They
ate the last of the energy bars and Meaghan choked down another cup of tea. The
tea allowed her to walk most of the day on her own, but by mid-afternoon, she
needed Nick’s help again. Although a gentle breeze greeted them several times
while they travelled, they did not hear from the Guide. Nick remained
unconcerned, but Meaghan worried she had ruined their opportunity to find the
elusive man.
By
late afternoon, a fine mist fell from the sky, turning the soil to mud. They
took a break underneath the branches of a tree, picking its orange nuts to
satisfy their hunger. Nick called them túrú nuts. He shelled and devoured them
by the handful, but she ate them one at a time, savoring the flavor as it moved
from rustic and earthen to sweet in her mouth.
After
they finished their snack, they continued. The rain fell harder, creating
rivers in the forest. Nick led her at a slower pace, cautious of the softening
earth. Their clothes and hair stuck to their skin. Their feet sank into the
ground, leaving deep impressions behind them as they moved. The sky continued
to darken and soon they had trouble seeing in front of them. The forest
thinned, giving way to rock outcroppings and large boulders and Meaghan knew
they were nearing the mountains. Spotting a clearing up ahead, they hastened
their pace, hopeful for a place to rest for the night. Nick froze steps from
their goal.
She
started to ask if everything was okay, but stopped when he covered her mouth
with his hand. He kept his eyes locked on the clearing as he pulled her into a
thicker part of the forest, then he pressed his lips to her ear. “Mardróch,” he
whispered.
In
the waning light, she had missed them, but their rotting stench sat in the air.
They skulked along the edge of the clearing. One paused, turning his hooded
head toward Nick and Meaghan’s hiding place, and then glided partway into the
forest. She shrank a step back, stilling when Nick tightened his hand on her
shoulder. An almost imperceptible shake of his head kept her immobile.
She
held her breath. The creature moved closer, raising and lowering his chin in a
way that reminded her of a dog sniffing for food. He paused, glided closer, and
then turned away. Relieved, she exhaled, but found it impossible to move when
the creature raised his hand to signal the others. Three Mardróch charged on
Nick and Meaghan’s hiding place. One of them raised his arms and Nick pushed
her toward the clearing.
“Run!”
he commanded as bolts of electricity shot from the creature’s hands, exploding
their hiding place. Wood and dirt flew into the air. Despite her protesting
ankle, she propelled forward, launching over rocks as she fled. She heard Nick
panting close behind her.
Out
of the corners of her eyes, she saw the creatures flanking her. They moved
faster, unimpeded by the rocky terrain. The electricity they threw into the
field corralled her and Nick rather than hitting them. Soon, Meaghan faced a
rock wall on the side of a mountain, a dead end. She veered toward one of the
creatures in an effort to find another route, and then came to a halt when she
realized Nick no longer followed her. She turned and spotted him a few yards
away. A Mardróch had blocked his path.
The
creature faced Nick, who stood stiff, his feet planted and sinking into the
mud. His arms hung at his sides. His face showed no emotion.
Meaghan
did not understand why he did not move or try to escape. The creature had not
attacked. Nick could fight, yet he did nothing. She took a step toward them,
but froze when a wave of fear struck her. Her own terror flooded her brain,
masking the foreign emotion at first, but once she felt it, she knew it was
Nick’s.
She
heard a whispering movement behind her and turned her head to see the other two
Mardróch approaching. One raised his hand to his hood and she understood. The
dranx’s eyes had been red because of its power, and so were the Mardróch’s.
She
averted her eyes when the creature removed his hood and then she took off
running. She headed straight for the Mardróch guarding Nick, tackled him, and
sent him sprawling to the ground. His body felt denser than she had expected,
and she scrambled away to prevent him from flipping her over. He whipped his
red eyes toward her, but before he could catch her gaze, a hand grasped her
own, yanking her away.
