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No one answered.
A wave of clammy cold washed over my face, and a band of sweat soon formed around my brow like a crown.
Jake, as though sensing my unease, slid his bloodied hand into mine. I had forgotten to put my gloves back on, but he didn’t hesitate. And he hadn’t hesitated when he’d driven that blade into his friend’s skull. I squeezed him back.
At least now we knew how the masked creatures came to be; they were raised from the dead. All of those who perished in the cursed lands became monsters.
I shivered, thinking of Isiah. I didn’t think I’d have the heart to tell Jude.
With Patrick’s life on the line, Jake and I ran through the trees, shoving aside the swinging ivory branches reaching out like claws. We ran until our chests heaved and our exhales were nothing but wheezing pants.
So much had been lost already, and we couldn’t lose Patrick. Whatever had taken him hadn’t left a trail of blood, so he might still be alive. Again, my hope refused to be killed.
“Ki.” Jake pulled me to a halt. “We’re running in circles.”
“We know where Jude planned to go.” To the mysteriousX. “Maybe Patrick knew to flee that direction.” Or he’d been taken by a monster and was lying in a pool of his own blood.
My fingertips buzzed, and ice skittered down my spine. My very own monster yearned to be let free, yet something held it back.
“We should find Jude first,” Jake rasped, out of breath. “Together we can look for Pat. Jude’s been here before and survived, and he has that map the king gave him.”
Jude might have stormed off into the woods to clear his head, but I suspected he would’ve returned. He might be a Knight first and foremost, and dedicated to the mission, but deep down, I knew he wouldn’t justleave.
“What do we do, Ki?” Both of Jake’s hands clasped my arms, his head angled as he questioned my tear-lined eyes.
Whatdowe do?
“Ki?” Jake pushed, shaking me.
I heaved a sigh. I might not want this—to make thiscall—but I was being forced to.
“Maddox would return to where we camped first, and if he discovered we weren’t there, he’d head to theX.” I tried to put myself in his shoes, thinking of what he would do upon finding us gone. “He would hope we’d have the brains to meet him should we be separated.”
And Patrick… He was alone out here. He’d hardly been able to defend himself back at the sanctum. Deep down, I suspected he’d been acting oddly as of late, and he had slowly begun to stare at me as if I held more importance for him than a mere friend. Had I unknowingly pushed him away as a result? Was he hurt, angry with me for how I felt for the commander?
I wanted to crumble, to fall to the earth and shed a million tears—tears that currently prickled my eyes with every blink, begging to be freed. My first friend, the one I’d promised I would always protect.
I couldn’t breathe.
“Then we need to hurry.” Jake let go of me, and something akin to determination lifted his shoulders. I wanted to tell him I was so damned sorry he’d had to kill his friend. Even if it hadn’t beenNicanymore, it had still borne his face. But I couldn’t do that. We had to move.
The night tilted and blurred, those blasted tears pushing to be released. But not one more drop fell.
“Let’s go then,” I ground out, my tone full of steel. “We march ahead.”
To theX—
And all the other unknowns that could easily wreck me.
…
We’d been walking for an hour.
Jake didn’t ask for a break, and I didn’t stop to allow us one. From what I remembered of the map, we had to follow the brightest star. We’d been close already, so I speculated we would arrive within the next half hour.
Jake remained by my side, his long legs keeping pace. The moon shone down on his russet skin, morbid shadows skimming his lower lids.
The farther we walked, the less dense the blue-tinged fog became. That was something to be thankful for—we could finally see where we were headed. Not that I believed for one second that the Mist’s influence had been diminished. Uncle always said that danger liked to hide in plain sight.
