The Blue Woods (12 page)

Damn.
I arced my head back and forth, stroking the curve of his neck with my face.

But it might have something to do with the Tibetan site.

Why do you think that?

Because half the
Concilio
left for Tibet last night.

I pulled away from him.
Really? That's huge. Thanks. I'll tell my Clan to start looking there.

Don't thank me. I'm just doing what's right.
His paw scratched the ground.
Come back here.
I snuggled back into him. We were silent for a long moment. I listened to his heartbeat, deep and strong.

Do you think they'll let you come back to school soon?

I hope so. Maybe tomorrow.
He lowered his head so that it rested on my feathery back.
I'm definitely gaining back their trust. That's why they let me out on patrol tonight.
Plus . . .

I held my breath.
What is it?

I think . . . I don't know . . . it feels like they're desperate.

What do you mean?

Well, look what happened at the Guild. Why didn't they just kill me for letting you get away?

Because they can't lose a Clan member.

Yes . . . because it would take too long to find a replacement and train him, right? But why? They've done it before, killed someone for stepping out of line, I know they have. So why take the time then and not now?

Because the war is coming to a head,
I answered, echoing Cal's words.
Because they don't have the time to spare.

Exactly.
Jonah tilted his head upward, his gaze fixed on the stars above us.
They're in a precarious position and they know it. I think they used to believe that a Malandanti victory was a given, and it's not anymore.

No,
I said,
it's not. At least I hope it's not.

Jonah brought his head back down, pressed his face to mine.
And I hope I'm on the right side when it does end.

I didn't answer. I couldn't. Not when wishing for such a thing meant the death of one of my Clan. Cold wind swept through the ruins, rustling my feathers and Jonah's fur. He brought his hind legs in closer, curling tighter around me.
Who was that Catamount?

Our Lynx replacement. We just Called him last night. Oh, and I've been chosen as his Guide. So not my decision.

Ugh, that sucks. Like you need one more thing on your plate.
He paused.
Him?

Yeah, it's a guy from Willow Heights High. He's all like, “Being a Benandante is the best thing ever!” Makes me want to vomit.

Uh-huh.
Jonah moved slightly away from me.
So he's a, uh, kid . . . like us?

Yeah. He's a senior.

Do you like him?

He's okay, I guess.

Jonah backed away even more, and I looked up at him.

Oh, my God, no! Not like that at all. Come on. I can't deal with your jealousy on top of everything else.

Sorry.
He resettled next to me.
It's just, you get to spend all this time with him and we have to lie to everyone in order to meet.

I know. I hate it too.

The wind swept through the barn, rattling the loose fragments of burned wood. Clouds shifted over the moonless sky, turning everything smoky gray.
I should get back,
Jonah said. I could feel the tug of sorrow in his words, the same tug I felt in my heart.
I'm going to tell him I injured you, so don't follow me.

I pulled myself away from him, already cold from his absence.
Stay safe.

I will. Mind-game master, remember?

I know, but . . .

Alessia, it's going to be okay. Maybe I'll even be at school tomorrow.

For a long moment, we stood inches apart, our eyes devouring each other in the same way I knew our arms and lips and bodies would be if we were human.
I love you,
I said.

I know,
he said.
It's the only thing keeping me alive.
And then he was gone, sinking into the night as deeply as the pain sank into my heart.

The Old Guide

Alessia

So,
Cal said when I got back to the birch grove.
You and the Panther, huh?

I snapped my beak at Heath.
You told him?

I didn't, I swear. I told him you didn't need help, and he got suspicious.

I was accepted for early admission to Yale,
Cal said.
I'm not an idiot.

I didn't know he was a Malandante when I fell—met him. Obviously.

Obviously.
Cal winked one of his huge, amber eyes at me.
That must really suck.

Yeah, it's not ideal.

But you know . . .
I could tell that Cal had blocked Heath out, that he was speaking only to me now.
Okay, I
hope this comes out the way I want it to. But, you're lucky, too.

What do you mean?

To love someone like that. Even if you can't be with him. To feel that deeply. I know it might seem like cold comfort, but that's something, Alessia. I've never been in love like that. Not yet,
he added, and I wondered if he was thinking about Bree.

I guess . . . I never thought about it like that.

It's probably hard to when you're right in the middle of it.
He breathed out hard through his nostrils, making little white clouds in the air.
Anyway, that's what I think. I'm a bit of a romantic.

That's not a bad thing.
I clawed at the birch branch I was perched on.
I hope you love someone like that someday. And I hope it's someone you can actually be with.

Hey, if you two are done having a secret conversation, can we get back to work?
Heath broke into both our minds, like a door banging open in a quiet library.

We took Cal all around the perimeter of the site, keeping beneath the brush so the Malandanti couldn't see us. Heath showed him all the good vantage points, where he could watch the Waterfall without being seen. He'd already been told our whole history at the site, so by the time we started back to Jenny's, we had moved on to battle tactics for retaking the Waterfall.

So the entire Clan needs to be inside the barrier in order for the spell to work?
Cal asked.

Yes,
I said.
And all the Malandanti need to be outside of it. You can see how that will be a challenge with half their
Concilio
here. We'll be outnumbered.

Half?
Heath asked.
Where are the rest of them?

Jonah told me they've gone to Tibet. He thinks that's where the failsafe is. I'll tell Nerina as soon as we get back.

Why doesn't our
Concilio
come here to help out?
Cal asked.

That's a good question,
I said pointedly.

