Marin
I burst into theorchard, branches tearing at my sleeves. Gavin's shouts still echoed faintly behind me, fraying at the edges. Then they went quiet against the frantic pounding of my heart. I bent at the waist, sucking in the night air like it might be taken away from me. My head spun. Legs were weak and shaken.
What had I done?
Digging into my pack, I found my light, stringing it around my neck as the magic activated and filled the dark with its beam. The knotted tree trunks rose out of the overgrown grass like gnarled fingers. They looked like giants, ready to scoop me up and crush me in their wooden grip.
I sank to my knees, still pulling in ragged breaths. I knew Gavin would be angry… butthat?His ferocity shook me to my core. Made me question. Made me fearful, not of harm, but that I’d made a horrifying mistake.
We were broken before, but now, we were shattered into a million razor-sharp pieces.
And this time, I’d betrayed him.
My fingers were numb as I searched for the seeds and removed them from my pocket. The two oval-shaped seeds rolled in my palm, looking innocent, as if they weren’t thecause of so much anguish.
Blame the seeds, not my heart.
I steadied myself, taking a few moments to clear my head and let the silence sink in. What’s done is done, I had to keep moving forward.
Climb or die.
Digging a small hole into the earth, I dropped both seeds in and pushed the dirt over them. Then, I uncapped my leather flask and poured fresh water over the mound. I hooked my pack over my shoulder and watched the ground.
Nothing happened.
Minutes ticked by, my hopes withering like the abandoned trees in the orchard. Was I missing something? Cass had said the roots should take hold immediately, but there was just wet dirt and not a single sprout.
If I stole dead seeds, then I’ll—
The ground shook.
I stumbled backward as a vine burst from the dirt. It twisted and writhed, shooting into the air, growing thick with tangled branches.
The force of the vine knocked me off my feet, and I landed in the dirt, head back as the rest of it vanished into the dark sky. I couldn’t see it, but I heard it continue to grow, echoing like a thundercloud.
I tore at the grass, dragging myself upright as the shaking finally stopped. The silence that followed was eerie. It chilled the perspiration dotting the back of my neck. If the apple trees had been giants, this stalk was far worse—a colossal monster. And I planned to climb up its back.
Good thing I had claws.
Dropping my bag at my feet, I pulled out my grappling hookand climbing rope. Then I attached a leather harness to my waist. So long as I made sure the hook was secure on the vine, the harness should stop me in a fall.
Hopefully, I wouldn’t need to test its limits.
My gloves were next, the fingers rough for better traction. I studied the vine, searching for the best place to start. The base of it was massive. Easily the width of a house, maybe larger with branches jutting off in all directions.
“Going somewhere?”
My heart stopped.
No way. It wasn’t possible!
I turned to face the lion.
Gavin stood in the tall grass, one end of the shackle still cuffed around his wrist. The beam of my light illuminated his harsh features, the severe line of his mouth, and his stony gaze. A streak of blood smeared the back of his hand.
“How did you get free?”
His boots struck the ground as he stalked toward me.
