by J E Reed
A cry of pain escaped Vixin’s lips as Zak helped her stand, every joint feeling as though it’d been torn from the socket and relocated. Zak kept one arm around her back to keep her steady and she didn’t protest.
They were hungry, tired, pitiful in every sense of the word as they trudged through the woods, taking careful measures to remain hidden. None of them would survive a second aggressive encounter.
Her strength returned with each step and Vixin slowly carried her own weight. Judging from the bags beneath his eyes, Zak was just as exhausted as she felt.
Magic. A curse and a blessing all in one. A weapon she could utilize and yet one that could destroy her if she weren’t careful. One mistake and she could pass out within an enemy’s territory never to wake again.
Vixin glanced at Zak. Dirt covered his clothes, dark bags hung beneath his eyes, but it was the hollow look on his face that drew her attention the most. She’d been searching for somewhere safe before her blackout and in that moment, nothing had felt safer than Zak’s arms. Even now, with one arm still draped over her shoulder she felt...protected.
“Thank you,” she said. “For not leaving me either.”
“Just repaying the favor.” She knew that wasn’t true. Even if she’d left him behind Zak—a twig snapped to their right and Vixin whirled. She went for her blades but found them missing. Zak drew his and stood before her, frost already covering the ground at his feet. Her breath clouded in the brisk air.
Someone screamed as Anton walked through the trees, followed closely by Blitz. And then Zak was running, embracing the friend she was sure had been lost. Sam. More emerged from the woods, far more than she’d hoped to find.
Sam went to work, assessing each of them, using his magic to heal wounds that could have waited another day. When he got to her, Vixin just smiled and tilted her head toward Zak. They had to be the luckiest people alive.
~~~
They’d hidden the rendezvous point deep inside a cavern, away from any well-trodden path. Vines had been draped over the entrance and brush had grown so thick Vixin wasn’t even sure the animals would find it. To say she was impressed would have been an understatement.
It only took a few minutes for another earth user to clear them a path inside and then cover the hole over as if it’d never been disturbed. A narrow entrance guided them through the first few feet and then opened into a large expanse that provided more than enough room for everyone to fan out.
Vixin leaned against the nearest wall and slid down it to rest her aching feet. She stared at the hole in the top of the cave, just wide enough to give them a grand view of the open sky.
Vixin leaned her head back and took a breath. A fire sprung to life in the center and she took to watching those hugging and asking questions. Many embraced, some cried, but everyone, it seemed, had something to say to Zak.
She hadn’t realized, up until now, just how much they cared for him. It wasn’t due to any experience he carried or the way he planned their missions. It had nothing to do with his abilities. It was simply that he cared. Cared for each of them individually, seeing to their needs when others might have turned a blind eye. Others like herself.
He’d taken on a responsibility most would have shied away from and none of his companions took that for granted.
Vixin took another breath, closed her eyes, and found herself drifting. The voices lifted and fell, most lost to her ears until Anton shouted loud enough for the world to hear, “To the woman who saved us all!”
Vixin cracked one eye open, hoping they were referring to someone else, but every eye in the room had locked onto her seated form. Zak was at her side a moment later, offering his hand with a gentle smile on his face.
Daniel stepped forward, his hulking form blocking out the firelight. “If it weren’t for you coming to save our sorry asses, we’d have been done for. Everyone chased you two out thus,” he pointed to those seated behind Sam, “we were able to make our escape. Thank you.”
She tsked but couldn’t hide her smile. “Just don’t make a habit out of it.”
Everyone laughed and Vixin felt a hand settle on her back. Zak’s warmth soaked through her shirt, easing some of the tension from her shoulders. They listened to the others tell their side of the story, likely exaggerating most of it, then she looked at Zak and found him staring right back at her.
Vixin’s breath hitched. There was that look again. The same one he’d had at the pond. Her pulse quickened and Vixin’s eyes dropped to his lips before darting back to his eyes. She tried to swallow, but somehow her throat had gone dry.
“We have a problem.” Blitz stumbled from the cavern entrance. A blush crept up her neck and she was almost grateful for the distraction. “They tracked us.”
“Put out the fire,” Vixin hissed. Water doused the flames and Vixin spun to Zak. “Chill it, and the ground, make it seem as if no one was here.” He obeyed and Vixin pointed toward a back exit she’d spotted earlier. “Everyone in. Now.”
“What good—”
She whirled on Anton. “I. Said. Now.”
They gathered up what was left of their belongings and filed into the tunnels. She didn’t know whether it’d lead them out or to a dead end, but that didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was hiding because not one of them had the strength to fight.
Zak shoved his comrades through one by one, urging them to keep quiet. She lingered by the entrance, eyeing the vines that hung from the hole in the roof.
Vixin reached for her magic. It singed her, stinging from the inside, but she didn’t recoil from the pain. Instead, Vixin breathed life into the foliage, commanding it to grow along the walls. She found the tiniest of seeds and sprouted them all, making it look as though a human hadn’t touched this place in a millennium.
