even save her.
The rest of the walk to Manhattan Academy had been basked in silence. Hudson didn't mind the quiet; it gave him time to think and reflect on what his actions might do to the future. Each outcome he imagined was more terrible than the previous. His nerves were making his stomach feel like a rough, turbulent sea.
"We're almost there," Orla said as they turned the corner to the school. A giant metal gate and sign rested on the front lawn of the property, making it evident that trespassers were not welcome. "Stay here, on lookout for me."
"And do what if I see a cop?" Hudson asked. Orla would be inside and vulnerable. Although he didn't agree with the plan, he also wasn't going to abandon her.
Orla patted Hudson's shoulder. "I'm sure you'll think of something." With grace, she climbed the gate, careful of the spikes at the top, and landed with a solid thud on the grass.
"Stay safe," Hudson said, hoping she wouldn't be long. His fingers wrapped around the iron bars of the gate, waiting for her to return.
Rawlie climbed through the thicket and away from Willow and Jamie. He hoped Jamie would survive long enough for him to get help. But from who? Why would someone shoot them? The land had seemed abandoned, and worse, they'd injured a child. Without Lil around, he would have to resort to other resources, mainly negotiating with whoever was in charge. It didn't help that there wasn't much to barter for. Worse still, he had no weapon on him and no time at all to make one. His feet crunched loudly against the grass, stepping unknowingly into a trap. A giant net lay at his feet, closing in and lifting him swinging into the air.
Rawlie cursed under his breath. "Seriously?" He couldn't believe it. Were they really trying to trap Eilith using a n
et? He'd been stupid enough to forget his pocket knife but Eilith wielded magic.
Rawlie turned his attention toward the ground, hearing rustling of trees and branches as he noticed a half-dozen men surround him. With weapons, they looked like soldiers, but they weren't any older than Rawlie and Willow. Dressed in rags that were ripped to cover their most intimate areas, with dark black paint etched to their skin like tattoos. Did the markings mean something? Rawlie had remembered reading a book as a child about war paint. Had that been the intent of these young men, dressed and garbed up, for what?
"Let me down!" Rawlie hoped talking to them would work. It was all he had to offer.
Another boy, slightly older and taller, stepped out from behind the trees. "Drop him."
"What?" Rawlie asked and felt the net slam into the dirt. Momentarily, he lost his stomach before his head and body smacked the ground. Groaning under his breath, he moved to sit up as two boys tore at the net, letting Rawlie free.
The older boy, likely their leader, stepped forward. "Why are you here?"
Rawlie glanced him over. He couldn't very well give him the long explanation of Orla disappearing, abandoning them in the other world, and then teleporting them back to Orenda, here, wherever they were. "Trying to get home." It happened to be the most honest and straightforward answer Rawlie could provide.
"You are home," the boy said and tossed an arm around Rawlie's shoulders. "We're always looking for new recruits."
Rawlie tried not to look so surprised and confused. "New recruits?" Had he said some magical password or done something that had made the boy trust him?
"We're all trying to get home. The New Orenda Order needs soldiers to protect the innocent."
"If you're protecting the innocent, then why'd you shoot my best friend's brother? You flew an arrow into a ten-year old's chest. Please tell me you have a doctor or a medical center, someone with training and supplies who can help him." Rawlie was skeptical about the New Orenda Order, what their agenda was and their plans, but right now, if they could help Jamie, he'd gladly accept their offer.
"That wasn't my doing," he said and held out his hand to introduce himself. "I'm Cole Friar. I'm the Commanding Officer for the New Orenda Order."
Before Rawlie led them to Jamie and Willow, he expected answers. "Great. If you're in charge, then you can tell me how you let one of your men shoot at an unarmed child!"
"War's not a pretty place," Cole said, looming over Rawlie. With dark hair and matching eyes, he easily blended into the forest around him. "Accidents happen."
Rawlie didn't believe it. "Shooting Jamie was no accident. We were attacked!"
"And whose doing was it?"
Rawlie stared at the young man but refused to shake his hand.
"Listen," Cole said. "We saw movement in the forest. The only time refugees who come here to join the New Orenda Order arrive is by ship. The New Orenda Order forbids the use of magic. It's the only way we can ensure our survival. I didn't see your boat, but clearly, you don't know your way around a spell, or else, the boy wouldn't be in danger and you would have either left us or attacked."
Rawlie kept his expression stoic. He held his own, being sure not to flinch. Traveling between worlds wasn't common, but it also didn't involve magic per se. There was no point in explaining it to Cole. What good would it do? Things were tense already. "Our boat sank." A lie everyone could live with.
Cole cocked an eyebrow. "And the three of you swam all the way to shore?"
Rawlie didn't answer the question. It was a situation he didn't want to find himself in, lying his way out of another mess. "Listen, can you help my friend or not?" There was no point in wasting any more time if they weren't going to help.
Cole whistled into the forest, and a young girl, barefoot, came running. Rawlie didn't dare ask how her feet weren't torn up to pieces. "Lara, tell Jet to bring the med kit and have him meet me down by the shore. That's where the boy is, right?"
