Cooper falls to his knees, gasping for air. Codian mumbles between his cries, “Thank you.” He breathes in one final time and holds in his last breath. Even though I feel that this is wrong and right at the same time I choose to see it through. I hold my breath with him, push the blade through his neck, and watch him fall lifeless to the ground. I gasp for air after it’s over. My hands are shaking at my side and my cheeks are damp with tears. I bend down and pick up the necklace Codian had been wearing. You can’t save everyone, my thoughts echo.
Suddenly Cooper runs to my side, grabs my hand, and runs back toward the woods. We run past my mother’s journal and at the last moment I reach down, pick it up, and shove it and Codian’s necklace under my arm. The last thing I grab is my sword and I return it comfortably back to my side.
“We have to go, now!” Cooper says over his shoulder to Zavy and Toby. They share a glance of confusion, not sure if they should follow someone they don’t know, but when they see that I trust him they oblige. They stand and run to match our pace. Before we leave the clearing I steal a glance over at the three Hounds, huddled and shocked by the tree. For a second I think about stopping to help them, but Cooper’s strong grasp on my arm continues to pull me forward and I lose sight of them.
I don’t even remember crossing the bridge or hearing the rushing water of the river, but before I know it we are crashing through the woods into the clearing where everyone is still sleeping.
“Up!” Cooper yells. “Everyone up now!” Mio and Cinder run out of the tent to Cooper who tells them he’ll explain later, but we need to go now. Everyone grabs their bags they had packed the day before and struggles to get their pillows and blankets rolled up. The group moves in a groggy haze trying to understand what is happening. I find myself wandering over to my own blanket and pillow that I had been given and I shove them along with Codian’s necklace and my mother’s journal into my bag. Cooper runs by me and throws more items into my bag, zips it and stands me up.
He waves Zavy over and I hear him distantly say, “I don’t know what’s wrong with Adaline, but keep track of her.” Cooper takes off and moves around to other members of the group.
“What is this place? Who are these people, Adaline?” Zavy asks me. She grabs my arm and forces me to look at her, her grip squeezing around my arm. I don’t have time to answer her before Cooper calls the attention of the group to him.
“We leave for Libertas now. Garth soldiers are closing in on us and we can’t miss this window of opportunity,” Cooper yells to the group, pulling their attention. Many of them give Zavy and Toby a curious glance, but Cooper pulls their focus back to him. “I know this isn’t how we were told this would happen. We aren’t following the visions anymore.” A wave of hushed worries spread through the group, but Cooper silences them immediately. “This is our best option. Move now before they close in on us and delay us even more. We’ll be moving fast tonight to get as far from them as we can. Keep up, don’t slow us down.” His voice is strong, and I wonder when the boy I played in the woods with grew up to be a leader.
Cooper turns to leave and I grab his arm. “Stop!” I yell at him, louder than I intended. “We have to go after Alexander.”
“Adaline, we don’t have time,” Cooper tries to explain and I can tell he is already very frustrated with me.
“We can’t leave him. He’s outnumbered. He’ll never get away from them on his own,” I say, and the words come out fast and panicked.
“He had a huge lead on them, Adaline. He’ll be fine. You have to let him see his plan through.” That’s the last thing Cooper says before he turns back to commanding the group.
Everyone falls into line and Cooper leads us out of the clearing and into the thick dark forest. We come out to where the river is and start a steady jog along its edge like Mio had suggested we do yesterday. Was that yesterday? I guess it was just a couple of hours ago. By the grey sky fading above us, I figure it’s early morning now. My eyes train on the other side of the river, in the thick forest where Alexander is. My gut tells me we shouldn’t be leaving him, but I know I need to trust him. He’ll find us. He has to.
Zavy and I have brought up the rear of the group. Toby is a little in front of us trying to keep his tired legs moving. I can barely make out the backs of Cooper, Mio, and Cinder’s heads at the front of the group. I see Mio and Cinder glance back to us and know that Cooper is telling them about tonight’s events and our new additions.
“Where’s Alexander?” Zavy asks, her voice drawing my focus.
“He’s the one who knocked the tree down. He had to go and distract Paylon so that I could free you. He’s supposed to meet up with us,” I say in between deep breaths.
“Adaline,” Zavy says, her breathing hard. “I need answers.”
“It’s a long story,” I tell her.
“Please, Adaline,” she pushes. “I need to know what
