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After living in the dark and hearing mostly only fearful silence and barked questions for days, I closed my eyes and tilted my face towards the sun. I released a sigh, listening to the calming rustle of the trees, birds chirping joyously, and the gurgling stream echoing all around me.
I only opened my eyes when I felt a cautious touch on my arm.
Griffin’s eyes were intent on the tears running down my cheeks. “Are you okay?”
I hastily wiped my face, hating that, once again, I was crying in front of them.
Was I okay? No. Was I going to be? Probably not.
I gave him a shaky nod, sure I’d eventually become more proficient at lying when someone asked me this question.
Griffin helped me to stand and guided me to sit on a stone farther down the stream, hidden from the rest of our group behind a large outcropping of bushes. I could have walked independently but gladly accepted the assistance anyway. I was still weak and malnourished.
Pushing away any self-consciousness, I removed the burlap sack, grateful to have it gone and spared a few seconds to wash my midsection before throwing on the well-worn men’s clothing they provided. They were miles too big and made of a cheaper material than I had ever worn, but they were clean and dry, and I was more grateful for them than I had ever been for any other piece of clothing.
I tied a belt around my waist and rolled up my sleeves and pant legs. I stuffed my feet into a warm pair of woolen socks that went almost to my knees and put on the pair of well-worn men’s boots.
I took a few deep breaths of the crisp mountain air and approached the group.
“So, do I get an explanation yet?” I asked, bending to drop my old clothes in the saddle bag set aside for that purpose. I was mainly aiming the question at Elijah— and he knew it, even though I didn't spare him a glance.
“I told you I would answer when we got somewhere safe. This is a quick stop, nothing more. We will talk at the safe house,” Elijah told me, returning his attention to his horse, ending the conversation.
Elijah was right; we would have left a ton of footprints, possibly leading any pursuers right to us. The forest floor was covered in mud and wet moss. They could find our trail eventually and follow wherever we went.
I glanced back the way we’d come like they would be riding towards us as we spoke, but I didn’t see any prints. Since I couldn’t be sure which direction we’d come, I spun around, searching. No matter which direction I looked, no trail led into the clearing. Except for a tight circle around the members of our group, the ground was smooth and undisturbed.
I stopped dead in my tracks, realization sinking in. “You used your magic,” I blurted.
The weakest Earth Users could flatten the ground. It was elementary. Griffin was far from weak.
Had he covered our trail the entire way? Did he take breaks? How did he do it while riding? Or did he do it all at once when we stopped moving?
It would’ve required repairing snapped branches, flattening the ground, and growing back vegetation— eliminating any chance of us being followed. That level of skill, power, and finesse would be incredible. Then, to still have enough left to heal me… Was it even possible?
How far had he searched? Could he do it while riding?
“Yeah, what’s wrong?” Griffin asked, clearly concerned for me. And I didn’t blame him. I must have sounded crazy, blurting that out.
I didn’t respond to Griffin. My mind was whirling. I turned to E.Z., realizing something.
“You should have used your element to alert us guards were coming back at the castle. A warning of the attack could have given us time for all of us to get away.”
E.Z. gaped at me. His mouth opened and closed several times before giving up trying to say whatever he wanted. I had never known him to ever be at a loss for words.
“And how do you propose he could have done that?” Elijah asked. “Should we have carried him while he searched? Maybe strapped him to our backs?”
Elijah harrumphed and glared at me.
I had no clue where he was going with that, and I’m sure that showed on my face.
“Kai, we know you’re hurting, but you cannot blame E.Z. for that,” Aiden spoke.
“How would you know, you weren’t there.”
“Using Air like that takes a lot of concentration,” he said, with a pinch to his brows. “They couldn’t afford to stop every few feet for him to search. And they obviously couldn’t carry him. Our best bet for escape was stealth and speed.”
Shit. I did sort of know that. I knew that using your elements took varying degrees of effort. Simple uses could be performed quickly without much thought, but the more advanced workings would require a lot of skill and concentration. E.Z. would have to shut himself down to cover the entire courtyard. It would leave him vulnerable to attack.
