Page 341 of Shadowblood Souls
I dodge a waxy-leafed bush and rub my arms. A fly buzzes around me and starts to land on my elbow before I swat it away.
The jungle air is humid, nearly as warm at night as it was on the island, but my fears send a chill through the sweat on my skin.
I told these kids we’d get them to someplace better than the facility. I have to make sure that this time I keep my promise.
As we push on through the brush, the minutes blur into hours. Stars glint overhead in the small gaps in the canopy of leaves.
From time to time, Andreas lifts his voice with his storyteller’s cadence. Because of course he has stories to go with even this trek.
“One time, I came across a woman who’d done a hike all the way from one end of the States to the other,” he says. “All on her own. It took weeks, and most of that time some part of her was aching, and she’d get hungry for food she couldn’t have carriedon the trail. But when she got back, if anyone asked, she’d tell them the worst part was the loneliness. She said she’d do it over again if she had the right company.”
He glances around at us with a weary but honest smile. “We don’t have anywhere near that far to go, and we’ve got each other. I think we’ve got this.”
His assurance helps steady me, so I hope it does the same for the younger shadowbloods as well.
But even my supernaturally strong legs are feeling the burn by the time the ground starts to slant upward in an increasingly steep slope. I notice George and Devon wobbling as they trudge onward.
Have we come far enough that it’s safe to stop? How can I possibly know?
The sound of trickling water is what decides the issue. Zian turns his head toward it, no doubt hearing it much more clearly than I can.
“I think there’s a waterfall,” he says. “Running water is safer than still, right?”
Dominic nods. “Let’s take a look at it and see if we want to risk it. Either way, this might be a good time to set up some kind of camp. We’ll tackle the hill better after we’ve gotten some rest.”
I don’t miss the sighs of relief that carry through our younger charges. Yes, it was definitely time to stop.
We veer toward the sound of the water and halt our march when Nadia’s light glints off a current about a foot wide burbling down a sheerer section of the hill. As she heads over with Dominic and Andreas to inspect the water, the rest of us hunker down among the trees.
“Have a snack if you’re hungry, and then I guess curl up wherever you can make yourself decently comfortable,” I tell the kids. At least it’s warm and reasonably dry for the moment.
I don’t want to think about what we’ll do if it starts raining.
Our three water analysts return with uncertain expressions. “It looks pretty clean, but there are flecks of dirt in it,” Andreas says. “I took a gulp, and if I’m still okay by tomorrow, we can all have a drink.” He nudges Dominic. “Otherwise I’m relying on Dom to cure me.”
I don’t love him using himself as a test subject, but I guess we don’t have a lot of choice. “Juice for tonight, then, anyone who’s thirsty.”
Celine stretches out a hand. “I could use some of that right now!”
As she drinks, Griffin hunkers down near me, watching her with an intentness I don’t understand. I wait for him to make a comment to explain his attention, but he doesn’t say anything, even after Celine passes the jug on to Ajax.
After a moment, he reaches into his old backpack and guides out the white cat and a tin of cat food he must have snatched up when he grabbed her. He peels back the lid, and Lua sniffs it tentatively before taking some cautious bites.
I’ve been drinking regularly along the trek, so my throat isn’t too parched, but my skin feels uncomfortably grimy. I push to my feet with a quick glance around at my guys. “I’m going to wash up a little before I try and sleep.”
It only takes a minute to walk the last short distance to the waterfall and its winding stream. The hillside there is rockier but still has clumps of soil clinging in pockets.
I can see why the guys hesitated to trust the water washing over those rocks for ingestion. But to splash it on my face shouldn’t be a big deal.
I dampen not just my face but my neck as well, then swipe under my armpits for good measure. As I give my hands a final rinse, the brush rustles behind me.
When I glance over my shoulder, I find Griffin emerging onto the rocky bank next to me. Not who I would have expected.
My stomach shifts with a hitch of uneasiness. It feels wrong to be this wary around the one guy I once trusted more than anyone in the world… but completely necessary at the same time.
“Hey,” I say in a low voice, adjusting my weight to stand. “The stream’s all yours.”
Griffin catches my wrist before I can rise more than a few inches, his grip firm but careful. “I didn’t come for the water. I wanted to talk to you.”
