“And brought Cody along?” I shook my head and tugged my hand through my hair. “Right.”
Malcolm didn’t say anything. He just stared at me over the flames.
“They think I turned to darkness. Don’t they?” My stomach churned, and I regretted eating breakfast.
He nodded. “We’ll find a way to prove your innocence.”
“How?” Cody walked over to me and leaned against the stalagmite, not touching me but there if I needed him. “Didn’t believe when it was obvious.”
“They never will.” I clutched my stomach and bent over.
Chapter 20
Hiding Out
Cody, Malcolm, and I spent the day exploring the cave. We searched for more secluded places to hide, places where I could soundproof the area and create the illusion of a rock wall, places we could escape if the need arose. The cave we had spent the night in was too open, too vulnerable.
We discovered several water sources, and Malcolm showed me how to purify it for drinking. He leaned close to me, guiding my hands over the water. I worried Cody would be jealous of Malcolm’s proximity to me, but he didn’t seem bothered by it at all.
When Cody’s stomach growled, Malcolm teleported away. He came back about twenty minutes later with burgers from the student center.
Cody’s eyes lit up as the aroma filled the cavern. “Thanks.” He smiled when Malcolm handed him two of them. “Wondered what we’d do for food.”
“After we figure out where we’ll be, I’ll teleport out to get supplies.” I took a bite of my burger and winced. As grateful as I was for food, I could’ve done without the ketchup on it.
Malcolm shook his head at me, and the beads on his cornrows clanked together. “You will be spotted. Tell me what you need, and I’ll bring it back for you.”
“I was planning to go somewhere secluded, somewhere they wouldn’t suspect.” I took a drink of the freshly purified water.
Malcolm sat on the ground next to me. “There are eyes everywhere, Dacia.”
“Won’t they wonder why you’re getting supplies?” Cody had already downed one burger and was starting on another.
Still eating his food, Malcolm transformed into an older man with a shaved head and silver goatee. “I will be careful.” He morphed back into the version of himself we’d come to know.
“I can do that, too. You know?” I stared into Malcolm’s eyes as I took his features as my own.
He shook his head. “They aren’t just looking for your physical manifestation. They’re also searching for your aura. Now, we need to discuss Aurelia.”
My stomach dropped, and I set my burger down on its wrapper.
“You’re gonna eat that.” Cody pointed at it.
I couldn’t think about food right now. I felt horrible for leaving without letting Aurelia know what was happening, but if she went to the dragon council or met with the Nephilim, I didn’t know if she’d be able to hide the memory from them. “What about her?”
“She is worried about you, but she told us that if any of us knew where you were, we should tell you that you did the right thing.”
“She suspect you?” Cody leaned back, bracing himself with his arms and stretching his legs out in front of himself.
Malcolm tilted his head and raised one shoulder. “She looked right at me when she said it.”
I thought about Arion and wondered if he had been keeping an eye on me for her. Not knowing how much Malcolm knew about Aurelia’s pegasus companion, I didn’t bring him up. “She tends to know more about what’s happening than she lets on.”
“She is on your side and will continue fighting for you for as long as it takes.” Malcolm stood. “Shall we continue searching?”
Cody shook his head. “Dacia needs to eat.”
Malcolm nodded. “You have to keep your strength up. We have no idea how long this will last or how easily I will be able to continue slipping away from the others.” He sat back down. “It wouldn’t surprise me if to placate the Nephilim, they start having us split up into groups to search for you. If they are with me, I won’t be able to continue to bring you supplies.”
I ate my burger as quickly as I could and washed it down with water. “Satisfied?”
Both the dragon and the human nodded at me. We continued on our trek through the cave system. A crack partially hidden behind stalagmites opened up into a decent-sized chamber. “This looks like a good place to hide your stuff.” Malcolm squeezed through the crevice. “There’s plenty of room for a makeshift bed, and there’s another way out back here.”
I didn’t like the idea of guarding two doors but understood why Malcolm wanted us to have more than one exit. We explored a little more before going back for our things. While I packed stuff up, Cody and Malcolm tried to figure out what we might need for an extended stay in the cavern.
Malcolm helped us bring our stuff to the other chamber. Then he disappeared. I laid the blankets on the floor, sat down, pulled my knees up to my chest, and wrapped my arms around them. I felt like I should be doing something more than just sitting around. I didn’t want to be here forever, and unless I did something to change my situation, I would be.
Cody sat beside me. “Not the end of the world.”
“It seems like it.” I rested my chin on my knees. Aurelia might have believed I made the right choice, but I wasn’t sure I had, and worst of all, this choice affected Cody, too. “How can I ever get the Nephilim to believe that I’m innocent if I just hide away?”
“We’ll come up with something.” He threw his arm over my shoulder and pulled me into his side. “Don’t do anything rash.”
D
“Dacia.” Mavros strides toward me. A thick fog rolls in with him, filling the
