Page 3 of Hollowed

ItwasOctober, yes, but it was also the middle of the afternoon, and fog like that should only form in the mornings.Iswallowed hard.Itdefinitely wouldn’t be moving as if it were crawling across the earth.

Katrina…Thewind seemed to whisper like an eerie voice, whose talons slowly dragged down my spine.

Ishot to my feet, whirling around as the wind continued whispering my name.

“Who’sthere?”Idemanded, holding my spade out to use as a weapon.Itwould do nothing against anything magical, but it made me feel slightly better.Onceagain,Iwished my flames would respond to my demands, rather than erupt whenever they chose.Theytypically appeared when my emotions raged, but now, the flames in my soul were dormant.

Katrina…

Thefeeling of being watched increased, and a branch snapped behind me.Turningagain,Isearched the tree line but again came up empty.Whoeverwas watching me and whispering my name did not want to be seen.

Warningsrang in my head, but my feet remained frozen to the earth.Icouldn’t make my body move, despite my quickening breath and the sweat rolling down my forehead even in the cold air.

Ineeded tomove.Torun.

Theair chilled as another gust of wind rolled through, and the fog across the clearing began creeping beyond the bounds of the tree roots, spreading like fingers over the grass.Fivelarge strides would have set me inside the fog, and despite its languid movement, it was growing closer.Threestrides away.Thentwo.

Ididn’t want to find out what would happen if it got too close.

Thetendrils of fog reached the first bed of flowers, thick and undulating as it obscured the grass and leaves beneath.IfIleaned forward and stretched,Icould have touched the first wisps of the mass.

KATRINA.

Thebooming whisper of my name, clearer than the first two times, pulled me from my stupor.Droppingthe spade on the ground,Ipicked up the basket of flowers and ran back the wayI’dcome through the forest and into town.Ineeded to get out of here.

Now.

Theforest faded behind me asIran, ducking beneath branches and dodging trees, moving as quickly as possible and panting with the exertion.Myvision tunneled as the town grew clearer through the trees.Iwas so close to safety.OnceIwas out of the forest, someone would see me.Surelysomeone would help if the fog swallowed me or attacked with some invisible force.

Atleast,Ihoped they would.

I’dalmost made it and was about to clear the last few strides out of the forest when a hand wrapped around my arm, pulling me to a stop.Icouldn’t stop the scream that escaped my throat.Couldn’tstop the flames that erupted from my hands asIdropped the basket of flowers.

Ofcourse, now the flames would choose to make their presence known.

“Gods,Katrina!”Thevoice of the person who’d grabbed me was familiar, butIcouldn’t breathe.Thegrip eased, andIyanked my arms back, folding my hands to my chest asIwhirled to face whoever had followed me.

Theflames bled out as my eyes finally focused, taking in the man before me.Myshoulders slumped, andIreleased a heavy breath. “Ichabod.Whatare you doing here?”

Withoutwaiting for his answer,Ibent and picked up the basket of flowers before continuing forward untilIwas fully out of the forest and back on the dirt path that led into town.Thefeeling of being watched faded with each step away from the trees.

“Katrina, stop,”Ichabodsaid, jogging to catch up with my frantic steps.Hepulled around in front of me, reaching his hands out as if to grab my shoulders.Hiseyes flicked down to my hands, stained with soot, and he pulled them back, searching my face as a frown formed. “Areyou all right?”

“I…”Iheld up the basket of flowers, struggling to catch my breath. “I… was getting flowers… forCiara.Somethingin the forest…”

Hisstormy blue eyes widened. “Therewas something in the forest?Whatwas it?”

Ishook my head, still unable to form the words.

Hishand faltered, again hesitating as he reached out in the space between our bodies, but he eventually placed it on my shoulder. “Let’sget you toCiara’sthen.Youcan tell me when you’re ready.”

Therewas no force in this world that would ever make me share my secrets or emotions withIchabodCrane.Thetall and lanky schoolteacher and master alchemist could rarely keep anything he learned to himself.Withouta doubt, anythingItold the man would be common knowledge inSleepyHollowby sunset.

Witheach step we took away from the forest, my heart calmed.Takingdeep breaths,Iwalked myself through one of the calming routinesIhad in my repertoire.FivethingsIcould see:Ichabod’sblack leather boots, the gates ofSleepyHollowCemetery, the leaves rustling above us, the wicker basket in my hand, the townspeople ahead of us.FourthingsIcould touch: the scratchy wool ofIchabod’scoat, the metal of my necklace, the soft petals of the flowers, and the dirt beneath my nails.ThreethingsIcould hear:Ichabod’sbreathing, the whistling of the wind, and the creaking of the basket in my hands.TwothingsIcould smell: the fragrant blooms of flowers and the stale sweat beading on my upper lip.OnethingIcould taste: the tangy metallic of blood from biting my cheek asI’drun through the forest.

Ichabodwas quiet, keeping in step beside me and not saying anything asImoved through my routine.He’dseen me do it once before, and thoughIhadn’t expected him to recognize thatIneeded silence,Iappreciated it.Finally,Iwas able to speak. “Therewas someone—something—watching me in the forest.”

Ifelt his curious gaze, butIdidn’t look over as we continued to walk.Heartbeatspassed before he spoke again. “I’mcertain it was nothing,Katrina.Justan animal.”

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