“From those you arenear,” Lucas asked, “Or from those youtouch?”
I considered. “I touched the children.”
“You also touched me when we Jumped,” he pointed out. “And I recently morphed into a young Centaur.”
The note in his voice had me pushing myself upright. I shook all over. “I got that from you?” My voice emerged as a hoarse croak.
“I think so.” His eyes were boring right into mine. “It is possible the Jumping is the trigger, but not the cause.”
I frowned at him. “What do you mean?”
“Perhaps we should sort this out later,” Rafael suggested. “Because I think Isobel might have gleaned where we’ve gone.” He sounded ashamed. “She has her claws deep into my mind, and followed us through for long enough. As long as I am wearing this cursed collar, she can track me.”
Where are you?Havoc repeated.
“Where are we?” I pushed myself away from Rafael. The world spun.
As soon as I gained the higher vantage point, I knew where we were. To one side of us were two graves, each with a wooden cross. And beyond them, in the center of the clearing, the old cottage.
It was Rafael’s dream. His home, before Isobel had come for him.
“It was you,” I whispered. “You brought us here.”
“I guess so,” he said. “It wasn’t really a conscious thing. We got nailed by the blood energy, and as everything was swirling away, I thought of this place.”
Lucas’s expression was grim. “But Maddy didn’t make it?”
“She’s okay,” I said. “Havoc says she’s in the meadow. When Isobel zapped us, it split us up.” I rubbed at my head. “I just need a minute or two, and I should be able to Jump us there, too.”
Lucas rose and offered me a hand, but Rafael beat him to it, rolling to his feet and bending to hoist me to mine. Which was when I discovered that I needed my four Centaur legs back.
I couldn’t stand.
Rafael caught me as I stumbled and almost fell. “I’m okay,” I insisted, even though I clearly wasn’t.
I pushed his hands away. Took two steps.
And the darkness rose to claim me.
17
Marcus
Tuli and Trey could barely contain themselves as they told me of their misadventure.
I barely heard them. I was focused on Havoc.
“You’re sure she’s okay?” I asked the red Dragon.
“She’s alive,” Havoc snarled, “and with the wimpy Dragon and Rafael. I just can’t fucking get her to tell me where they are.”
The demon was no longer lying quiet. I had to look away from the Dragon as Iskar took a firm hold on it.
Not far from us, Bess was talking to the other young Centaurs, preparing them for their final gate trip home. Cara stood with a groggy Maddy, surrounded by her three very concerned mates.
The Bellati gate guard came over and engaged the Watcher in conversation. I caught a mention of the headmaster.
“He has enough Seeing ability to have detected our departure,” Cara told the Bellati. “But he only foresees a tiny bit at a time. Fortunately.”
