Page 244 of Fangs
The flash of surprise that went through his eyes was gone as quickly as it came. “You can stay sitting up,” was all he said.
My hands were healing quickly, and Sable didn’t take long to re-wrap them. However, changing the bandage on my chest was a slow, painful process. I thought I might faint at one point, but Wolf crouched behind me and steadied me. Finally, Sable got the bandage off and frowned as he examined the brand.
“There’s no sign of infection,” he said, but his expression remained dark.
“What is it?” I asked, trying to breathe through the nausea.
“It’s the symbol of the Voiceless,” he said, his voice clipped.
I wasn’t sure what that looked like, but my skin crawled, knowing I’d been marked as their property.
“I’m gonna clean it out as best I can and re-bandage it, but I’ll have to do some more work on it when we get back to the Vault.”
I sucked in a deep breath. “Okay.”
“It’s gonna hurt,” he warned.
“I know.”
I kept my jaw clenched so tight it ached by the time he was done. Wolf held my hand, not complaining as I nearly crushed it. I didn’t make any noise, but tears of pain poured down my face.
“You’re doin’ great, Emmy,” Sable murmured at one point.
I glanced at my brother to see something soft and pained on his face as he studied Sable, but then he swallowed hard and looked back at me. By the time Sable finished, I was exhausted. Roe hovered beside me as the others packed their little camp with the stolen horses and mules. There were enough horses for all seven of us to have our own, but Wolf took one look at my drooping eyelids and told me I was riding with him. I didn’t argue. I did not want to go tumbling off the horse again.
“How far away are we?” I asked as Wolf settled in the saddle behind me.
“Probably about three days ride,” he answered, clucking at our horse to start moving.
Wolf and I took the front, then Lee, Roe, Sable, Kai, the string of mules and the extra horse, and finally, Tuck.
I wanted to ask him some more questions, but I fell asleep almost immediately and didn’t wake up until we stopped at midday. After a brief rest and some food, we saddled back up. Roe was with Lee now since he’d been close to drifting off earlier, and when I glanced back about ten minutes later, he was already asleep. Lee gave me a soft smile, and I returned it, feeling lighter than I had in a long time.
“So Mac can read minds, huh?” Wolf suddenly asked.
I froze, unsure of how to answer him, and he huffed a laugh.
“He told us, Em. It’s okay. He had to explain how the hell he knew where you were.”
“How did you find me?” I asked the question that had been plaguing me.
He was quiet for a few breaths. “What does it feel like when you use your powers?” he asked in a low voice instead of answering.
I frowned in confusion. “Um, warm. It feels like this warm, golden light goes from my chest, down my arms, and out my hands. Why?”
“I’ve always been good at tracking, but this felt… different.” He paused. “We got through that wall in the tower and found you gone. Nemo told us there was a vast network of caverns and tunnels under the watchtower. He advised Mac not to follow that way because he’d get lost, but I…”
I glanced up at him to see him frowning.
“I couldseethis faint golden glimmer disappearing into the darkness. No one else could see it, but it looked like a thin, shimmery golden thread. I said I was going through the tunnels. Nemo didn’t like it, but he didn’t try to stop us. Mac said he’d take the rovers and go above ground, and me and the Fangs took the tunnels. I swear?—”
“The Fangs?” I interrupted.
“That’s the name of my crew,” he explained.
My heart started beating faster, and a faint memory came back to me. “The Fangs…are you the ones who took down Mad Dog?”
He hesitated a moment. “Yes.”
