Page 73 of Golden Star

Zoey reaches into one of her pockets, pulls out one of the sharp rocks I gathered last night, and throws it at the woman’s throat hard enough to crush her windpipe.

The screaming comes to an abrupt stop.

The woman’s hands go to her throat, and she lets out a strangled, gasping sound. Like she’s trying to breathe, but failing.

Then, like a candle snuffed out, she vanishes.

For a few seconds, we just sit there, frozen, the silence so heavy it’s suffocating. I’m breathing hard, my heart racing from both the relief and the adrenaline. I hadn’t even realized how tightly I’d been clutching Zoey’s arm until she pulls it free.

“What was that?” She stares at the space where the screaming woman was, using her palm like a suction to try getting the water out of her ears.

“I have no idea.” I glance around, relieved when nothing else emerges from behind the trees. “But we can’t stay here. We have to go. Now.”

Not leaving room for argument, I grab her hand, pull her up, and we continue our sprint through the forest.

We have to get as far as we can.

And then… well, we’ll deal with whatever happens next when it comes to it.

Sapphire

The cold bitesharder the longer we run, each breath searing my lungs.

Exhaustion settles into me as I use more and more of my magic to keep up our pace. I’m not sure how long I can keep going like this.

Eventually, our sprint slows.

Zoey lets out a low, gasping breath, clutching her side as she leans against a tree. “I just… need a second,” she says, and I nod, taking the opportunity to glance around the forest.

It’s well past sunset now, and animals scurry through the trees, the branches seeming ready to grab us and attack.

Hoping we’re safe from nightmarish screaming women now, I remove the water from my and Zoey’s ears. Thepopas the water seeps out is extremely satisfying,and Zoey shakes her head, smiling with relief as the last drops of it run out of her ears.

“We can’t outrun them forever. We need to get to the silver tree.” She looks around, as if it might appear out of nowhere.

Of course, it doesn’t.

“I’m going to go to the top of that tree,” I say, pointing to the tallest one I can find. “Hopefully I’ll be able to see the silver tree from there.”

“Okay.” A flicker of a hesitation crosses Zoey’s eyes, but it’s gone in an instant. “I’ll watch your body.”

Mybody.

I shudder, not thinking I’ll ever like the sound of that.

“I’ll be back in a second,” I tell her. “I promise.”

She nods, and then I zero in on the tree, appearing at the top of it in seconds.

The world is different from up here. The forest stretches like a sea of jagged shadows, glistening with frost under the pale moonlight.

One tree glistens more than the others. With leaves—not with ice.

The silver tree.

And, according to the location of the North Star, the tree is a straight shot southeast from here.

But just as I’m about to rush back to my body, movement catches in the corner of my eye.

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