Page 140 of The Last One
“The emperor’s battalions use bloodhounds to track,” Jadon says.
“There’s only one dog,” I say, “and she’s coming from…” I point to the path to our right. Close-growing blue firs and high grass—a narrow way not well-traveled.
Jadon’s eyes skip from bursts of thick purple orchids to the trio of bright-red cardinals watching us from gnarled branches. He points to a fallen moss-covered tree trunk, home to countless scampering and scuttling insects. “We’ll hide there.”
A long, low howl of a hound dog.Rooooo!
“I hear the dog now,” Philia says as we hurry to the trunk. “They’re getting closer.”
The tree trunk crawls with centipedes, wood lice, ants, and things with spiky legs. Clouds of gnats as thick as smoke buzz and box at the air.
The hound howls again.Roo!
We huddle together in the hiding place, although it takes some effort for Veril to kneel. Jadon’s neck is taut, distress plain on his face—if the soldiers find him, they’ll know he was the one who helped Olivia escape. Philia trembles, and her teeth chatter. Her last encounter with bad men didn’t turn out so well. She’s also carrying the jeweled book that Olivia stole from the emperor. If the soldiers find it, she’s in serious trouble.We’rein serious trouble. But then again, we’re already in serious trouble.
Seeing Jadon’s panic vexes me. I understand the reasons behindOlivia’sescape—forced to marry against her will. For the first time, though, I wonder aboutJadon. What were his reasons for leaving his home? Was it simply because his parents treated him with disdain?
Roo!
The battalion draws closer. Clanking armor. The heavy breathing of men. The clomp of horses’ hooves against dirt.
I peek over the trunk.
Jadon hisses, “What are you doing?” The cords in his throat tick against the skin there.
In copper-painted mail and plate armor over blue uniforms, the soldiers ride horses on the cramped forest trail. In the darkness, they glow with amber light, even though their faces are lean and healthy-looking, their eyes sharp and clear. Some soldiers carry torches to light the way, but all move with their backs straight. No chatter as they ride. Swords, bows and arrows, pikes—each weapon clean, shiny. The standard bearer holds a copper-and-blue-striped flag emblazoned with two spotted leopards, an armored hand, and a paddled colure. Beneath it all, the motto:Peace, Piety, Progress.
Philia told us that the men who took Olivia were big…red…soldiers. I’d wondered if she was referring to Elyn’s guards. Now, though, I remember that Philia saw Elyn’s sentinels up close—I think she would’ve made that distinction. Also: she didn’t mention Elyn, not once. And none of the men in this company are wearing red.
A bright-eyed tawny bloodhound wearing a matching blue tunic and copper-painted mail leads the battalion. She lifts her head and calls out.Roo!
“Do something!” I whisper to Veril. “Enchant! Make us look like trees or shrubs or…”
But there’s a problem. He gestures toward the edge of the wood, the place we’d just scrambled from—the place where his staff now rests in bushes just off the road. “I dropped it,” he whispers, “when we rushed over here to hide.”
“What can you do without it, then?” I whisper.
“Handiwork.” He’s already wriggling his fingers.
I look down at my feet.Shit!
Jadon and Philia also startle as our feet suddenly resemble tree roots.
Good but not good enough.
I frown and rotate my hand. “Quicker! More! Quicker!”
And now, our calves look like moss-covered trunks.
“Hurry, Veril,” I plead.
Strain shows in the old man’s face, and veins run wild across his cheeks and forehead.
The enchantment rises to our thighs…our bellies… Slowly, we rise, standing and straightening like the trees we are becoming.
Roo!
I close my eyes. My mind spreads like melted butter, and the world beyond us becomes blurred and gauzy.
