Winter Fire (The Witchling #3)(88)

Beck nodded. He tucked the knife in his pocket and trotted towards the building. They moved around it. Beck knelt by fresh tire tracks while Decker strode through the front door.

Standing, Beck followed the tire tracks with his eyes. They went towards the east side of the lake. Snow had barely filled the bottom of the tracks, indicating they’d just missed whoever was there.

Beck trotted towards the resort, eyes on the ground for signs of how many there were.

“Which way?” Decker asked, appearing in the doorway.

“East, around the lake,” Beck answered. “Anything?”

“Blood.”

Beck frowned, searching his brother’s face.

“Not a lot,” Decker added. “Melted handcuffs, a couple of smoldering doors. It looks like they left in a hurry. All their gear is still there.”

“She’s alive,” Beck said.

“Beck, we haven’t found Biji,” Decker said quietly. “She’s at the lake somewhere.”

Beck ran a hand through his hair. It came away covered with snow.

“I’ll – “

“No,” Beck said. “Take Connor and use him to talk to the lake and find Biji. I’ll go after Morgan and Summer.”

“I don’t like that.”

“Of the two of us, I’m the only one likely to leave someone standing long enough to tell us where the girls are,” Beck pointed out.

“No. Summer is - ”

“A Light witchling. One I’m sworn to take care of,” Beck said. “Find Biji. I’ll text you.”

“Beck, this is –“

“Look at it this way. If the Lake picks up on the girls or Dawn, you’ll be able to reach them faster than I will,” Beck said. “If splitting up helps us find them, then that’s what we need to do.”

There was a pause. Beck felt his brother struggling.

“Alright,” Decker said finally.

“Hey, Connor,” Beck addressed the teen hanging back. “If the Darkness comes for Decker, do yourself a favor and run. You’re better off in the frozen lake.”

Connor’s eyes went to Decker uneasily.

“If the Darkness comes, he won’t have a chance to run,” Decker said. “Be careful, Beck.”

“You, too, Decker,” Beck said. He turned and jogged, keeping to the track of the vehicle the Dark teens had left in. He didn’t know which way was best: following the vehicle or going across the lake.

The warm instincts that guided him this far were flickering like a flame, urging him to hurry. He ran, slid and stumbled his way up and down the snow-covered road, attention on the tracks he followed. He knew the roads and forests well, the benefit of spending the past few years at the school and being an earth element. What he didn’t understand: why Dawn decided to move the girls. The road went south, back towards town. He didn’t see Dawn taking them to the Dark Campus, where Decker could find them.

Something told him she had other plans. He couldn’t imagine what those were. Silently, he cursed himself for not waiting on the rite that prevented him and Decker from using their magick. Dawn hadn’t been after Morgan on Sunday, when Beck told his father this week was a good one for their rite.

The tracks were at risk of being buried in snow. Beck went as fast as he could, his face soon numb. The forest on either side of the narrow road was silent. Though he couldn’t see it, the lake was beyond the trees to his right. He’d know when he was close to civilization again: the road was cleared around the southern side of the lake.

Finally, the tracks disappeared under the snow. Beck’s step quickened. There were a few houses tucked away on the east side of the lake. The vehicle he was following hadn’t left the road. He continued down it, assuming it wouldn’t without understanding where else Dawn had been going.

His phone vibrated, and he yanked it out with clumsy hands without stopping his jog. Decker had texted.

No Biji. Any luck?

Beck’s heart fell at the thought of his friend in danger somewhere.

… you can’t save the world or prevent everything bad from happening. You can only really pick which battles you choose to fight.

Morgan’s wisdom returned to him, along with a vision of her pretty features. They tortured him, even if she were right.

He had no way of knowing this would happen this week. This was one battle he wasn’t going to back down from. Her life, Summer’s and Biji’s were too important to him. He couldn’t stand aside and wait for the elements or trial or rite to finish. He had to act, even without the guidance of his magick and friends. He had to trust himself.

He texted Decker quickly. No. Nothing here. Where could they be going? He hit send and concentrated on moving fast along the slick road. Sooner than he expected, he reached the cleared road lining the southern rim of the lake and launched onto the road, grateful for the salt and gravel crunching beneath his snow boots instead of the ice and snow.

Beck ran. His thoughts were troubled and heavy, his heart racing out of fear for his friends. Fear that he wouldn’t be able to do what he was supposed to as the Protector of Light. Fear that he might make another mistake, one that would cost him the life of the girl he was starting to think he loved.

It drove him to run faster, until his lungs burned and he was out of breath. He stopped, then bent over, chest heaving. The sky was lightening. He was able to see the salt stains on his jeans. Beck glanced up at the clouds. He checked his phone next and saw it was almost five thirty. Decker had texted and tried to call while he ran.