Runebinder (The Runebinder Chronicles #1)(39)

Flesh knit itself together one final, searing time as the twins stepped away. Jarrett kept a firm grip on him.

“Are you okay?” he asked. His voice was a little breathy, and his chest moved fast. Only the twins seemed unfazed by the experience; they stared at the horizon, Air glowing in their throats as they scanned.

Tenn nodded and the world swayed with that movement. If not for Jarrett’s firm grip, he would have fallen over.

“Never again,” he said, his lips cracking from Earth’s drain. He let go of the Sphere; his stomach rumbled in protest.

He fought down the bile that rose in his throat and wiped away his tears—from pain or the wind, he wasn’t certain. All he knew was that he’d used far too much magic lately. He needed to sleep. He needed to recharge.

The four of them were covered in Tenn’s blood, white clothes stained crimson, Jarrett and his blacks oily and slick. A momentary pang of guilt flooded him before he was able to remind himself that flying hadn’t been his choice. Before he could feel too guilty, Dreya opened to Water and pulled the blood from their clothes. Blood could be controlled by a Water mage only once it was outside of a living body; otherwise, bodies were protected against manipulation unless direct contact was made.

“We must go,” Dreya said when their clothes were cleaned. “The guards will have felt that much magic. They will send a search party soon.”

It was only then that Tenn realized they weren’t in the suburbs surrounding Outer Chicago, but in the middle of a highway that shot like a silver arrow through the night. He glanced over his shoulder. The city was barely a glimmer in the distance. But Dreya was right; that much magic would have triggered an alarm. How was she still able to talk? Jarrett still seemed to be recovering, his breath fast and his eyes darting, but she was fine.

“Where are we going?” Tenn asked. Here they were, in the dead of night, in the middle of the monsters, with no plan. At least, none that he knew of. They needed to move fast. Even if the Hunters didn’t send scouts, there were still Howls and rogue necromancers to contend with.

“The Witches,” Jarrett said. Tenn couldn’t tell if it was condescending or not.

“Where are they?” he asked.

“This way,” Dreya said. She walked off, leaving him no choice but to follow.

“Where?” Tenn asked again. He refused to budge, even though Jarrett cast him a bewildered glare.

He almost expected them to leave him there, but Dreya stopped and looked back.

“We cannot tell you.”

“Can’t, or won’t?” Maybe it was the pain of flight, but Tomás’s words fired through his brain. Why were they dragging him along on this mission? Why had they come to him in the first place? “I’m sick of being led along like a dog.”

He expected Jarrett to speak up, but it was Dreya who replied.

“Won’t,” she said. She sighed. “If we tell you, and you are captured, and tortured, you may reveal their location. We swore we would protect their safety and their secrets. We cannot risk that by telling you where they are.” She looked to Jarrett, and her sad expression turned razor-sharp. “Some vows, at least, we must uphold.”

Jarrett bit his lip, but he didn’t say anything, and neither did Dreya. She turned and continued on.

Tenn considered not moving. He considered turning around and wandering off into the night.

“Don’t do this,” Jarrett whispered.

Tenn stared at him.

“Do what?” He watched Dreya and Devon walk on; neither looked back.

“This isn’t the fight you want,” Jarrett replied.

“I don’t want a fight. I want answers.”

“I know,” Jarrett said. He put a hand on Tenn’s shoulder. Tenn hated himself for it, but that one movement weakened his resolve. “I want answers, too. For both of us. Whatever’s happening with this—” his hand moved from Tenn’s shoulder to his stomach, to where Water churned over with wanting “—affects both of us. The Witches are said to have discovered magic. They trained those two.” He nodded to the twins. “If anyone will have answers, it’s them.”

Tenn knew he should be asking more questions. He should keep the inner fire going. But he couldn’t get his thoughts in gear—they were spinning on Jarrett’s statement. This affects both of us. Both of them. Together.

Maybe Jarrett wasn’t trying to use him like Tomás had said. Like Tomás was. Maybe Jarrett was trying to work toward a mutual future.

Tenn nodded, and Jarrett pulled him in for a quick hug, kissing him gently on the neck.

“We’ll figure this out. I promise.”

He pulled away and walked on before Tenn could get used to the closeness. The absence was stronger than anything Jarrett could have said to convince him—it tugged Tenn onward, and he knew then that he would follow Jarrett wherever he went.

They trudged on in silence until the night was deep and the city was barely a memory behind them. Moonlight filtered down from the clear sky, making everything glow silver and ink-black. They hadn’t come across a single soul since they’d left the compound. The night seemed longer and emptier than it should have—just endless road and fields and abandoned cars. The sight of the fields reminded him way too much of Michael’s death. How had that only been a day ago? It felt like the entire world had changed.