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I got to my feet and approached the wall. I peered through one of the tiny holes. I angled for a better view.
That’s when I saw them, tucked inside that tiny spotlight circle.
The farmer led a pair of armed Changeling soldiers toward the barn.
He murmured something to them and pointed at the loft.
Our loft.
I turned to Hazel. She clutched the blanket to herself.
“What is it?” she said.
“We have to leave,” I said. “Now.”
4
HAZEL
Fiath tossed me my clothes and I hastily put them on.
I couldn’t believe it. Of all the times for the Changelings to discover us, why now?
“How did they find us?” I said.
“The farmer,” Fiath said, pulling on his pants. “He’s leading them right to us.”
“Why would he do that?”
“He probably has no choice. When there’s no one there to support him and his family, he’d have felt forced to turn to anyone who would.”
Still, you did not betray your own species, I thought. But I left that argument for later.
“How do we get out of here?” I said.
It was a barn. There was one way in and one way out.
Fiath lowered his voice to a whisper.
“Follow me,” he said.
He climbed down the ladder and waited at the bottom while I followed after him. He took me by the hand and led me in a low crouch toward the cow-like animals sleeping and stamping their feet. I double took the udders hanging down with a dozen different teats.
I sure wasn’t in Kansas anymore.
Fiath tugged me so our backs were against the wall and we were face to face with the sleeping cows. Their eyes were shut and they snorted loudly.
Fiath’s plan was a simple one.
The Changeling soldiers would come in, assume we were in the loft, and head up the ladder. Once they reached the top, we would make our escape through the barn door and out into the forest.
Fiath placed his finger to his lips for me to be silent as the Changelings eased the barn door open and stepped inside.
I could only make out their legs through the gap beneath the sleeping cow-like creatures. Their long spindly legs stepped slowly, carefully. I imagined them clutching their weapons close, aiming up at the loft.
I caught only one glimpse of them head to toe as they passed between two cows. They looked identical to my eyes. Their bodies were encased in a hard brown outer shell and a dozen black eyes stared, unblinking. One nodded to the other.
While one of the soldiers maintained his position in the middle of the barn, the other approached the ladder.
