“Do you want to check the mirror? Maybe you’ll get something from it.”
“If I’m right about the gift, it won’t matter.”
“Well,” Marsh struggled as he felt around the wagon, “you promised Mother.”
When he found it, he passed it to me. I looked into it, seeing the girl behind my reflection. How do we get to the Camp? The girl closed her eyes, uninterested in my request. I had had enough experience with her to know she wouldn’t be forced to share anything she didn’t want to, so I gave up on her. After explaining to Marsh that the mirror was a failure, we settled for the night.
* * *
I sat alone in the middle of my mind, waiting patiently for whatever would come. I stretched out as if I were lying on my back and pictured the stars above. There was nothing I enjoyed more than stargazing with Calish. I felt the touch of a hand and saw him lying next to me.
I rolled over, eager to accept his invitation to nestle under his arm. “Is this real?”
“No.” He kissed my forehead.
“Then what are you doing here?”
“I don’t know.”
I touched his face. “I miss you, and I’m so worried. Where have you been?”
He didn’t answer.
“Calish?”
“I love you,” he said, fading from my embrace.
Searching the darkness, my voice echoed in the void as I called his name. I ran to the farthest corners to find him, only to be blinded by the light on the horizon. A path stretched from beneath my feet, and I heard wolves howling in the distance. I took a step forward, landing my foot in a frigid lake. The trail led around it. Following it to its end, I caught sight of a bird that flew up into the thick brush of the hillside.
“You’re here,” Calish said behind me.
I spun around, begging him not to leave me again.
He took my hand and drew me to him. My face nuzzled into his neck, and my body collapsed into his. I breathed him in, warmed with his touch. He lay with me in the soft mosses under the trees. We watched the sunrise until the sun burned away the clouds and called butterflies out to play in the dry air. They filled the forest. When one landed in the palm of Calish’s hand, we whispered our wishes on its wings and let it go.
I held him tightly, fearing the day would take him from me when it left. Though I was desperate to keep him with me, time passed and he slipped away. The rising sun didn’t end my perfect dream, something warm and wet and…
* * *
Rain licked my face relentlessly. I pushed the wolf away from me and dried his saliva from the side of my face. It wasn’t quite dawn, although the light brightened the sky. I couldn’t be upset with the pup waking me. We didn’t plan on sleeping in.
Having a better idea of where we needed to go, I wiggled out of the makeshift bed and found something to eat for breakfast. Father had taken my brothers out overnight several times, but not me. Anytime I’d slept away from home, we were surrounded by the activity of other Scavengers or at Blue’s. I’d never been somewhere so quiet. It smelled good outside. Not like musty dog, which I’d become accustomed to, or Mother’s breakfast, or anything usual of our family home. Other than the roll I ate from, I took in the scent of moss and pine needles, rain and raw air. There were no creaking boards and loosening nails, no fire crackling in the fireplace, or tree branches knocking the house in the wind. With all the differences, there were familiar smells and sounds, too. All I gave credit to Marsh for.
“Ergh. Really?” I smacked his foot then plugged my nose.
“It’s natural!”
“That smell is anything but.” I hopped off the cart, brushing the crumbs from my cloak.
Marsh stretched and growled, “I’m so hungry!”
“I saved a couple of rolls for you and some dried fruit.” I handed him the basket as he emerged from the canvas cover.
“So any news?”
“I think I know where we’re going,” I said while chewing.
He sat up. “How far?”
My response lacked excitement. “I think we’ll be there before sundown, so hurry up. We should leave as soon as you’re ready.”
“Where’s Rebel?”
“He’s over there, eating,” I pointed into the trees.
“Is something the matter?”
I shrugged. “I saw Calish in my dream.”
“That’s good, right?” He continued to eat.
“I’m not sure. I probably just imagined him. I miss him so much.”
He rubbed my back. “Cheer up, sis. Let’s see if we can get some answers when we reach the camp.”
I nodded, offering him the rest of my roll.
“We’ll save it for later.” He put it in the basket. “Rebel! Come here, boy.”
I let Rain go out and do his business while Marsh connected the horse to the cart and secured the canvas to protect its contents. With an unspoken sense of urgency, we were on the road in no time. The sky, full of low, dark gray clouds, threatened to release an army of rain. Good fortune tends to be short-lived. Although the heavens made up for its pardon of the morning, I reminded myself to be thankful for the break we had before my clothes soaked through.
I told Marsh what I’d seen about the Camp’s location: the lake, the trail, and the underbrush. We avoided any further details about my dream with Calish. Thankfully, my brother didn’t pry. Based on the fact that he didn’t talk much, I figured he hadn’t slept well the night before. I wouldn’t be surprised if he stayed up all night to ensure our safety. I didn’t recall him snoring the previous night, which supported my theory, although Marsh’s greatest tell was his constant yawning.
“We should stop,” I suggested.
“I thought we needed to keep going?”
“I’m sure Rain needs a potty break, and I’m getting hungry. Then you can take a nap, and I’ll take the reins.”
“I could use something to eat.” He scratched his head.
