Authors: Constance Sharper
He did and Avery was left to her thoughts.
Nine
Avery found herself outside squeezing the crimson homing amulet in her fist until the angled edges cut into her hand. Mason’s condition hadn’t gotten better and she now held onto their only hope of surviving.
Dying scraps of sunlight shone in the far distance, overshadowed by the closer and looming reminder of night. When the blizzard had blown through, it took any hint of weather disturbance with it. The snippet of sun and heat had beaten the snow down into a flat sheet of white. In the new day, Avery could finally see her surroundings. They’d landed in a shallow valley eaten out from a mountain top. She stood nearly equal between the two twin peaks before digging her heels into the snow.
Glancing back down, she rolled the transparent ruby red rock through her fingers. Originally intrigued, Avery had studied it on the hike down. Mason had thrown something like this at the Band of Thieves when they’d escaped in the forest. Even the original amulet she’d plucked up on the beach resembled the amulet now. It didn’t take a genius to connect the pieces. Harpies contained magic within these glass stones. And this one, Avery reminded herself idly, would send out a distress call.
Picturing Mason hurt and waiting, she readied herself. He’d barely been conscious when she’d left. Negative thoughts urging her, Avery nudged the flurries of snow off of the protruding rock. Once the rock had been cleared, she raised the red glass in her hand. Holding her breath, Avery aimed and chucked the amulet.
The glass cracked on the rock and before the shards even fully split, a brilliant violet light burst upward. An explosion of pressure knocked Avery clear back until she landed and slid over the ice on her backside. The violet beam of light reached up and parted the clouds, expanding outwards through the sky.
Avery’s jaw fell open. Everyone and anyone with eyes could see that. Mason was nuts. UFO fanatics would be on this place in a heartbeat. Avery might as well have considered it her backup plan. The amulet crackled and popped, the blackened shards dropping into the slush. The light dimmed from its base before dissipating into the air. It left ripples in the clouds.
Avery stared up at the sky, unsure of what to expect next. Taller and more monstrous mountains ate up most of the skyline. The distance had already faded into complete darkness. She waited for a familiar flicker of movement fluttering through the sky. She waited for the harpies to arrive.
They left her waiting. Avery gathered her shaking knees into her arms where she’d grudgingly sat. Temperature dropping again, Avery sent an absent thought towards digging for her missing scarf. Even the vivacious blue fabric had become buried over night so even if she found it, it’d be sopping wet. As the last of the sun was slipping away, she saw something in the distance.
Unlike the flap of bird wings, the eventual flicker came like a spiraling comet. She barely saw a flash of grey when it barreled into the ground half a mile away. Within seconds of the landing, Avery spotted the harpie woman approaching directly parallel to her.
Wings extended, the harpie closed the distance between them in moments. Avery didn’t recognize the girl so at least it wasn’t Eva. This harpie had beige wings, blonde hair, and absolutely pastel skin. Face rounder, she almost looked young but the crinkles around her eyes spoke otherwise. Short for a harpie, she still stood inches above Avery and used her height to glower downward.
“Who are you? And where’d you get this?” The harpie woman snapped automatically. She marched up to the shattered remains of Mason’s homing amulet. Without even seeing them, she knowingly kicked at the slush until they surfaced.
“Um. Avery, and Mason gave it to me. And who are you?”
“My name is Adalyn, I’m Mason’s fiancé.”
Avery, immobilized, didn’t speak until the muscles in her slack jaw finally tightened again.
“Fiancé?” Avery repeated just to make sure she’d heard right.
“Where is he? I need to see him.” Adalyn urged, snapping Avery out of her stupor.
“He’s in here. He’s injured.” Avery began to backtrack into the cave but Adalyn didn’t follow.
“How?” The harpie woman asked shortly.
“What?” Avery stopped, confused.
“How was he injured?” Adalyn had backed off a least a dozen feet. Her wings had shut and eyes had widened. Brow pinched, she scrutinized Avery with an excruciating tension. It clicked in Avery’s head. Adalyn was probably justified to be suspicious. Allowing it, Avery turned to face her and explained with the wide berth between them.
“The Band of Thieves attacked us.”
“Really?” Adalyn cocked her head to the side, pink lips parting. “Why was the Band attacking you? Why was Mason ever with you?”
Posing the serious questions in a deadly quiet voice, Adalyn advanced a few steps. For the first time, a shiny silver glint became visible at her side. Avery’s eyes darted to it before she could stop herself. The glint shone off a dagger that Adalyn had strategically tucked into her belt. Its recent appearance meant she’d unsnapped it from her buckle with a slight movement of her arm. Stomach turning in knots, Avery forced herself to stare back at Adalyn’s narrowed blue eyes. Holding her open hands up, Avery explained.
“He was searching for Jericho’s amulet and I found it.”
Astonishment flushed Adalyn’s face a clear crimson.
“You have it?” She questioned immediately.
Avery shrugged, unsure of exactly what to do. Holding her injured hand up, she showed Adalyn. Within the week, the magical mark had transformed from a few black splotches on her palm. It now twisted down her arm like external veins, reaching up past her elbow and just below her shoulder blade. It resembled frostbite except its wiry patterns almost formed a design, and Avery was the canvas.
“I am it.” She reasoned aloud, not letting the small cinch of hysteria reach into her voice.
Though she’d gotten the mark as far back as the Fourth of July, only now did it expand and swell with such ferocity. In the cave, Mason had wearily mentioned the reasoning. “The more you use its energy to survive,” He’d justified, “the more it becomes part of you.” With that ill thought, Avery had hurried to summon the harpie that stood before her now.
