(Previous)
I walked on. Just walked, trying to convince myself that I would catch up with the others and all would be well.
Another part of me told the real truth, though. They didn't need me. I had the least amount of magic -- at least trained magic -- of any of them. There were many others who would help with the defeat of Darman and Portilia. His work so far had been either tests or chance.
Lord Cayman's son. He still didn't know what that meant, but it was probably something the others could use against his father. He might be more a danger than a help when it came down to it.
Maybe he should sit down and think about it for a while. Just sit down and rest.
I almost settled on a fallen limb, ready to give up.
My friends would be upset.
I kept going.
A whisper of magic swept through me again, the warmth welcome. My own abilities must kick in when I thought positive about survival? If that were true, could I wish myself dead as well?
I shivered at the thought.
And then I got angry. I wasn't freezing since the magic had kicked in. I was alone and in the woods, but I wasn't helpless. I could follow the tracks and come out the other side. As far as 'adventures' went lately, this one wasn't even too bad. Maybe I was just learning that I didn't like my own company. I found that amusing.
If I had stuck around, I would have graduated by now. The idea that I'd dropped out of high school bothered me more than I expected. Then I thought about why I had left. Maybe killing Tommy Creston hadn't saved many people, but I had done the right thing. I would keep doing the right thing and it wasn't just because I was a Sanctioned Protector.
Maybe I needed this time to find myself. I had been too worried locked up in that cage that had taken me to the camp. That time alone had been horrible as I worried about the others. I knew they were safe, though. Except for Alsia, but I had to hope that they wouldn't have any trouble. And as far as I knew, Alisa didn't like me because I was half human.
Maybe I should go back and pretend to be human again. Go back to school. Do better at math. Graduate.
I could almost hear the kids at school calling to me. I'd never had many friends. I suppose it was one of those things where I always knew I didn't really belong, right? I had always prided myself on not being into the angst of teen years, but I suspected I had only let it build up --
"Mark!"
I stopped and stared. A moment later a small black shape came bounding out of the snow.
"Edmond!" I blinked, thinking I might be crazy -- but no. Lord Snow came right behind him.
Edmond threw himself at me and I tumbled into the snow. I didn't care. We both laughed.
"I knew we would find you along here somewhere!" the cat said as he got off me -- and then leapt to my shoulder as I started to stand. "I HATE snow!
"I'm not fond of it either. Did she throw you two off as well? I feared --" But I stopped when I saw the look on their faces. "You didn't know about Alsia?"
"I had my suspicions," Lord Snow admitted. "The feel of her magic was wrong from the start, but that didn't mean she wasn't telling us the truth. She pushed you off the train?"
"I think so. I could be wrong."
Lord Snow gave a bow of his large furred head, but I could tell that he really didn't trust the woman. "We need to get back to the others. It's not going to be easy," I said. "I thought following the train track would be the best way to get somewhere, though."
"Easier than trying to climb over the mountains," Lord Snow agreed. We started walking. It wasn't so bad now.
"I realized you were gone," Edmond said. He had draped himself over my shoulders. I didn't mind the warmth. "Alsia was acting oddly, too. She kept getting between me and the front of the train and I didn't trust what she would do if I tried to get past her. So I went and roused Lord Snow. He agreed you were gone. We couldn't reach the others -- far too much magic interfering -- so we decided to go look for you ourselves."
"You left the train?"
"Yes," Lord Snow answered.
"Thank you."
Edmond purred.
"The others will figure out all three of us are gone fairly soon," Lord Snow said. "I don't know if you'll try to come back to look for us. This is tricky enough, getting the pretend train through here. I think our best bet is to find a way to catch up with them on the other side."
"I agree," I said, though I wasn't very happy about the idea of walking all that way.
Not alone, though.
"Do you think she's working with Darman?" I asked.
"That would be my first guess," Lord Snow said. "If he had any idea we were on our way, he could have sent her there. We had no idea how long she'd been at the train yards. But she might just be one of those rare fae who got lost here and went a bit crazy."
"Then why would she attack Mark?" Edmond asked.
"Because I'm half-human," I said.
"Exactly," Lord Snow replied. "If that's true --"
He stopped suddenly and turned, looking up the side of the mountain. I thought I saw movement there. And then faint laughter that was soon lost in the loud roar of an avalanche.
To Be Continued....
984 Words
No comments:
Post a Comment