Rawlie nodded. He'd have to remember the exact path he took back and hope they weren't planning on attacking Jamie and Willow. Rawlie trusted very few people, and the New Orenda Order at this point were nowhere near the list. "Yeah, I can take you there." If it had been a mild wound, he'd have willingly patched Jamie up on his own. However, the arrow needed to be removed, and who knew how deep it had gone and what internal damage it might have done. Rawlie could wrap an ankle or bind an arm. That had been the extent of his medical expertise.
Lara ran back toward camp, through the forest. Rawlie could barely see her after a few feet and still had no idea where they were located. Protecting Willow and Jamie had been his legacy. Had he made a mistake in trusting these people? He hoped not.
"Let's go," Cole said, waiting for Rawlie to lead the way.
Consumed with fear and doubt, his brow furrowed as he walked closer toward his friends. Would Lara give the message to Jet? Would the medic come with supplies and be able to help Jamie? Or had it all been a message for something bigger? Rawlie had certainly grown paranoid over the years, but with good reason. Eilith had consumed his world and probably killed his family. Not knowing what happened to them felt like the worst part.
Walking among the trees, Rawlie glanced up at the tall canopy. "How long has the forest been here?"
"Since the Scourge," Cole said, just a step behind Rawlie. "All the original inhabitants were killed. There are small pockets of land we like to call paradise. Eilith left the land alone, for whatever reason. There are all sorts of theories from the New Orenda Order as to why she chose not to suck the life from here as well. Some think she's forgotten this plot of land. Others think there may be some magical properties to protect it. I don't know the reason. Hell, maybe it's cursed. We stand guard twenty-four hours a day defending our home. At some point, we think she'll come, and when she does, we intend to stop her."
"With a bow and arrow?" Rawlie glanced back at Cole over his shoulder. "You've never met the witch, have you?"
"I thought she was a demon sorceress?" Cole said.
Rawlie shrugged. Wasn't it all the same thing? It didn't matter what you called Eilith, she was still evil, plain and simple. "My friends are just over that hill." There wasn't much of a hill, but he knew Jamie and Willow would be crouched down, hiding. "Let me go first."
"As you wish," Cole said and stopped walking. He waited twenty feet away from the slight mound of dirt for a signal to join him.
Chapter 17
The Child
Lil and Arianna stalked Orla and Hudson north to Manhattan. "What do you think they're up to?" Lil asked. She knew something was wrong when Orla insisted on staying behind and wanted to send the two of them to speak with her mother. This had been the only way to find out the truth, except they'd followed the two of them for miles and still had no idea what Orla and Hudson could be doing.
Arianna stopped walking and removed her shoe, grimacing at the blister at the back of her ankle. "Please tell me we're almost there."
Lil stared at the two-story brick building behind a giant iron fence. The sign outside read 'Manhattan Academy'. She couldn't fathom what Hudson was doing waiting outside of a school and where had Orla gone?
Hudson stood with his arms in the gate, holding the bars as he stared at the front entrance, failing to notice them approaching.
Lil kept her voice low. "Act like we know what's going on."
Arianna frowned but nodded, going along with it. "Okay. You do the talking then."
Lil strolled up to Hudson and stood beside him, wrapping her arms around the bars as she stared at the front of the building. He watched the door, but clearly, he knew she was standing beside him. His posture stiffened and he cleared his throat.
Lil realized he'd been waiting for Orla to return from inside the school. "At what point today did you decide breaking into a school was a good idea?"
Hudson turned his head. "I'm not breaking and entering. That's all on Orla."
Arianna crossed her arms and stared at Hudson. "This
is about my mother, isn't it? She went to Manhattan Academy. Is that why you're here? You do realize it's summer break. Even in 1983, they had summer vacation."
Hudson's brow furrowed. "I know that." He turned to fully face Lil. "Orla went inside to retrieve Eilith's address." He didn't have to say anything else. Lil knew the reason the fae had sent Arianna and herself away. She couldn't come to voice it, not in front of Arianna. They all knew the day would come to kill Eilith, but they thought it would be in battle, when they were fighting bravely and defending their world. Now, it felt strange and wrong.
Arianna stepped closer, letting out a huff. "What do you need that information for?" Lil glanced at Arianna, noticing her bottom lip tremble as she spoke. She had to know the reason; they were going to kill Eilith.
Orla gripped a sheet of paper in one hand as she raced out the front door. She jogged to the gate, pushing the paper through the railings for Hudson to take. The moment he held them firmly, she hoisted herself up and over, jumping down gracefully. "I thought I told you both to visit my mother?"
Lil's mouth felt dry, and she swallowed anxiously. "We knew you were hiding something when you sent us off." She would not be made a fool by a fae. "I bet the wand wouldn't even take us to your mother. Otherwise, you'd be there, begging her to help."
Arianna stepped closer to Orla, glancing her up and down. "You're not honestly thinking of killing my mother, are you?"
Lil held her breath, waiting for the fae to answer.
"Do you have a better idea?" Orla kept her cool. "Eilith did murder an entire civilization. Look at the world around you, Arianna. She's the reason it's gone. All of it."