Adalyn’s expression didn’t change initially. Young face and old eyes shifting at last, she trudged forward at a deliberately slow pace. Finally she stood directly before Avery and gingerly touched Avery’s outstretched hand. The mark pulsed below Avery’s skin, hot and itching. Adalyn drew her fingers away unhurried. Blue eyes catching Avery again, Adalyn’s face showed everything in her mind clicking together.
“If they don’t have the amulet, then the Band is still after you.”
Avery nodded and with that thought, cast a quick weary glance at the sky. Adalyn yanked the dagger out of her belt, and swung her stance into a crouch.
“You called them here! They’ll follow you here! Where’s Mason?” She bellowed.
Avery turned and dashed toward the cave. She slid to a stop just where the entrance to the tunnel peeked from the rock base. Adalyn knocked past her and dove into the channel’s entrance with her wings snapping behind her back. Knowing the tight squeeze inside, Avery didn’t chase. Lingering by the entrance, she heard Adalyn crash to her knees.
“Mason, are you alright? Wake up, speak to me.” Her voice altered noticeably. Her shouting had turned to soothing whispers and in a minute, Mason’s husky voice whispered in return.
Cheeks reddening, Avery backpedaled towards the center of the shallow valley. The voice tones had rapidly turned into something Avery wasn’t too okay with over hearing. She stared down toward the glistening snow and focused on settling her spinning mind. She reasoned things out. Mason hadn’t told her anything about the harpie world. She shouldn’t have found it so surprising that he had a girlfriend. Or an almost-wife. After all, Avery reminded herself, Mason had no intention of sticking around when they got the amulet out. He’d go back to his own life and Avery would go back to hers like nothing ever happened.
Her thoughts stopped suddenly when a shadow fell upon the ground. Avery didn’t have a chance to turn around. A heavy crack to her head and she saw stars. Another whack and Avery saw nothing.
Her world eventually returned to her in blurry blotches. Bit by bit, pieces of her vision restored until she found herself staring at a brightly lit floor. Her skull pounded and ears felt like they were stuffed with sand. Head weighing ten tons, she rolled her shoulders and struggled to look up.
“Sleeping beauty awakes.” For the briefest of seconds, she thought she heard Nate.
Confused, she tilted her head up and desperately blinked until the room became clear. But instead of off white walls, time worn wood stared back at her. Instead of plush carpet, dust and dirt covered the concrete floors. And instead of stout Nate sulking against the wall, there stood a towering harpie. Grey wings curled behind his back, he watched her while wearing a taunting smile.
“Rafael?” She croaked with recognition. The illusion of being home disappeared and was replaced by the bitter reality of an empty cold room.
“Hi girlie.” Rafael acknowledged her with a nod.
“Where am I?” She asked in a hoarse voice. She examined her surroundings with a quick, overhaul gaze.
Only one light brightened the room and shadows collected in the corners. The air smelt musty and thick. An old run down cabin in Alaska. Now that was just classic.
“Somewhere safe now.” He said.
“Psh, I certainly feel safe.” She said against her better judgment, but her frustration demanded to be properly voiced.
However they’d knocked her out and moved her here hadn’t been gentle. Though adrenaline kept her from feeling every ache, she still felt the searing sting of rope trapping her in a stiff chair. Leaning forward, she pulled on her restraints. They’d tied her tight enough to cut off her blood pressure. The ropes didn’t even so much as shift.
Rafael watched her small motions with a sharp predator’s gaze. She gave up and shrugged at him innocently. He’d never moved from his position on the wall but she didn’t want to give him reason to either. Avery never mastered in playing con games for survival, but something told her to keep talking.
“I take it we’re still in Alaska.” She commented openly.
His silence was her answer.
“Somewhere in the woods perhaps?” She tried again.
“You might as well not know where you are. Your friends aren’t coming for you and you won’t be calling them.”
Realization sunk in and with it, a harrowing prickling panic. The Band had followed the homing signal not only to her but to Mason also. When she’d left, Mason couldn’t even stand. He couldn’t face off with them twice.
“My friends? What happened to Mason?”
He grinned at her.
“That joke of an exiled harpie is probably rotting away somewhere in the mountains still.”
Her heart skipped a beat. Twitching, she pushed against her ropes and rolled her hands that were tied up. She couldn’t even budge.
“What do you mean?” Avery asked.
“The exiled part or the rotting part?” He swaggered forward and closed the distance between them. She didn’t have to specify before he took the opportunity to speak.
“Your precious boyfriend was exiled from the harpie community months ago. Why do you think he took this suicide mission to find the amulet? To find you?”
Avery’s thoughts raced.
“Mason came after the amulet because you killed his father. You killed Jericho. He probably just wants it back.” Her words sounded halfway hollow.
Rafael’s smile curled up even more.
“Is that all Mason told you?”
A creak from the door interrupted him. The door swung open and another harpie hunched over to fit through the doorway. No lights lit up the world outside the cabin so when the door shut, Avery was just as lost as ever before. The new harpie was Eva and Eva’s mere presence sent Rafael to the opposite side of the cabin.
“Tell her no more, Rafael. She already knows too much.”
He pressed himself flat against the wall and gave a half hearted debate.
“I didn’t tell her anything, Eva. And even if I did, it won’t matter when we kill her.”
Eva’s lips thinned and she strode up to stand before Avery. Avery squirmed when the tension thick atmosphere became suffocating, but she couldn’t move away.