Page 68 of Lucifer's Mirror
I wait until she is wrapped in her blanket, her eyes closed, her breathing even. Then I shift, allowing Fury the freedom of the night. I feel his need to run, but he stays within sight of her, prowling the edge of the camp. It’s dark, but the moon has risen, and the light is bright. At one moment, I sense I’m being watched and find her eyes open, tracking me. Then she smiles and goes back to sleep. Fury pads over and lays down next to her, inching closer on his belly until his paws touch her side and he can breathe in her scent. Then we sleep.
Chapter 32
We’re Here at Last—Wherever Here Is!
WhenIwakeinthe first light of morning, he’s gone.
But I can see where he laid in the sand close to me.
He’s taking this ‘keeping me safe’ thing very seriously.
The day follows the same pattern. I ride with Khaosti, mainly in silence. No mention of yesterday’s kiss. But it’s as though we’ve made some kind of truce, for now at least, and it’s mostly an amicable silence.
Zayne keeps his distance. I don’t think he approves of my mode of transport, but he hasn’t said anything outright. Or maybe he’s battling with demons of his own right now. Thanouq and Therion keep their own company. Winter watches me sometimes. I don’t think she’s made up her mind about me yet—whether I’m friend or foe. If I’d led her life, I’d probably be equally as wary.
Anyway, I’m feeling better—almost normal—though I really want this journey to end.
Finally, at some point in the afternoon, in the distance, almost lost in the haze, a range of mountains looms out of the plains.
“Is that where we’re heading?” I ask Khaosti.
“I presume so.”
He’s such a chatty guy. But at least he answered. The mountains look a long way off. I’m guessing it’s late afternoon now. How much more daylight do we have? But the mountains grow quickly as we ride, until they fill the horizon, reaching up to the sky. I hope we don’t have to go over them.
Eventually, the grass gives way to bare, rocky ground. We’re climbing; the track winds around the mountain, a steep drop on one side and a sheer wall of rock on the other. I don’t look down, and I’m glad of Khaosti’s arm holding me in place. He won’t let me fall. I hope. Or maybe he’ll push me off.
Then the track narrows.
“We’ll walk from here,” Khaosti says. Ahead of us, Thanouq, Therion, and Winter—she’s riding pillion with Therion today—are dismounting. Behind us, Zayne is already on his feet. Khaosti dismounts, and I don’t wait for him to help me down. I slide off and stand beside him. Thanouq takes the lead, followed by Therion and Winter. I follow and sense Khaosti moving behind me.
The air grows chill and thin, as though there’s not enough oxygen to sustain our breaths, and I’m breathing hard by the time we reach the top. We pause, looking out over a vista of deep valleys and rugged mountains. In the distance, I think I can see the sea. Then we’re off again. I suspect Thanouq can feel the closeness of night. I wouldn’t want to be traversing these tracks in the dark. We lead the horses down the other side. Halfway down, we come to a fork in the track, and Thanouq pauses before taking the steeper path that veers to the left. We cross a narrow wooden bridge spanning a deep gorge, and I hold my breath the whole way across.
Down and down we go, until finally we reach the bottom of the gorge. It’s almost sundown. The mountains on either side form a narrow passageway, and we wind through it. A swiftly moving river runs alongside us, and we eventually come to a stone bridge. Thanouq continues across the bridge. I’m halfway across when something prickles across my skin. “What was that?” I ask, hurrying to the other side.
“Wards,” Thanouq replies.
I remember Khaosti telling me that night at the safe house that wards were magic that would keep bad things out.
“So why didn’t they stop us?”
“I’m guessing because they’re expecting us.”
A few minutes later, we stop. I get off my horse and glance around. It looks like we’re here. Except I have no clue where here is, except that it’s a long way from home. A long way from anywhere—especially in a place where I’m pretty sure cars don’t exist. It’s a whole different world, and suddenly I’m gasping for air as the immensity of that threatens to drown me in an ocean of panic.
Everything will work out. Just breathe.
Zayne comes up beside me. He’s frowning, and I sense his unease rising.
“Maybe we should turn back,” he murmurs. “It’s not too late.”
Of course it’s too late. I suspect it was too late the moment I crashed into Khaosti all those nights ago. It was probably too late long before that.
“I still don’t trust him.” Zayne nods in Khaosti’s direction. “He’s got his own agenda, and I’m guessing your safety isn’t his number one priority.”
No, he wants to find out what happened to his brother, Khendril. But whatever I think of Khaosti—and to be honest, I’m not really sure what that is right now; he pisses me off and fascinates me in equal measure—I do believe he wants to fulfill his brother’s last request and hand me over to the Crone. I also think he’s curious. He wants to know who I am and why his brother went to all this bother to keep me alive. I’m curious about that myself. But regardless, I can’t help feeling that he will keep me as safe as he can, even though he’s probably not sure why.
The same goes for Thanouq, though he doesn’t have Khaosti’s conflicted feelings toward me. But for whatever reason, he’s committed to getting me safely here.
