Page 13 of Fractured Sky
Dallin had no idea where he’d come from, and he didn’t care.He wanted to shake both Tyne and Jarvis and tell them they didn’t have time to think about traps.He was willing to risk it if it meant getting Sol back.
“It’s weird that Ansley was suddenly able to find Sol.Carlyle made sure it wouldn’t be possible, so what changed?”Tyne asked.
“He probably escaped.Do you really want to leave him there?”Dallin said.
“No one wants to leave him there.”
It wasn’t enough for Dallin.“Then let’s go.We’ll face whatever we find on the other side of the portal, but in the meantime, we’ll finally be doing something to help Sol.”
“You don’t have a shield.If this is a trap, Carlyle will know that, and he’ll act accordingly.”
“I don’t care about my safety.I don’t care what happens to me.I do have a shield, and I’m going to rescue him, no matter what you say.”
The problem was that Dallin needed Jarvis to be okay with this.Dallin could open a portal, but he’d need ingredients, time, and magic.Portals weren’t his specialty.They were Jarvis’s, and it would be best if he opened one instead of forcing Dallin to do it.
“What about everyone else?What abouttheirsafety?”Jarvis asked softly.
His words made Dallin feel guilty.He didn’t care about his own well-being, but he did care about everyone else’s.He would never forgive himself if something were to happen to Bennett or Penley or any of the others.He didn’t want to sacrifice Sol, but Jarvis and Tyne were right.They needed to be cautious.It wasn’t like they were saying they couldn’t rescue Sol at all.They just needed to plan before throwing themselves through a portal.
Dallin sucked in a breath and squeezed his eyes shut so he wouldn’t cry.He was so close, yet at the same time, still so far.“Fine,” he said, opening his eyes again.“What do you need us to do?”
* * * *
EVERY TREE LOOKED THEsame as the tree next to it.Sol didn’t recognize them, and it was clear that Graham didn’t, either.“We’ve been going in circles, haven’t we?”Sol asked.
They’d been walking for what felt like hours, but Sol was pretty sure it had only been half an hour at most.Still, his entire body ached, and he felt like if he continued walking, he’d eventually drop down from exhaustion.It wouldn’t be good because Graham couldn’t carry him.He’d have to abandon Sol, and Sol would be in trouble all over again.
They’d almost been found once.They’d heard Simon calling for Graham, and for a moment, Sol had expected Graham to change his mind and answer.He’d thought that Graham would hand him over to Simon, but he hadn’t.Instead, Graham had set his jaw and continued walking.
They both had, but it hadn’t taken them anywhere.Maybe Carlyle had used magic to ensure they wouldn’t be able to leave.Maybe they were just unlucky and had gotten lost, and now, they couldn’t find their way back.
Sol didn’t even know where they were going.He just knew they had to get away from the house, but what was out there?Where were they?Where were they going?
“He cast a lot of spells,” Graham murmured.“He said he was going to.He wanted to make sure that no one could find the house.”
“How do you get food, then?”
“Simon goes into town.I was never allowed to.”
Sol wasn’t surprised.It had been obvious from the beginning that neither Carlyle nor Simon trusted Graham.They were happy to let him do the stuff they didn’t want to do, like feeding Sol, but they never gave him important tasks.They’d probably been afraid he’d escape and would take Sol with him.
They’d been right.
“So we’re stuck here?”Sol asked.
“I don’t know.Carlyle used spells, but I’m not a mage.I have no idea what to do.”
“Are we going to continue walking in circles until Carlyle finds us?”
“Maybe.”
There was nothing else to say, and both of them fell silent again as they continued moving.Sol wanted to beg to take a break, but it wouldn’t help either of them.They had to get away from the house as soon as they could.
He wasn’t sure they could get any further than they already had.His legs felt like jelly, and he wouldn’t be surprised if they gave out soon.It also felt like no matter how much they walked, they would never get away from the house.He wondered if that was because of a spell, but the answer didn’t matter.The only thing that did was that he and Graham were stuck.
Graham was leading the way, and when he suddenly stopped moving, so did Sol.He glanced at Graham, who looked like he’d seen a ghost, then in the direction Graham was staring at.
Sol frowned.There was a spark of something in the air, something that wasn’t supposed to be there.Was it the spell that was keeping them in the forest?
