Page 52 of Shadow Fall: Part Two

Walden adjusted his grip on the reins, knuckles brushing the outside of my leg in an innocent touch, and the touch was such a shock that I ripped myself out of the memories.

“Claustrophobic?”

“That’s none of your fucking business,” I snapped, hauling myself out of memories of Cronus’s rumbling laughter, his taunts that I was weak and no wonder my biological parents hadn’t kept me. No wonder none of my foster families wanted me.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

“Do you want a matching hole in your other leg?” I demanded, clenching my fingers around the knife.

“I’d rather avoid it.”

God, he was dull. The least he could have done was say something snarky and funny to distract me from my fear of enclosed spaces. If Kai was here, he’d have had a sarcastic remark lined up.

Don’t cry. Don’t fucking cry.

I didn’t even know if he was alive, if any of them were. Hastily, I flicked a tear off my cheek and dared Walden to say something.

I jumped when Dave the horse reared back suddenly, a shrieking whinny making my heart skip. It echoed off the sharp rock all around us, sending a chill down my arms. “What the fuck?”

“Ghosts. You were right,” Walden said with a graveness that freaked me out.

Now I was looking for it, I couldn’t miss the silver-blue glow splashed like paint along the mountains. Getting bigger. Getting closer with every second Dave refused to move.

“They’ll drain us dry,” I said, weaker than I’d like. “We need to—”

“Turn back?” Walden finished. “There’s a slight issue with that.”

I twisted around, craning my neck, and cold doused me like they were already touching me when I saw three ghosts behind us. Penning us into the mountain pass.

“I don’t suppose you have experience fighting spirits?” I asked, fighting a tremble from my hands.

“None.”

“Some fucking use you are,” I snapped, stashing my knife and dragging my satchel onto my lap. I dug into every pocket and hidden nook, like I’d have any clue what any of the objects were. There was a fucking wine glass in here—what was I supposed to do with that?

Well, only one way to find out.

I swung my leg over Dave’s back—not fucking easily, I tell you—and slid down his powerful body, impressed with myself when I landed on two feet instead of ass-first.

“Get back up here!” Walden ordered with more animation than I’d heard in his voice. “You—I don’t even know your name.”

“Poor Walden,” I cooed, using my sarcasm like armour. I closed my hand around something that felt grenade-ish and ripped it free of the bag, hurling it at the three spirits—all old, moulding women with frazzled hair and eerie smiles. Sisters, maybe. “A fucking salt grinder, Wynvail?” I snarled, as if he could hear me.

The glass grinder hit the ground at the spirits feet and did not explode. Bummer. I was already digging through the bag for something else, so I missed the first few puffs of purple smoke that billowed from it, only noticing when a plume erupted big enough to swallow the ghosts.

Hope filled my chest for a second. It died when the ghosts floated through the smoke, unaffected. Great. I was going to be murdered by the ghosts of three little old ladies.

I faked a gasp and pointed. “Look, an antiques store!”

They didn’t turn. Worth a shot. What else did old ladies like?

“Oh my god! Have you seen that new bingo hall? It’s right over there. There’s a potluck!”

They didn’t deviate from their unsettling glide towards me, Walden, and Dave. And I was out of ideas.

“Move,” Walden ordered with so much authority that I actually moved, flattening my back to the rock and breathing fast as adrenaline dumped into my system.

A chunk of lilac rock ripped itself off the top of the mountain and plummeted in an arc that made me catch my breath. I felt very young, and more than a little helpless, watching Walden rip the mountain apart. A chill went down my spine when he drove the DIY boulder into the ground mere feet in front of the three ghostly women. The ground rocked with the impact. I couldn’t do anything like that. I barely knew the basics even after years of training with Harvey in the fake timeline.

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