Mine to Fear (Mine #3)(22)

I try to cast a spell to hide our path. The tan light covers some of our footprints, but not all the way. I've never had a talent for it like Chadwick does. His hiding spells are like works of art, mine a clumsy smudge of mess. This isn't the best way for me to help. It isn't even really helping.

What am I going to do with Annabelle and the others? How am I to keep them all safe? Not only am I struggling to hide our tracks, there's nowhere to take them that is safe except Envado. I suppose I could try and take them there and return, but I doubt they'll be happy about leaving instead of fighting. Especially since I told them all that Zade and Daniel were captured. Jack should be the only one who won't care about their release. Well, maybe Councilman Daniel's since he is keeping him out of debt.

But will Zade and Daniel still be themselves after all that time? What exactly did the Grand Chancellor mean when he said…this isn't something I want to think on. I can't think on it. Not now.

Jack huffs, pulling me from my morbid thoughts.

“What?” I whisper yell at him.

“Your spell casting skills are dismal.”

Only because it's not a pampering spell. “Like you could do any better.”

The corners of his mouth tighten. He casts the spell, the muddy light wiping away all of evidence of us being there, fixing broken branches, filling in dirt, and fluffing the bits of vegetation.

He glares me down.

“It's a good spell,” I admit.

He cocks an eyebrow at me, and suddenly, I'm aware of how golden his eyes are. It’s a nice distraction from all the stress, but not at all helpful. I've got to figure out what our next step is.

I hurry on, letting him take care of our tracks while I try to focus on where to go and forget those piercing eyes. I've got to get a note to Cynthia. She's not as urgent as Serena, but she still needs to know as soon as possible. I wish there was a way to know how Serena is doing, but all I can do is hope she's safe. If I try to find out, I could give her location away or distract her when she needs to focus.

But Cynthia, that I can take care of now. I zap a spell note that's mostly clear with bits of yellow scattered through it. Thinking of the hideout she should be at now, I push it her way. I hope she knows what to do. Me, I haven't a clue. But there is a safe house not far from here by some of my fellow Envadi's Sanos, the group that's been helping Chardonians.

“What did you do?” Jack's voices snaps at me like a spell gone wrong.

“What are you so upset about?”

“What spell did you just cast? Are you trying to bring those warlocks down on us? Anyone looking this way could have seen it. You are trying to get us killed.”

“Course I'm not, you brute. I'm trying to save more lives than just yours.”

His face changes at my words. Softens just the tiniest fraction. Maybe, just maybe, I've found a weakness. But probably not.

“You might want to warn those you need to as well,” I say.

The defensive look is immediately back. “And get us killed in the process? I don't think so. Besides, the only person I know doesn't need to be warned about anything. And you shouldn't send any more spells either.”

I scoff and want to throw a good retort, except he's right. I was going to warn Katherine so she would know and tell other tarnished what's taking place, but she's not in immediate danger. At least so much so that it's worth risking the lives of those I'm with. Once we're sure that we're not being watched, I can send them out. I have to put the lives of those I'm with first. Even if it feels totally wrong not to warn the whole of Chardonia and Envado.

To tell Mom and Dad what's happened.

My throat chokes up. Time to get back to the spell I sent out. I mumble, “It was only one spell and barely visible at that.”

He seems to think I'm not going to cast anymore because he doesn't say another word. For now. We follow Annabelle until we reach a tree with three trunks.

“This is where Daniel told me to go if there was ever a problem and he wasn't here to help.”

The area is a bit of a nook. There's a giant rock and some thick trees helping to hide us from prying eyes, but we're too close to the patrol group for me to feel any comfort. We're not safe here at all.

“Was there some place you were to go after this?” Jack asks. Surprisingly, he must be thinking along the same lines.

“Nowhere. He said he would come and get me.”

“So we wait?” Tawny asks.

Jack looks at me, and I know we're thinking the same thing, though why he's suddenly sharing the moment with me, I don't know. It's too much like an Envadi male thing and not at all like a Chardonian. I adjust my pack, wondering if I should bring up the fact that he's not going to be coming for her, even though she should know it.

“I think that…” The words choke my throat closed. It's not just Daniel that isn't coming for her.

“I know.” Annabelle is looking back toward her home, though it's been a long time since we were able to see it.

I force the words past the emotion clogging my throat. “We need to keep moving.”

“Where to?” Tawny asks, like I'm supposed to know everything about Chardonia after being here just over a year.

“There's a place we can go and be sort of safe. Other Chardonian's may be there to help or we should be able to contact them, but it's a few days’ journey from here on foot.” That is, if we continue to make it without being caught.