Wayward Son (Simon Snow, #2)(80)

It’s all right, I tell myself. They’ll be all right. They always are. The two of them are unstoppable.

We watch them climb the hill, none of us moving, no one speaking. When a car door opens, I spin towards the noise. Lamb startles, baring his teeth.

It’s just Shepard, getting out of the four-by-four. He looks rumpled and upset, like he’s just woken from a nightmare. “Penelope!” he says, too loudly.

“They’re on their way,” I whisper. “Quiet!”

“On their way,” Shepard repeats, looking at me, his face still muzzy, and then at Lamb.

I point towards Penny and Simon, halfway up the sand dune.

“Penelope!” Shepard gasps. And he takes off after her.





PENELOPE


I tried to tell Baz. I tried to signal him with my eyes—“I have a bad feeling about this. Mayday, Mayday, SOS.” But I’m not sure what I expected him to do, send for the cavalry? Tell them to bring holy water?

I nearly cast “SOS” right then and there. But who would answer the call in this desolate place? And if someone rescued us, then who would rescue Agatha?

This isn’t like me. I don’t feel like myself.

The old me thought she would always prevail because she was always right. I’d like some of that confidence back now—even if it did come with a heaping helping of ignorance.

I’d like to believe that our rightness is all that’s required to get Agatha out of this mess. That our goodness matters. That our power is rooted in those things and thus unmatched.

But what has America done but prove otherwise?

I look back at Baz. And ahead at Simon.

There’s nowhere to go but forward.

I run to catch up with Simon. He keeps flying in front of me, then circling back. He’s been wanting to kill vampires since we arrived in Las Vegas, and I think he’s eager to get down to business.

“Simon,” I say, when we’re nearly to the top of the dune. “Come down for a minute. I can spell some armour for you.”

“I don’t need armour,” he says, “but I’d take a sword.”

He lands in front of me, and I take his hand, holding my gem between us, trying to think of a spell.

“Hey,” he says, squeezing my fingers, “don’t look like that. I know we didn’t plan to get here by vampire caravan, but we’re here. And if Agatha’s on the other side of that hill, we’re going to save her.”

“What if she isn’t?” I whisper.

Simon swallows and takes my other hand, too. “Is that what you think?”

“I don’t know what to think. We’re so far from home, Simon.”

I hold his hands tight. He holds mine tighter. My stone cuts into both of our palms. I close my eyes and whisper a spell, “Steel yourself!”

Nothing happens.





SHEPARD


Penelope, Penelope, Penelope.

I catch up to them just before they hit the top of the hill, knocking Penelope into the sand.

“For snake’s sake, Shepard—”

“Penelope! It’s a Quiet Zone! The Vampire King tricked us!”

She pushes me off, spitting sand out of her mouth and shaking out her ponytail. “That would have been useful information to have two hours ago, Normal. Hope you enjoyed your nap.”

I look from her to Simon, who’s hovering in the air, face hard and arms folded. “I tried to tell you!” I say. “Lamb did something to me. Hypnotized me or something.”

They’re both looking at me like I’m something stuck on the bottom of their shoes. Which I guess I am.

They turn away from me, heading back up the dune.

I scramble after them. “Wait! You guys. This is a trap!”

“We know,” Penelope says.

“So?” I try to catch her arm.

She turns on me. “So, it’s a trap if we go, and a trap if we go back.” She’s looking over my shoulder. I glance back at the line of vampires at the bottom of the hill.

“You can go back,” Simon says to me. “We’re going to save Agatha.”

“Yeah, but how?”

“We fight,” he says, lifting higher in the air.

Penelope looks less sure.

“Okay.” I’m still a little hungover from my vampire thrall, but my brain is racing through all the possible scenarios here. “Okay, okay, okay—maybe we can talk our way out of this.”

She rolls her eyes. “Shepard. Just go back! Or go sideways. Go away.”

I should. I might have a chance with Lamb. I could still make myself useful to him. Or I could try to warn Baz somehow. I could try my luck alone in the desert—I’ve got a whistle, and if I blow it, it’s supposed to summon a giant eagle. (But I’m not sure whether the eagle’s meant to save me or eat me.) (A gerrymander gave me the whistle, it’s probably fake.)

Penelope is walking away. Simon is flying beside her.

I led them here.

I brought them to Las Vegas, I talked Lamb into helping them.…

I run to catch up with them, taking left flank.





PENELOPE


I don’t know what I’m expecting to find when we crest the hill. But it isn’t Agatha herself, standing right there at the bottom, between two dark green four-by-fours. Her hands are bound, I think. We’re too far away to see her face, but it looks like she’s crying.