Nick
pulled her behind him as they fled from the field toward the mountain. The
creatures pursued, howling in anger, a mournful, high-pitched wail that hurt
her ears. This time, the electricity cascading from their hands did not aim to
miss. Rocks exploded beside them as they charged up the mountain. They dodged
around a boulder, then up a dirt path hidden behind it. When Nick spotted a
cave large enough for two people, he tugged Meaghan into it, pulling her down
at the entrance so they could view the trail.
“They’ll
see us,” she protested, tugging on his hand. “Nick, please,” she tried again,
quieting when he held his finger to his lips.
The
Mardróch circled the boulder. They stared toward the cave and Meaghan tensed
for a fight, but the creatures kept moving without slowing down. She shrank
back as they glided past, their cloaks swirling into the entrance of the cave
inches from touching her arms. They continued up the trail, and then
disappeared around a sharp bend. Meaghan waited several minutes to ensure the
Mardróch would be out of earshot before she spoke.
“Why
didn’t they see us?” she asked, keeping her voice low.
“They
couldn’t,” Nick answered as he shifted out of the backpack. He opened it,
smiling when she raised an eyebrow at him, but did not continue to explain. He
pulled out the blanket and unfolded it. “I realize we’ll be a little crowded,
but it’s safest if we sleep here tonight.” He spread half the blanket on his
side of the cave, and then flipped the other half in her direction so she could
do the same. He sat down. “Tonight, we can get a full night’s sleep. It isn’t
necessary to remain on watch.”
“I
still don’t understand why,” she said and sat down opposite him, crossing her
feet in front of her. He grinned and she sighed. “You’re being juvenile.”
“Probably.”
He chuckled. “It’s a relief to be here, and I guess I’m having some fun at your
expense.” He pointed to the entrance of the cave where several small, white
crystals hung from the ceiling. “Those crystals are used for protection.
Guardians hang them around cabins and caves throughout dangerous areas to
provide safe havens for travelers. The hiding places appear to Guardians or
people in need of them. To anyone else, this cave looks like part of the mountain.
We’re safe for now, but the Mardróch know we’re in the area so from now on, we
need to be on guard and more discreet about our travels. Tonight, though, there’s
nothing to worry about.”
He
stretched out, lying down along the back of the cave and she did the same,
filling the space in front of him. Though the rain brought a chill to the air,
the small cave consolidated the warmth from their bodies. By morning, she knew
their clothes would be dry.
Feeling
safe for the first time in days, Meaghan smiled and rested her head on Nick’s
arm. His steady breathing soothed her and soon she drifted to sleep.
C
LOUDS CONTINUED
to blacken the sky as the night’s storm persisted, denying morning
its rendezvous with the rising sun. Nick could hear the rain pelting the soil,
muted thumps hinting of large, skin-soaking drops. The thought of slogging
through another mud-filled day did not thrill him, nor did the idea of trying
to scramble along narrow mountain paths with limited visibility. Though the
forest had been unpleasant, a dense canopy had kept some of the rain at bay.
The mountain would not provide the same protection, and the slick rocks would
be treacherous with Meaghan’s injury.
He
considered staying put until the rain subsided. He felt warm, comfortable, and
somehow content despite the fact the cave left them little room to move and the
floor remained hard and unforgiving underneath the blanket. He guessed it had
more to do with the company than the cave. During the night, he had awoken to
find Meaghan shivering and had taken her into his arms to warm her.
Although
holding her had filled a functional role, he could not deny the pleasure it had
brought him. She had curled into him, pressing her face into his neck, her soft
breath tickling his skin, and he had fought the urge to stroke her hair in
return. She had shifted and he had tightened his arms, drawing her close, but
had stopped short of caressing her back. And once, while she had remained lost
to a dream that curled a soft smile onto her face, she had lifted her mouth to
his.
The
electricity he had felt when they connected jolted him backward, knocking his
head against the rock wall. He had not been able to decide if he had seen stars
in front of his eyes or the crystals flickering against the black night, but
the pain had been enough to bring him to his senses. He let her go. Shivering
would not harm her and it seemed better than the alternative.