They're a little preoccupied elsewhere,
Heath answered.
Their priority is regaining control of as many sites as we can, especially Friuli. This is the first time that site has ever been out of our hands in the entire history of the Benandanti.

Well, why don't we go there to help them out?

Because our priority is the Waterfall,
both Heath and I answered at the same time.

I shot up toward the stars. I'd become such a company man that I was echoing Heath now. But it was true. I understood why we needed to stay put. The Benandanti had divided into seven Clans so that each Clan would be able to protect their own site and not have to worry about any of the others. As frustrating as it was, I understood why it had to be so.

The moon was just starting to sink below the tree line when we returned to Jenny's. Cal and Heath raced through the back door while I soared in through the upstairs bedroom window and dissolved into my body. Air filled my lungs and I breathed deep. I rolled over and slid out of the bed onto the floor. “Bree,” I whispered, shaking her shoulder lightly. She grunted and swatted my hand away. “Bree,” I said again, shaking a little harder.

Her eyes opened. “Who died?”

I rolled my eyes. “No one. Jeez, you're just like my mom.” I waited for her to wake up a little bit more before I spoke again. “I saw Jonah. He was at the Waterfall.”

Bree sat up, her blankets pooling at her waist. Her black tank top had the words
Mother of Dragons
emblazoned in fiery orange across the chest. “Is he okay? Did you get to talk to him?”

Glancing at the sleeping Jenny, I motioned for Bree to follow me out of the room. When we got out into the hall, I heard the murmur of low voices coming from downstairs. Heath had probably woken Nerina to give her an update. “He's fine,” I said. “They've been keeping him at the Guild, but he's trying to earn back their trust. It must be working, because tonight is the first night they've let him out.”

“But he wasn't hurt or anything?”

“No.”

Bree sagged a little against the wall, just below Jenny's fourth grade picture. “Come on,” I said and headed for the stairs. “There's more.”

“Good, there you are,” Heath said when Bree and I hit the bottom of the stairs. Cora sat on the couch, her long red hair a jumble around her sleepy face. Heath must've woken her up too when he went to get Nerina. Cal was stretched out on the floor, doing leg lifts. “Do you ever sleep?” I asked him. “How do you have so much energy?”

He switched legs. “I'm all riled up after transforming. Don't you get that way?”

“I guess I used to when I was first Called,” I said. “Now I just want to sleep.” But that wasn't quite true. I did still feel the pull of my Falcon inside me, long after I transformed back. I glanced around. “Should we get Jeff?”

“I'm already here,” he said. I whirled around. He was a few steps above me and Bree, pulling a sweatshirt over his plaid flannel pajamas. “Clan meeting?”

“I have some news,” I said. Nerina yielded me the floor, and I took center stage in front of the fireplace. I looked around at my Clan, who were all looking back at me. Heat rose from my neck into my cheeks. I twisted my fingers together in front of me. “I guess you all know about Jonah,” I said softly.

Jeff cleared his throat. Cora glanced from him to me. “Nerina may have mentioned it,” she said.

I pulled in a shaky breath. I was glad Nerina had spilled the truth so that I didn't have to get into it. “He was at the Waterfall tonight. We were able to talk.”

Cora shook her head. “I still don't get how you two can communicate. I always thought it was impossible.”

“It has to do with connection,” Bree said. She shifted her position against the pillows on the couch. I noticed her wince and touch her rib cage. Too bad we couldn't send her to the Redwood site to heal. “I was able to do it at the battle last week. Because we're twins.”

Jeff held his hand up. “Look, I get that whole teenage Romeo-and-Juliet thing. I do. But,” he went on, ignoring my protest, “we can't trust him. Period. He's a Malandante.”

“He wants out—”

“I know. Nerina told us.” Jeff rubbed his face. “And maybe he's telling the truth. But as far as I know, there's no way out for him. He's a Malandante for life.”

Bree and I exchanged a look. She gave an almost invisible shake of her head. I pressed my lips together. Now wasn't the time to bring up the spell. Not when it meant the sacrifice of someone in this very room.

“Well, I trust him,” I said loudly, shutting up everyone who had started to mutter in the wake of Jeff's little speech. “I don't expect you all to trust him too, but I think you can at least give him the benefit of the doubt.”

“Can we all get past this and move on to the important stuff?” Bree asked, snapping her fingers at me. “What did he tell you?”

“The failsafe,” I said. “I asked him about the failsafe.”

“And?”

“He doesn't know what it is, but he said he thinks it's happening in Tibet. Half their
Concilio
was dispatched there last night.”

Nerina leaned against the mantel, running her finger across her bottom lip. “This opens up a whole range of bad possibilities.”

I tried to think what those could be. What was worse than what the Malandanti were already doing? Than what the Guild had done under the pretense of helping people? Maybe I was just too naïve to think that dark.

Cal raised his hand. “Just to refresh, the Tibetan site holds the magic to separate the soul from the body, right?”

“Glad you were paying attention the other night,” I said.

“Yes,” Nerina said, raising her voice above mine. “It is the magic from which we all derive our powers. The Tibetan magic is older than the Benandanti. The monks in those mountains used it to shadow-walk.”

“I thought you couldn't use the magic without causing damage,” Cal said, “to yourself, and to the earth.”

“Shadow-walking is different,” Bree said. Everyone looked at her. She straightened a little, lifting her chin in that haughty way, as if to remind everyone that she was, after all, our mage. “You don't transform. Your soul just, you know, takes a walk. You're still in your human form. Besides, it's not like Buddhist monks are using the magic for their own selfish gains. It's probably like taking ayahuasca or peyote for them. They do it to expand their consciousness.”