She’d gotten away then, though she might not have known it, and she’d gotten away again.
A hand patted his shoulder comfortingly. “It is okay, son, the Ancients will find her and set her free.”
Frey turned to the kindly Healer who had followed the swarm of grey to help, not understanding that running away from these men was a wiser choice and put a sharp finger in his face. “This is your fault, Danimir!” he spat, his wide eyes crazed.
“I-I-I’m sorry I didn’t mean…” he stuttered. “Not as sorry as you will be.”
Amanda landed awkwardly on the ground, which was covered with tall grass and large rocks. She attempted to realign her senses. It was cool, and she tasted sweet, moist air on her tongue. Amanda opened her eyes to see rolling hills and valleys surrounded by jagged misty mountains. In the far distance, she could see steps of rice beds cut into the landscape. The uneven earth was blanketed in twisting cypress trees and walls of bamboo. Beautiful sheets of pink against the green hillsides told her that the plum blossoms were in bloom. Where was she, and more importantly, where were Cole and Madgie?
She tried to stand up but was too dizzy and fell back to the earth. “Cole! Madgie!” Amanda whispered, looking around desperately. She tried to stand once again and this time she succeeded. “Cole!” Amanda called out more loudly. Hearing something rustling behind her she turned around swiftly.
Cole was shaking his head, dark curls full of grass. He smiled, and her heart skipped a beat.
“Wow. We’re not dead. What are the chances?”
She smiled at him and then remembered Madgie. “Cole, is Madgie near you?”
He looked around and shook his head. “No, but we need to find her. I think she was stunned by one of their orbs. I don’t think it was one that Frey or Carter threw, which is lucky. Those crazy jerks meant to kill us,” he said as he stood up and moved to her side.
Cole reached over and picked up her hand. She looked down at the gesture, wondering how something so simple could make her feel so whole. It’s just a hand. His hand. Looking at their hands brought to mind another hand, and a shiver ran up her spine.
“Come on, let’s find Madgie before she gets angry,” he said, laughing.
She turned and studied the patch of ground she found herself in. She’d landed here, and Cole… She looked up and guessed that he’d landed about fifteen yards to her right. Amanda thought back to the room. Cole was on her right and Madgie was below her to the left. She looked to her left, into the setting sun, and saw a deep valley that had already fallen into shadow.
“If we’re going to start a search party, I think dark scary valley is a good place to check out.”
Cole pulled her next to him. Amanda tried to enjoy the act, but her mind still circled the image of the strange hand grasping Madgie’s ankle. She and Cole began their decent side by side into the ever-darkening valley.
He led the way, moving with quick precise motions that she found hard to replicate on such uneven terrain. They didn’t have a path to follow, so they climbed over slick moss-covered rocks and had to avoid thick bushes spiked with uninviting thorns. Although she wasn’t good at it, she attempted to tread lightly, wanting to stay as quiet as possible. Something told her she needed to do this, though she didn’t understand why. Shouldn’t we be making as much noise as possible to find Madgie?
Whatever the reasoning behind her hushed footfall, she knew she needed to shrug it off. They had to start calling out for Madgie. It would be hard to spot her through the dense vegetation. Amanda took a breath to call out, and Cole grabbed her arm and shook his head slowly. She was surprised and studied his face. His heavy brow was furrowed in confusion.
“What?” she mouthed to him.
He took a knee and gently pulled her down with him. She didn’t hesitate and knelt beside him, rough earth digging at her flesh.
He pulled her in closely and whispered in his deep melodic voice, “We shouldn’t make our presence known here, not yet. Ever since we stepped into this valley, I’ve had a terrible feeling I can’t shake. Maybe I’m just being paranoid. I mean I can’t track anything down or pin point why, but I feel like we are being hunted.”
She, having felt the same thing, looked into the nearby brush and nodded. “Well, I don’t know how quickly the Ancients work, but I think we need to get used to the feeling of being hunted.”
Amanda didn’t know if they were feeling spooked by someone thousands of miles away or if something sinister lurked just beyond her sight. She hadn’t wanted to worry Cole about something she was so unsure of, but she vocalized her thoughts before she could stop herself.
“I thought I saw someone grab Madgie before we made the leap.”
She waited a few moments and turned to Cole, surprised that he hadn’t responded. Seeing the look of shock on his face, she chastised herself. Why hadn’t she told him sooner? She looked up into his pure brown eyes and saw a bouquet of emotions rattling inside of him. Amanda stuttered.
“I’m sorry, Cole. I should have said something to you, I just wasn’t sure if I—”
“It’s okay, don’t apologize. So much has happened to you in such a short amount of time. I’m sure it’s hard to keep everything lined up. I’m not sure how you’re doing this well. If I looked like you, I’d still be in my cell crying.” He smiled as he took a deep breath in.
He reached out to her, taking it away. “I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant that you’re strong, stronger than most.” He drew her hand slowly to his lips, but she pulled it away before he could kiss it. Cole continued talking unabashed. “I’ll always like the way you look,” he said kindly, but she couldn’t imagine that he meant it. “Do you have any idea who was holding onto Madgie?”
She paused and took herself back to that moment. Who was around her? She concentrated hard on the few seconds that the fight had lasted. She felt the presence of her friends, Cole and Madgie were near her. Next, she felt the presence of her unknown pursuers. Three were blocking the door, another two against the far wall, and the older man was partway between her and Frey, attempting to stop his unrelenting stream of attacks. That left one unaccounted for. She spoke his name and felt the acidic contents of her stomach rise to the back of her throat. “Carter.” Cole bit into his lower lip, muffling a curse. “Did Frey come out with him?”
“No, he was on the other side of the room,” she said with confidence.
“Well then it could have been worse. Still, out of all those Healers it had to be him.” Cole tilted his head back, allowing the last of the days light to wrap around his dark curls.
7
A lone man stood tall in the arena. Bright lights hanging high above Finn highlighted the determination on his weathered face. The sound of murmuring dissent rang out all around the arena, but he gathered his strength and continued his plea. “Listen, I’ve known Madgie for nearly seventy years now. She’d never involve herself in something wicked. Madgie has always built up the Hovel. If she has fled, it’s for a good reason. Perhaps she truly believes Amanda can be made whole.”
A deep voice rang out from the Ancients, though none of them had opened their mouths. “She cannot!” the voice said.
The willowy Healer drove on. “You can’t just put a death warrant on Madgie’s head. She hasn’t broken any law. She did what she thought was right. And this young Cole, he loves her.” His moist eyes looked up at the crowd of his peers. “I felt it, and so did you. Will you kill him on sight for saving the one he loves?”