Even
without the direct contact, the confined space had left her too close to him.
The slightest movement had brought light touches and brush-ups that had
elevated his heart rate and bred excitement. Although he hated to admit his
weakness, he knew he could not withstand a full day in close quarters with her.
Travelling in the rain would be safer than staying in the cave and risking a
different danger he never wanted to face. Placing a hand on her back to wake
her, he frowned, sensing something from her he did not expect.
He
shook her and she opened her eyes. They seemed cloudy. His worry increased, but
he kept the emotion from his voice when he spoke.
“Tell
me what’s wrong.”
“I’m
fine,” she said, sitting up. For a moment, he wondered if he had misunderstood
what he had sensed, but then she crossed her legs, the movement bringing a
grimace to her face, and he knew she had lied.
“You’re
not fine,” he said. “I can feel your pain, so don’t bother denying it. Let me
see your ankle.” She uncrossed her legs and he lifted the injured leg, setting
it on his lap before he began unwrapping the bandage. She closed her eyes, her
breath growing shallow as each movement brought tension to her face. When he
saw her ankle, he understood why. It had swollen to twice its normal size. A
large, black bruise stretched from the top of her foot to a few inches above
her ankle. Where the bruise ended, the bandage had rubbed her skin red. “Meg,”
he sighed, covering her ankle with his hands. It felt warm to the touch. He
looked up at her. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
She
shrugged. “I didn’t see the point. We can’t light a fire, so we can’t make tea.
Until we’re able to, I can walk on it well enough to make it through.”
He
stroked his thumbs across her skin. Although he kept his pressure light, she
still winced. “You’ll be lucky if you can stand on it,” he told her. “Is this
from running yesterday?”
“Yes.”
She leaned her back against the cave wall. “Now what? We can’t stay here all
day.”
“No,
we can’t,” he agreed, “but we can stay a while longer.” He slid her leg off his
lap and set it down on the ground, careful not to bump it. “I’ll find breakfast
and something to help you. Rest some more.”
He
stood, and then stepped into the rain.
§
T
HE DOWNPOUR
continued, pattering rocks outside the cave in a steady rhythm and Meaghan
counted time by the noise until Nick returned some time later, holding a thick,
pointed leaf in one hand and his sweater tied up in the other. Both his jeans
and his white undershirt stuck to his skin, and his hair, heavy against his
head, released rivulets of water down his body. He flipped the blanket away
from him, and moved to sit on the bare floor.
“You
need this more than I do,” Meaghan said, and though pain charged through her
with the effort, she struggled to her feet. Collecting the blanket from the
floor, she offered it to him. “If you don’t dry off, you’ll get sick, and I’m
pretty sure there’s a rule that only one of us can be sidelined at a time.”
Nick
chuckled and accepted the blanket. Running it over his head, he shook as much
of the water from hair as he could, and then draped it over his shoulders.
Meaghan
eased back to the floor. Untying Nick’s sweater, she discovered a pile of
apples. After handing one to him, she grabbed another and feasted on it, easing
the rumbling in her stomach. A second apple went down with the same speed, but
she slowed her pace for the third, taking the time to enjoy the newness of the
fruit. The intensity of the aroma was heavenly, sweet and alluring, and the
flavor, crisp and tart, danced along her taste buds. Or perhaps, she thought,
she appreciated the food more when she had to go so long without it.
She
finished her last apple, and then stretched her leg out in front of her. As she
waited for Nick to finish eating, she focused on the storm again, allowing it
to distract her from the pain. The gray sheet the rain cast across the horizon
blurred the shapes of the rocks and trees in her sight, blending them into a
muted painting that served as a fitting accompaniment to the patter of drops
against the rocks. Lulled by it, she did not realize Nick had moved until she
felt his hands on her leg.