The road was so primitive, there was no natural place to pull over. We simply stopped and disembarked. I walked into the wooded area with the pup, and he frolicked while I relieved myself. Something small triggered his hunting instinct, and he dashed into the forest.
“Rain!” I ran after him, pulling my pants up as I went. “Rain!” I darted through the trees, unable to see him, tracking him only by his barking and heavy breathing.
“Una?” Marsh called for me, but I was too focused on trailing my wolf.
“Rain! Come here!” I yelled, pushing branches out of my way. “Come here, now!”
A fallen tree prevented me from going further in. It was too big to hop over; I had to climb over it, which slowed me down substantially. By the time I landed on the other side, Rain was long gone. I strained my ears, listening for him. Calling after him didn’t work; neither did cursing at him. Frustrated, I threw myself back against the log and waited for a sign of his return.
Marsh finally caught up to me. “What are you doing all the way out here?” He panted.
“Rain was chasing after something and I lost him.” I rubbed my face, clearing the sleep from the corners of my eyes.
“Do you think he’ll come back?”
“I don’t know,” I whined. “We’ve got to find him. He’s the only link we have to the Camp.”
For the first time, I felt hopeless. My dream wasn’t specific enough for us to find it on our own. Paw said that Rain would be our tether to the pack. I was counting on that damn wolf to lead us to it.
“You stay here, I’ll try to pull the wagon off the road, and we’ll go after him together.” He smacked the log twice before pushing himself off it.
“Thanks, Marsh.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll find him.”
I waited until he returned before starting my search. The only thing that would be worse than losing Rain was losing my brother. He had a much better sense of direction than me. Over the years of needing to be rescued during games of hide-and-seek, I’d learned not to wander off too far
in unfamiliar areas.
Marsh huffed and grunted on his way back to me. He brought the cage full of rabbits and towed Rebel in by his reins. “Any sign of him?”
“No, not yet,” I said slowly.
“Here, take this.” He tossed my back sack over the fallen tree.
“Why did you bring all of this with you?”
“I didn’t want to leave anything of value behind, just in case. It’s bad enough that the wagon is out there.”
“Is it still on the road?” I asked, adjusting the fit of the sack over my shoulders.
“No, I pulled it off. I’m afraid anyone paying attention will see it. I figured that without a horse, the thing would be more difficult to take. Besides, if we had to, we can build a new one; it’s a little harder to build another Rebel.”
He wedged the caged rabbits under a broken limb and covered the sides with loose branches. When he seemed satisfied with that, he tied Rebel off the trail, near a place lush with things to eat, before coming to my side of the tree. “So, which way did he go?”
“That way.” I pointed.
“Let’s go find ourselves a wolf,” he declared, tossing the spear gun over his shoulder.
Chapter 15
“Rain!” I called out into the woods.
“Come here, boy.” Marsh whistled for him.
We walked far enough apart to search more area, yet stayed close enough to be within earshot of each other. I don’t know what we expected to find. We certainly weren’t going to find our pup. He left no tracks and refused to respond.
Some father I am.
I’d never had a dog. We always wanted one, but Father forbid it. He allowed feral cats in the yard, but that was only because they hunted the rats. He said everything on our land needed to work to live there, and the only thing a mutt would bring was distraction.
Traipsing after Rain through the woods convinced me my father was right. We should have been traveling, not tracking a four-legged killer who didn’t want to be found.
“Hey, Una!” Marsh’s voice startled me.
“Did you find him?”
“No, but come here.”
I hiked over ground cover and thick shrubs toward his voice. “Where are you?”
He popped up and beckoned me to come closer.
“What is it?”
“Tracks.” He crouched down, rubbing dirt between his fingers and thumb.
“Rain’s?” I picked up my pace.
“I’d guess a pack of wolves,” he paused, “they’re all different sizes. He could have gone after them. Strange the rain hasn’t washed them away yet.” He studied the canopy of the trees above. “These tracks can’t be more than a few hours old, otherwise they wouldn’t be here.”
“Maybe he’s leading us to the pack after all!”
“If not, it’s our best lead.” He followed the pawprints deeper into the forest, concluding it was worthless to keep yelling Rain’s name.
“I’m so sorry, Marsh.”
“For what?”
“We shouldn’t have taken a break. I know you didn’t sleep last night. I wanted you to take a nap, not hike through the woods.”
He acted like it was no problem at all. “I’m fine. Besides, I need to move after being on the cart all day yesterday. It’s not like we have a timeline.”
“Yeah, I know.”
Marsh stopped, and I slammed into his back, unaware he’d quit walking. “Oops, sorry.” I backed up.
“Didn’t you say something about a lake?”
“Yes.”
“That one?” He pointed in front of us, and I came around to see the view. I pushed past him, jogging to the open area around it.
“Yes!” I cheered. “Rain didn’t run from us—”
“—he was leading us to the camp.”
“We need to go this way.” I took the lead. We sped up, now on a mission instead of a fruitless searching expedition. I continued around the lake and then up the ravine, stopping at the thick underbrush at the crest. Nothing ahead felt familiar. For all I remembered in my dream, I didn’t know which way to go.
“Now what?” Marsh asked.
