Page 15 of The Tree of Spirits
But his words had me worried. “If Kato can’t figure out how to make himself invisible, what makes you think that I can?”
“Because you’re cooler than he is. And you have an even cooler teacher. Now, come on, Red. Your wolf’s way ahead of us.” Hooking his arm in mine, he set a much brisker pace.
We closed the distance to the husky, our steps light and silent. Well, at least Conner’s were. I was sure I was way too loud. Even though he’d assured me that the creepy commandos couldn’t see us or hear us, every crinkle of leaves, every crunch of dry mud, every scrape of shifting rocks made me cringe.
I kept close to Wolf as she trotted up to the fence, planted her rear end on the hard ground, and let out a long, ear-splitting howl. Two of the compound’s guards peered out at her from behind two layers of fences.
“What’s it doing all alone out here?” one of them asked the other.
They didn’t spare a glance for me or Conner. That meant our invisibility spells were holding.
“Who cares?” replied the other guard. “We could use another dog. They make the Scavengers’ work go faster.”
There was a series of clicks, then two rows of fence panels pivoted, forming an open corridor between us and the compound. The Cursed Ones were trapped on the other side of the fences.
I pressed my lips together, holding in a sigh of relief. Everything was going to plan. So far. We still had to make it past the Cursed Ones.
As we moved along the open corridor toward the compound, I eyed them warily. The Curse that had infected these people had stripped them of their humanity, but it had given them a few things in return: incredible strength, supernatural senses, and an insatiable, irresistible urge to bite every human they met—and attack everyone else. Conner said their senses—their hunger—pierced even the strongest invisibility spell. That meant they knew we were here.
But instead of banging their bodies against the fence, frothing at the mouth as they rattled and kicked and clawed at it, they were keeping their distance. Which meant that whatever itwas about me that scared them was switched on at the moment. Thank goodness. I only hoped I could keep that power on until we rescued Marlow and got clear of this awful place.
Wolf had reached the end of the corridor. She sat down in front of the still-closed gate, the final obstacle before the compound. The two guards watched her casually scratch behind her ear with her hind leg.
Wolf was an amazing actress. She was totally selling the part. I’d have to find her a big, juicy bone when we got back to town.Ifwe got back.
I shook that thought from my head. Now was not the time to doubt myself. This plan would work.
“Wow, that is one massive dog,” one of the guards commented.
Wolf barked.
“Big and strong,” said the other, his lips curling into a wide, greedy smile. “We can construct a wagon for the dog to pull the Scavengers’ treasure. We’ll have everything we need in no time.” He popped the lock and opened the gate just wide enough for him and his comrade to squeeze through before he closed it behind them. “Come on, big boy.”
Wolf’s ears flattened and she growled. Maybe she took issue with being called a boy.
“Don’t be shy.”
Wolf backed up.
“Stay.” The guard lunged forward and tried to grab her.
Wolf nimbly evaded him, dashing around his legs. He tripped and collided with the other guard. Then Wolf let out something that sounded an awful lot like a snort.
The guards scrambled to their feet, their faces flushed with embarrassment, their eyes simmering with anger.
“Stay here, you stupid animal.”
Wolf let out a series of barks, then spun around and took off running back the way she’d come. She rushed past me and Conner, sprinting down the corridor and into the woods.
One of the guards moved to follow her, but the other caught him around the arm. “Leave the dog. It will come back when it’s weak from hunger, and we’ll nab it then.”
“Yeah, there’s not much to eat out there.”
The guards both laughed, then opened the gate again. Conner and I slipped in after them.
“There are so many people in this compound,” I commented as the guards snapped the fences back into place, closing off the corridor. “I wonder why the Cursed Ones aren’t trying to get in.” I glanced at the Cursed Ones, who looked as disinterested in the armored commandos as they were in me. “Do you think the Brotherhood has figured out how to control them?”
“No,” he said immediately.
