Refugee (The Captive #3)(41)
“How will we find him?” Barnaby inquired.
Aria grinned. “Oh we’ll find him.”
The sinking feeling in Braith’s stomach had nothing to do with his recent election, and everything to do with the unruly air suddenly surrounding her. He’d never inquired how Aria and William would find their father again; he’d simply assumed they had a way of relocating each other after all their years of moving and separating so often. He was beginning to realize he wasn’t going to like the answer.
CHAPTER 10
Her forest. She’d missed it so much, the sweet scent that filled her nostrils; the cool shade that hid the heat of the sun. The sounds of the animals were familiar and soothing. The tension in her body eased, her heart beat seemed to slow to match the melodious rhythm of the world around her. A rhythm that enveloped her within its comforting embrace, and held her close as she picked her way through the natural obstacles with the ease of an expert.
An ease that a lot of their group did not exhibit. Though their predatory vampire nature made them stealthier than most, they were not accustomed to the sticks, leaves and fallen debris that littered the forest floor. And they were obvious about it. Aria flinched at every snap of a twig or branch. She was doing a lot of flinching.
Braith finally stopped, his impatience was apparent as he turned to face the massive troops gathered behind them. Though most of the women had remained in The Barrens with the children or the elderly, there were a couple hundred of them mixed in amongst the men and looking just as ferocious and annoyed by their surroundings.
She was leading an army of deadly vampires, humans, and weaponry straight into the heart of her world. Aria swallowed the lump of trepidation that lodged in her throat. What they were doing went against everything she had ever known, ever fought against.
They were on her side, she reminded herself severely, but she still couldn’t shake her lingering concerns. She had absolute trust and faith in Braith, in his ability to succeed, she had grown to like Ashby, had forged a small amount of trust in Gideon, and there was something about Xavier that intrigued her. But even so, she didn’t really know these vampires, and she sure as hell didn’t know the thousands following behind them.
There were too many of them and she knew it. They couldn’t continue on like this without being caught. Her people knew these woods, they moved through them with ease but this mass would never make it through unnoticed if they continued to stomp through the woods like a herd of elephants.
Braith seemed to sense this as he turned to her. “How long do you think it will be before you are able to find your father?”
“Stay here.”
Braith lurched for her, but she was already scrambling up the closest tree. It was the only way she knew he wasn’t going to be able stop her. She imagined it would be amusing to watch him attempt to chase her through the trees, but she doubted she’d ever get the chance. She wasn’t at all surprised to see him following her as she leapt, jumped, ran, and swung easily from limb to limb.
Climbing steadily higher, she swiftly made her way up a small hill where she paused to skirt to the top of a large maple. She hoped she was near one of the areas she used to communicate with her father when they were separated, or that he had even moved through this region. There was a chance she’d have to go a couple miles to the west before finding another place that would help her. It could take days before she located one of his markers; she hoped that she would get lucky now.
“Arianna!” Even though the snarl had been low pitched it drifted up to her.
She didn’t look down, she didn’t have to. She knew his look of displeasure and annoyance well. The thinner branches bowed beneath her weight, but she’d done this since she was a child, she knew exactly how far she could go before the tree wouldn’t support her weight. Pausing, she spread her legs, bracing her feet against two branches that bent to the side. Between the two of them she was able to distribute her weight without snapping them as she poked her head over the top of the leaves.
She moved slightly, adjusting so that she could see the forest from different angles. It spread out before her, an endless array of shimmering leaves, deep green conifers, and a spattering of red maple groves that added sporadic color to the landscape. For a brief moment she allowed herself to savor in the view.
Then she spotted it, a small glimmer halfway up a tree about two miles away. Her father didn’t climb as high as she did, but he could also navigate the trees well. Smiling with satisfaction and relief, she was about to shimmy back down the tree when something to the right snapped her head around. Eyes narrowing, her hands dropped down to grab the two branches supporting her weight. She brought them sharply together, lifting herself higher and earning an angry hiss from Braith.
She didn’t care though. She didn’t even care that she was pushing her luck as she scooted another foot higher. Only about a mile away there was a movement in the woods that was not made by any animal, but she couldn’t be certain if it was human, or something else, until a break in the trees revealed the group of men. Though they were too far away to discern much about them, they were all wearing the royal colors of the king.
Aria’s heart leapt into her throat, panic flared through her body as two of the men turned to scan the horizon. She didn’t move, didn’t even breathe. They turned in a complete circle, seemingly oblivious to the brim of her head over the tree as they bent to confer again.