Page 34 of Heat of the Everflame

I’d be lucky to make it home in a month, if I survived the trip at all.

I waded back to shore and collapsed onto the sand, panting for breath. If I returned to the Guardians, Brecke’s sacrifice would have been for nothing, and Cordellia might not risk helping me a second time.

She’d mentioned moving her camp—if I could stay hidden long enough for them to leave, I could bide my time until the flameroot wore off enough to summon Sorae to take me home.

But the Guardians had a second godstone bolt. If the new campsite was close enough to see Sorae arrive, could I trust Dell not to use it?

Was that a risk I was willing to take?

Rustling in the trees caught my ear, then voices. I scrambled to my feet and bolted for the tree line, diving into the foliage just as a group emerged onto the beach.

“They didn’t take it,” one of them yelled. “The boat’s still here.”

“They must have gone inland instead,” another said.

“Wait—why is the sail dripping?”

The group walked closer to the boat. I edged behind a nearby tree trunk, crouching lower as they approached.

“The ropes are wet.”

“There’s water in the floor. Maybe they capsized trying to get away.”

“If so, they can’t be far. You—go tell Mother Dell. Everyone else, spread out in pairs and start searching. Remember what the Mother said—take her alive if you can, but kill her if you must.”

Well, shit.This complicated matters. I needed to get out of here fast.

I paused. Brecke and I had passed horses tied up on the outskirts of camp. If I could free one while everyone was distracted with the search, I could ride away before the Guardians had time to catch up.

That, at least, gave me a much-needed burst of confidence. I’d grown up sneaking through the woodlands of Lumnos. I’d learned how to conceal myself to hunt with my father and creep up on Henri or Teller unseen.

The forest had been my playground, and though these were not the familiar trees of Lumnos, I felt at ease among them all the same.

My eyes narrowed in on the woman who’d been tasked with returning to camp. On featherlight feet, I crawled out from my hiding place and followed her into the forest.

It was almost too easy. Though my seawater-drenched clothes made me slow and noisy, the woman’s single-mindedfocus had her distracted, and her hurried thrashing through the foliage was loud enough to conceal my squelching footsteps from the other Guardians we passed.

The glow of the camp grew nearer. I was surprised at how few mortals I saw. With a rogue Guardian and a Descended prisoner gone missing, I expected the woods to be swarming, but there was hardly a soul in sight.

Perhaps the gods were looking out for me, after all.

As the woman sprinted through the tents, I broke away and headed for the horses. To my dismay, they were already in the process of being saddled, no doubt to aid in the search.

I needed a head start on my escape to avoid a fight with the mortals that might turn bloody. If I could get my hands on a sharp blade, I could slice the straps on the other saddles to sabotage the horses.

Beside the corral, two mortals stood together with heads stooped, talking excitedly. I crept along a row of small hay bales until their whispers grew into words.

“That is good news, but how does it change the plan?” one asked. “Should I keep readying the horses?”

“Hold for now,” the other said, “Mother Dell says we’re not leaving until we decide what to do.”

“But if the other two got away, shouldn’t we be moving? They know where we are. If that Queen comes back here—”

“Dell thinks she won’t. I have to get back—you stay with the horses.”

“Wait, I want to go see the—”

One of the figures jogged away. “Stay there!”

---