Footprints were soon covered by ferns and thick, woody branches concealed the exit she gazed out from. As long as no one had a degree in botany they wouldn’t notice the shrubs that grew where sunlight never touched.
“What now?” Zak whispered.
Voices sounded at the main entrance and Vixin’s only response was to take Zak’s hand and move further into the tunnel. She grew plants in their wake, sprinkling in a few that would ensure their pursuers never saw the light of day again.
~~~
Vixin emerged from the cave, shielding her eyes from the afternoon sunlight. Days. They’d been in the dark for days.
She slumped to the ground and her stomach clenched, sending a painful spike through her body. Thanks to Zak, they’d had water, but since losing their packs, no one had eaten, nor had they slept more than a few hours. She’d give every last drop of magic in her body for a good night's rest.
“What’s the plan?” someone called. She didn’t have the energy to look up.
“We keep moving,” Zak said. “And find our way back to the second realm.”
Vixin groaned with the rest of them. If they kept moving like this, she just might let their enemies capture her and put her out of her misery. No one looked like they had the energy left to take another step, let alone retrace their way back around the rocky pass.
“Have you ever thought about settling down?”
Silence stretched. “How would we go about ensuring no one turns our profession against us?” Zak asked.
She stretched her legs out in front of her. “We set up differently, maybe in the trees, somewhere less prone to attack.” Zak slumped against the tree across from her and Vixin continued. “I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted and judging from the silence I’d say they are too. We just don’t have the energy to make it back to the second realm without recuperating.”
“We have friends there.”
“You’re willing to put our fates in the hands of someone else? What happens if they turn us away? We’d be left tired, hungry, and more vulnerable than ever.”
Sam spoke up. “She has a point.”
“We can hunt for food, you can get us clean water, and once we find a
suitable location, we can build a shelter.”
“And how will we know it’s the right place to set up?”
Vixin jerked her thumb behind her. “As long as it’s far away from those bastards, I don’t care where it is. Until then, we survive and take it one day at a time, starting with a halfway decent meal.”
Daniel chimed in. “Once we settle, we could hit one more target, somewhere not as guarded, just to replenish supplies.”
Vixin nodded. “And after that, we make our own living. No more runs. We’ll wait it out, just like you wanted and once someone reaches the final realm, we’ll all go home.”
Zak furrowed his brow. “You seemed against that idea the first time I brought it up.”
Vixin scoffed. “If we headed to the front lines, we’d die. Well, I probably wouldn’t, you might stand a chance with a little more training but look around. One little mishap and this happens. They’re not ready, they need time to work with their magic, train in using it properly and then if, IF they can master their abilities, they might stand a chance.”
Zak smirked. “Sounds like you just volunteered yourself as a permanent teacher.”
She laughed to herself. “It’s not like anyone else can do it.”
“It’s settled then.” Zak rose to his feet. “Food first.”
~~~
They ate and rested, each individual more exhausted than the last. Four were set to take watch with two rotations throughout the night, but that didn’t stop her from setting up a perimeter. It was pitiful really, nothing more than a few vines strung between trees, but enough of her magic lingered in the stems to alert her if anything tripped over them during the night.
The magic still roared against her, stinging as if she’d disturbed a nest of insects, but she had to keep them safe. Had to keep Zak safe.
Vixin used a twig to draw her plans in the dirt. She carved the details in the soil and sprouted tiny seeds where trees would serve as their salvation.
Above ground, yes, that would be the safest bet. There were so many ways to hide, so many traps she could lay to ensure people didn’t dare intrude.
The sprouts shifted, twisting around themselves to form little houses among the branches. They stretched and connected with bridges and ropes that would lead from one level to the next.
Vixin lost herself in the design of a particular house, forming tiny windows high above the others. A rope was the only thing that would lead to her domain and thorns would wrap around the entirety of it to ward against unwanted guests.
“That’s some model.”
Vixin jolted, a part of her brain seeming to wake up.
Zak pointed to the house she’d created in detail. “I suppose that’s to be your fortress of solitude?”
Vixin smirked. “It’ll keep you out.”
“Oh, I’ll find a way.”
She scoffed. “Good luck. Unfortunately for you, my father tau—” Her breath hitched when he sat beside her, his body so close she could feel the heat radiating from his skin. Her face ignited and her throat went dry. Why did he always affect her like this?
Vixin kept her gaze forward and took a moment to steady her voice. “Where would you have yours?”
She could feel his gaze burning through her, but instead of pushing, he shifted his attention to her little figurine. “Beside yours of course.”
“So you can spy on me?”
“So I can keep you safe.”
Vixin rolled her eyes. “I’m perfectly capable of caring for myself. I don’t need—”
Her heart leapt as Zak's hand lightly brushed the hair away from her face and lingered on her shoulder. Vixin's pulse pounded in her ears and she finally met his gaze.
Can I? His eyes seemed to ask.
Zak leaned toward her and somehow her body leaned back, closing the distance. She could taste the hot air between them now, could almost—
“Zak, we need you—”
Vixin pulled away, hiding the red blotches she could already feel rising to the surface.
