Seth and Nettle froze.
‘Eden. They talked about creating a new Eden.’ She mumbled. Nettles stared at her, the enormity of her statement taking its time to sink in.
‘What? Eden? You mean Adam and Eve stuff?’
Seth gave a weak laugh.
‘Amber, now you’ve seriously lost it.’
‘Weather, Eden, Totems – they’ve been creating an ark but who is Adam and Eve?’ She was thinking aloud, trying to make sense of it herself, even though part of her felt like she was letting her angel down.
Only now, did she comprehend the last few days, before all of this had happened. The fortress had been strangely empty and some of the stronger trancers, the ones that have been turned or followed willingly, were gone. She never seriously thought about it until now – the ark. Where is this place? She looked at the fortress in panic, a look that didn’t go unnoticed by Nettles.
‘Amber, you have to tell us.’ Nettles pleaded, but her voice was drowned by the sudden crack of thunder followed by a peel of blue lightning.
It made them all jump, especially Amber who hid her head between her knees.
‘Amber – tell us, please.’ Nettles pleaded. She crouched beside her and Amber visibly paled. Their plan, her angel and Anna’s, were bigger than everyone thought.
‘Forget about her, we have to get out of here,’ Seth’s voice faded against another deafening roll of thunder. He scrambled up the next incline and wedged his feet under a root. No-one had noticed the sudden change in weather and when lightning hit a nearby tree, they all dived for cover. Sheets of rain fell on them, and it wasn’t long before they fell, the earth beneath them crumbling.
‘It’s going to give way.’ Seth shouted scrambling upwards. He turned back towards Nettles holding out one hand. Sheets of rain slashed at their skin, and Amber felt herself slip further down. All it took was one wrong step and she would be history.
‘Form a chain. Grab my hand,’ Seth screamed, his hand flailing desperately for Nettles hand. She grabbed his and turned towards Amber, but the distance was too far.
‘Try and get closer.’ she shouted, but Amber stared past her in horror as another flash of lightning split a tree. Within minutes, the three of them were engulfed in branches and leaves. The mudslide carried them back down the hill towards the outcrop of trees and the field surrounding Harp headquarters. Amber choked, swallowing mud and tried to clamber upwards fighting for air. As her throat expanded, the mud wedged itself further in, clogging her throat and airways. She scratched her neck, trying to push it out and was on the point of blacking out, when something hard hit her from behind. The clogged mud flew out of her mouth and so did everything from her stomach. Gasping for breath Amber blinked in the darkness, pawing desperately.
She felt a shoe and pulled on it. It came loose. She sobbed then. Not knowing whose it was, made it worse somehow. She pushed both hands round the perimeter, using one twig that stuck out as a point of reference. When her hands had turned the circumference, she realised then that she was in a mud coffin. How deep she was, she didn’t know, but apart from the crackling of her shallow breathing, everything was silent. The lack of air made her weak, and the last thoughts as she fell into unconsciousness were of her angel smiling at her.
Back at the cabin, Andrea, Claudine and Caro made beds for those recovering. The Ecos had tried to bring back most of the frozen group. Their pain was etched on their faces. Elula, one of the leaders, told him that they last saw Amber with two others. Judging by their description, it was Seth and Nettles. Hawk frowned, wondering why it was taking so long to find them and sensed them a message. The flow of mumbled conversation that echoed around the cabin started to quieten down as some disappeared. Only Hawk remained quiet, unmoving, near the window watching the sheets of rain. His face was guarded, and Andrea tapped his shoulder.
‘Hey, what’s up…we won, right? And I’m sure we’ll see Seth and Nettles fairly soon. They’re slower because of Amber.’ Nettles looked at her watch, mentally giving them another hour. If not, then she would send out another search party. She noticed Hawk shaking his head, looking at her like she was stupid. She felt her rage rise again; she had had enough of this guy putting her down.
‘What?’ she snapped.
‘Andrea, they didn’t even put up a fight. Anna wasn’t even there. How did we win? It’s like they knew we were coming.’
Andrea grimaced shaking her head in confusion.
‘How could they?’ she asked.
He raised his eyebrows. ‘Think about it Andrea.’ He watched as Andrea did the calculations, her face paling.
‘Amber?’
He nodded slowly.
‘Perhaps. Only perhaps.’
The silence was thick with tension.
‘She couldn’t, she wouldn’t!’ Andrea exploded, calling on her totem. Hawk grabbed her, pulling her behind a clustered group of Ecos. This time she couldn’t stop the hot, angry tears that stained her face. She was still reeling from the betrayal and anger. It was her fault for not reading the signs properly.
‘Forget about her and think about who! Who did Anna want in exchange for Seth and Nettles?’
Andrea’s eyes widened.
‘Nevaeh!’
35
Here and there