“I don’t know.” I put my arms out to my sides slightly. “I was here. Right here.” I slicked my hair back, grabbing fistfuls of curls in my hands. If I could have ripped them out, I would have.
“Are we supposed to go further?”
I shook my head, discouraged with the unending fields of thorns and pine trees. “I don’t know.” A flicker of light, like a reflection somewhere ahead, caught my eye.
“Well, let’s see what’s on the other side.” He stepped forward, and I put my hand out to stop him.
“Wait,” I whispered. “Something’s out here. It’s not right, I can feel it.”
“We’re in the middle of nowhere and climbed up the only path up the ravine to get here. If anyone came this way, we’d see their tracks like we see the wolf prints. They go right into the brush.” He pointed to the ground. “Stay here if you want to, but I’m going to trust your vision if you don’t.”
“But—”
“Fine,” he huffed. “I’ll look for traps.”
A bird flew from the tree next to us, making my brother crouch defensively. I fell to my hands and knees, realizing in that instant how skittish the area made me. Marsh scowled at me over his shoulder and without words made his frustration known.
I scrunched my face up in a grimace. “It’s not like I sent the bird!”
He stood and brushed down his tunic. “Show yourself!” he yelled into the foliage beyond. A couple more birds made their escape, but other than the breeze, the world remained silent.
Whoever is out here knows we’re here now.
My brother had never been known to be a patient person, yet I expected him to be more cautious, especially in an unknown area. Just because there were no human tracks didn’t mean there were no humans.
No matter; if anyone else was out there, Marsh had handed them the advantage. Being quiet now seemed unnecessary, and based on Marsh’s behavior, he thought so too. He used the spear gun to shove branches out of his way making me wonder if he regretted his outburst, or if it permitted him to move faster through the brush. Father put my brother in charge, so instead of questioning him, I pressed on in his wake, surveying the land around us. Everything seemed to lead us to this spot. Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling we were being watched.
We’d made our way through the acres of thorny jungle with nothing more than a few scratches. When we got to where the foliage fell ankle high, we stopped to remove the meddlesome vines that had clung to our clothing. Marsh had just pulled the last one from his pant leg when an evergreen next to us moved unnaturally.
“Rain?” He spun around, quickly realizing it was not our wolf.
The greenery around us rustled on all sides. We could not retreat; doing so would land us in the thorns not willing to receive us. Marsh grabbed his blade and thrust it into my hand. I held it tight as he put a thistle spear from his pocket between his teeth, preparing to raise the gun as soon as the first target presented itself.
We stood with our backs together as the vegetation shifted. In an instant, we found ourselves surrounded by armed men and women. They were camouflaged so well, we walked right between them and never knew they were there.
“Put down your weapons,” a voice from above ordered.
In the tree to my left stood a man with his arrow drawn on us. I immediately dropped my blade, stepping out to face him, but my brother didn’t respond as fast. The archer moved to aim solely on Marsh. “You obviously didn’t hear me.” He pulled his arm back, and the stretch of his tightened bow cracked in warning.
“Put it down,” I urged him, raising my hands palms forward.
“We don’t know who these people are, Una,” he yelled, unaware I stood right next to him.
“Una?” a voice asked from the shrubs. “My gods, is that you?” A young woman emerged. She was dressed in greens and browns wit
h branches attached to her back and shoulders.
“Do not approach the prisoners!” the archer commanded.
“No!” she hollered. “Stand down! I know her!” She ran into the clearing, ripping off her hood.
“Trisk?”
“Una!” She hugged me tightly. Marsh glanced at me, though his attention was distracted by the weapons drawn around us.
“Seriously,” she called to her compatriots, releasing me. “Stand down! It’s her, Lark!” She smiled, and the archer lowered his bow.
I clung to my advocate. “Trisk, what is all this?”
“This, Una, is the Resistance.”
“This is it? This is the camp?” Marsh asked, pulling the spear from his teeth.
“Do you see one?” she asked with a giggle. “Who’s this guy?”
“My brother, Marsh. Marsh, this is Trisk.”
She bowed slightly before shouting to the archer in the tree. “I’ll take them in.”
“Are you alone?” Lark asked.
“Yes, but our horse and cart are back by the road,” I answered.
“So it’s just the two of you?”
I nodded, and the archer drew his arrow to the woods past his ring of men. “Then you don’t mind if I shoot him?”
Who?
“Don’t! I’m with them!” a scared and shaky voice called out.
Marsh’s face scowled as he turned to confirm the man who begged for his life. From behind an aging evergreen, Blue stumbled into view.
How did he get here?
“Shoot him!” Marsh commanded.
Blue raised his hands high above his head. “No, please, Una!”
“What are you doing here?” I screamed.
“I was worried about you.” He stepped forward.
The archer warned him not to move, and to my surprise, the farmer hesitated.
“You didn’t know he followed you?” Trisk asked.
“No,” I said angrily. “In fact, he’s the one I wanted to leave behind!” I said the last part loud enough for him to hear.
“Trisk, do you vouch for him, too?” someone called from the ground. She raised her eyebrows, asking without words if she should. I didn’t want Blue to die; I just wanted him to go away.
Season of Hytalia Page 16
