Runebinder (The Runebinder Chronicles #1)(63)

Fire flickered in Devon’s chest, and he bowed his head. Tenn wasn’t certain where his own inner rage was coming from—hadn’t he wanted to find Matthias? Hadn’t he wanted to just end it all? And yet now, with the Howls approaching, he realized he didn’t want to give in.

He wanted to fight. For Jarrett.

“How many?” he asked, because he knew she could sense farther than him. Although it was a vain hope, he was holding on to the idea that it was just a wandering pack of kravens. Something they could dispose of quickly and easily. Something that wouldn’t require him to open to Water. He still had Earth, but until he strengthened that Sphere, a few uses would drain him completely and leave him broken and weak.

Dreya’s hesitation told him more than enough.

“The full army,” she said after a moment. “And it seems it has expanded.”

“How?”

“There must be a Farm nearby,” Dreya whispered. It made Tenn want to vomit. How many innocent lives had just been turned into Howls simply to come after him? How many more deaths were staining his soul?

“Great,” Tenn whispered. He looked to Devon. “Any sign of your friends?”

Devon said nothing.

“It is not his fault,” Dreya replied. “There is no other way to communicate with the clans. Not when they are in hiding.”

“Tell that to my corpse,” Tenn said. He gritted his teeth and stared into the horizon. He didn’t want to die here. It wasn’t self-preservation, but the need for revenge. He wasn’t prepared to take on Matthias.

The army appeared like a black stain on the far edge of the field, darker and faster than shadow, and as it neared, Tenn could feel the army as the earth trembled beneath its feet. In any other situation, he would have forced them all to let go of the Spheres, to run and hide and vainly hope the army might pass them by. But they had already lost the element of surprise. The best they could do now was try to fend them off from a distance.

He opened his mouth to give the orders when a branch snapped behind him. He turned around, ready to kill any creature lurking in the shadows.

A little girl stepped out from the depths of the trees. She was in jeans and a wool sweater, her dark hair pulled to the sides in long pigtails. She couldn’t have been older than twelve.

“Are you the ones who sent up the signal?” she asked. Her eyes surveyed them, then took in the approaching horde without even the mildest hint of concern.

Devon nodded.

“Follow me,” she said. Then she headed back into the trees.

“But the army—” Tenn began, only to be cut off by her response.

“Won’t be an issue if you do what I say. Stay close.”

Tenn looked at the twins, but if there was any uncertainty between the two of them, they didn’t show it. Without even glancing to the army behind them, they followed the girl into the woods.

Tenn spared the field a glance, just briefly. The horde was still a mile or so away, but it would arrive within minutes. They didn’t have a chance against them no matter what, but in the forest, their probability of survival dropped dramatically. In here, the trees would hide friend and foe alike. He glanced back to the retreating forms of the twins, the white of their coats blending into the woods like ghosts.

“Fuck,” he whispered. Then he bounded in after them.





CHAPTER TWENTY

“WHERE THE HELL are we going?” he whispered to Dreya. The strange girl was only a few feet ahead of them, and she walked through the woods with a quick, assured step. He could barely see her in the deep shadows.

No one answered.

Even with Earth pulsing in his gut, he couldn’t feel anyone else stirring in the woods. Just the four of them, moving deeper and deeper into the wilderness while the approaching army roared toward them.

“The first line is coming up,” the girl said. She paused and held out a hand. “I suggest you hold on from here on out. It can be difficult to follow the path if you’re not accustomed to the way.”

Devon didn’t hesitate. He took the girl’s hand and Dreya took his. She held her hand out and raised an eyebrow at Tenn. If that wasn’t an admonishing glance, he didn’t know what was. He took her hand. His pulse was a panicked throb in his ears. Here they were, holding hands in the woods while their imminent death was minutes away. And yet, the girl was about as unconcerned as was humanly possible, and the twins weren’t much different.

A few steps later, the girl disappeared. Devon appeared to be holding his arm out to thin air. Another step and Devon vanished into the night. Another step and Dreya was gone, though he still felt her hand in his. Something washed over him, a tingle that swept through his gut like vertigo and nausea and that sick feeling from spinning around too fast. It passed in an instant, leaving him feeling as though he’d just stepped off a ship to dry land. The girl and the twins were visible once more, the chain unbroken.

He glanced around as they moved forward. Something unsettled him, something in the very pit of his gut that just felt wrong. He looked behind him. Had they gotten turned around? He started to release Dreya’s hand. Surely he’d left something behind...

“Don’t be fooled by your instincts,” the girl said. “We’re approaching the second line. Just follow me.”

Dreya gripped his hand even tighter.