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I stopped and turned. He was still standing by the car, fumbling in his pocket, a disgruntled expression on his face.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
He turned his phone flashlight on and shone it on the ground ahead of him, picking carefully over the uneven terrain. "How are you running?" he said, as he approached. "I can't see a thing."
I peered around. True, it was dark, but it wasn't dark enough that I could miss the obstacles on the ground, or the glimmer of the scant moonlight on the stream, or the details of Julian's weird rock cabin. "Can you not…”
I trailed off. Theo's expression was beyond worried. Now he almost looked afraid. "Your eyes."
I reached out and took his hand, giving him what I hoped was a reassuring glance. "Maybe night vision is the silver lining," I said brightly. "Cosmetically questionable, but functionally, they're a dream come true."
Theo didn't seem convinced, but he squeezed my hand as we caught up with Luca, who was kneeling, rolling up the legs of his jeans.
"This way," Luca said.
I looked down at the wide stream that stretched directly between us and Julian's house, disappearing into the woods on either side. "Uh," I said, "which way do you mean, exactly?"
Luca pointed across the stream. "That one."
"I don't see a bridge," I said, but Luca was already wading into the water.
"I was afraid of that," Theo muttered, but he, too, rolled up his pant legs. After a moment, so did I.
"Let me go first," he said. He stepped into the stream, his phone light outstretched, taking careful steps. "It's not deep," he said to me, reaching back to take my hand.
"I wasn't worried about the depth," I grumbled, flinching as the frigid water cascaded over my ankles and into my boots.
It was almost twenty feet across, but the water only came up to my calves. My boots and socks were soaked, and my toes were frozen, but at least my clothes were still dry. Although the air was warm, I wished I'd brought my coat.
"Hell of a front yard," Theo said, shaking his feet and spraying water everywhere.
We traipsed across the grass, and the closer we got to Julian's house, the faster my heart pounded. I was grateful for Theo's hand in mine, although his fingers were ice-cold and he looked almost as apprehensive as I did. Luca didn't look back at us; his pace picked up as he approached Julian's door.
"There's no one here," I murmured, slowing to a stop ten feet behind Luca.
I felt momentarily lost as Theo released my grip, but then his arm wrapped around my shoulders. He pulled me close as Luca raised a hand and knocked on the uneven wooden door.
We stood, huddled together like children, like Hansel and Gretel clinging to each other in the deep woods. When the door opened, I felt Theo's entire body go rigid.
"Julian," Luca said to the shadowy figure within.
I caught a flash of dark eyes, the glint of teeth bared in a snarl, and then I heard a roar, the voice rough with rage or disuse: "Es tev teicu ne!"
And the door slammed shut.
23
I didn't realize I'd taken a step away from the cabin until Theo pulled me back to his side.
"Well, I guess that's that," I muttered. What a waste of a day.
But Luca was knocking again, rapping his knuckles harder. This time there was no answer. He continued to knock, rhythmic thuds against the heavy wooden planks. When a minute had passed with no movement inside, I shifted my weight.
"Luca—" I said softly.
"Here is what I suggest," he said in an even voice, not bothering to turn around. "You and Theo take the car. Go to that little town we passed through about twenty minutes back. We will need a place to stay, and food. When you return, perhaps I will have made progress. And if not, we will try again in the morning."
With a worried glance at Theo, I released his hand and approached Luca by the door. His jaw was set, his gaze fixed straight ahead.