Sam averted his gaze, suddenly interested in the night sky. “Um, sorry, I uh. Actually, it can wait.”
Zak huffed. “You’re already here, what is it?” Vixin couldn’t bring herself to look at Sam and instead focused her attention on the little model she’d created. Or tried to. With her heart racing the way it was, Vixin wasn’t sure she could focus on anything but the proximity of the young man who’d almost—
Sam cleared his throat. “We wanted to run the hunting rounds by you.”
Vixin released her breath. Right, there were more important things than her raging teenage hormones. For a few fleeting moments she’d forgotten they were on the run, without a home or food.
“Go ahead,” she said. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Reluctantly, Zak stood, gave her a last lingering look and followed Sam. She laid back in the grass and her breathing returned to normal. A cool breeze ruffled the trees and the heat in her cheeks dissipated.
Vixin kept trying to convince herself this wasn’t the time or place to be having such feelings. But if not now, when? When could she explore something beyond the bounds of friendship? When they were safe? Judging from everything she’d already experienced, safety was a long way off.
Vixin counted the long minutes until Zak’s return. He paused before her, but she didn’t open her eyes. “I’m not asleep if that’s what you’re wondering.”
He sighed and sat down on the other side of her mini model. “You probably should be.” She didn’t comment. “About earlier.”
“Don’t worry about it.” The lure of sweet darkness was close now. Her body had become one with the ground, her mind drifting with the foggy images behind her eyelids.
Vixin faintly heard Zak chuckle. “In the morning then.”
Chapter Eight
Rain, rain, and more rain. It’d soaked through every pore in her body. Even at night, she couldn’t completely escape. A fire only served to dry the outer layers and with the fear of pursuers, they didn’t have time to stop for anything more than food and light rest.
Zak hadn’t made another move on her and Vixin couldn’t decide if it were due to the miserable weather or their current situation. Truthfully, she was grateful. Between the hunger, cold, and bugs she might have bitten his head off.
Vixin heard the water long before she saw the raging current. Those at the front of the line collapsed in the wet grass, no longer caring if it soaked into their clothes. Some pulled out food, eating sodden meat and edible plants. They were losing hope, too tired to see the end was near.
Vixin stalked past them and stood at the river’s edge. It rolled and roared, licking her shoes with the promise of a painful death.
She steadied herself and ran an invisible hand over her magic. It no longer stung, but something still fought against her, as if it were warning her that it wasn’t quite ready. She grasped it anyway and twisted the power that flowed through her veins down through her feet and into the earth.
She searched the seedlings, taking hold of the sturdiest plants before dragging them through the mud. They sprouted, rising up and up and up until they bent from the weight and collapsed into the water. Those around her gasped and many stood, questions passing between them.
The current yanked at her creation, threatening to pull it from her grasp, but Vixin rooted the vines into the rocky bottom, digging for a foothold deep in the earth. Her plants crawled among the stones, anchoring themselves along the way before emerging on the other side. She rooted the ends into the earth, took a breath, and lifted.
The plants grew, rising above the current to give them safe passage.
The four people in their group able to use earth magic joined her, weaving their power into the anchor points on land. If they’d had carts or horses, she knew the bridge wouldn’t have held.
Vixin tottered, but Sam grabbed her elbow. She bristled at the touch, almost outright recoiled, but caught herself. “Hang in there,” was all he said before
heading across the makeshift bridge.
Each eyed her, most reluctant to step foot on the swaying structure and she didn’t blame them. The way the current swirled and raged was enough to make even her skin crawl.
Vixin crossed after Zak and upon hitting the muddy bank on the opposite shore, she released her hold. Instantly, the bridge collapsed, and the river swallowed it like a starving animal.
She let a slow smile creep to her lips. Despite the misery of the rain, it had covered their tracks and now a river separated them from their enemy. It was just a matter of time now.
That night, they found a patch of trees and nestled against the trunks. No one bothered with a shelter, and most only removed their shoes to flex waterlogged skin.
Vixin studied their surroundings and let her gaze linger on the meadow beyond. Not a single light shone from within the darkness. She knew they needed to scout the area, ensure potential neighbors were a long way off, but she’d had enough of the rain and cold.
Vixin coaxed her magic into four trees. Those seated against them yelped in surprise, but she paid them no mind as she walked toward their center.
The trees grew and grew until their canopy blotted out the moonless sky. She let the branches tangle together then slithered vines halfway up the trunks. They circled to create a thick knot before reaching toward one another, intertwining and thickening until not a single drop of water hit those beneath it.
The four able to use earth mimicked her actions, growing the trees along the outside edges to a similar height before expanding the middle platform.
Moments later a fire started, then shirts, shoes, and even pants were hung to dry. Vixin averted her gaze as Anton went a bit too wild, but she couldn’t stop the smile his carefree attitude brought to her face.
“Going soft on me?” Zak tugged off a shoe.
“Maybe I’m just sick of the rain.”
“Ah, so selfishness caused you to take pity on them.”
