Chapter 34

Ren's stomach rumbled as they pushed themselves to keep walking.

Their trap had come so close to working. Ren's design was nearly flawless. She hadn't accounted for that last desperate gasp of magic. Somehow Clyde had commanded Cora to do his bidding. In her mindless state she'd tackled Theo before their final round of spells could finish the job. It was yet another clever twist of magic.

Clyde might be wounded, but Ren also suspected he would approach them with an entirely new strategy next time. The same trap would not work again. Rather than delay, the group pressed on by the light of the stars, hoping to keep their advantage.

Theo shouldered their consolidated pack. It was nice for her to walk without the weight tugging at the muscles in her lower back. Vega caught a scrawny rabbit that might serve as a meager dinner. They trudged on through the endless, snow-laced landscape. The Eyeglass cut the star-bright sky on their left, sharp and slender. The higher passes of Watcher Mountain wound like veins in the iron sides of a giant on their right. Ren finally sensed the land starting to wind downward.

"We're almost through," she said. "How much magic do we have for the descent?"

Cora looked over. "I'm down to thirty ockleys after that encounter."

"Six hundred," Theo said. "Give or take."

"I'm under ninety," Ren said. "I wish Avy was still here. I have no idea how many more days of travel we have. Cora and I will run out of spells, but Theo's magic should last until we're in the foothills. The sooner we get out of the cold, the better."

When they finally stopped for rest, their last evening in the pass turned out to be one of the worst. There was nothing dry enough to start a fire with. Theo layered their clothes with enhancement spells, more than willing now to use his cache of magic as their vessels ran out. The hope of eating rabbit dimmed without any way to make a fire. The creature hung on its rope, frozen and uncooked. A harsh wind came sweeping through the valley, pelting the edges of their camp with snow. It wore down Theo's wards faster than normal. And with no fire to warm the enchanted space, they were left to shiver together until dawn.

Clyde made no appearance. There were no signs of any pursuit whatsoever. Ren had been lulled into thinking he was gone before, or that they were well out of his reach. She would not fall into that trap again. The next morning, as they walked, they discussed different strategies for defending against Clyde's inevitable next attempt. She had a few ideas up her sleeve, but it depended on how their next few days went. It also depended on what was waiting on the other side of the pass.

The initial descent turned out to be as difficult as the climb. Maybe worse. Cora slipped coming down one slope and busted her elbow. She couldn't waste magic patching it up, so she used Avy's boxing wraps instead. Several rock faces required rope spells and anchors. Ren could feel the tension growing in the muscles of her neck as they went. Theo's confidence in casting those spells grew, but every needed spell caused a delay. She didn't know if Clyde would suffer through the same pauses. After seeing him leap from one shadow to the next, she suspected he had his own methods for gaining ground on them.

It was a relief when the snow gradually began to vanish. The air grew warm enough during the day that they could drop the enhancement spells lining their clothes. They didn't celebrate, however, until rock gave way to forest. It was like breathing in new hope. Everything from here on out would be downhill.

The pass was finally behind them.

They were navigating another slope when Ren spotted the strange addition to the landscape. Her muscles were so tired and her stomach so empty that she thought that she was seeing a mirage. She stood there on the path, squinting through the trees, pinching the skin at her wrist to confirm it was real. Theo pummeled right into her and nearly sent her sprawling down the hillside.

"Sorry, Ren. What…"

His voice trailed off as he saw it too. Cora came up behind them, complaining about the sting of her calves. Her eyes shocked wide. "Is that what I think it is?"

"A farm," Ren said in disbelief. "That's a farm."

At first glance it seemed abandoned. There was an ancient-looking stone cabin on one end, with smaller wooden cabins dotting the rest of the property. Her eyes roamed to a larger barn in the western corner. Its paint appeared to be fresh. Really, the whole pasture looked far too well tended to be without residents. Her hopeful guess was confirmed by movement. Behind one of the cabins.

"Those are cows."

Cora pointed. "Look."

A figure appeared on the porch of one of the smaller cabins. They were too far away to see a face, but all three of them watched in disbelief as an actual person strode across the field. Ren hadn't even thought to pray for such a thing. They'd stumbled across a farm. All the way out here. Surely, they'd have some food to spare. Directions down the mountain. Ren's mouth was already starting to water when Theo cast a dark cloud over the scene.

"It's a bit dubious, isn't it?"

"What?" Ren asked. "Cows? How can cows be dubious?"

"Well, they're out in the middle of nowhere. This is pretty deep in the mountains. Why come all the way up here to start a farm?"

"For some peace and quiet," Cora whispered. "Fertile soil, too, depending on where you build."

Ren nodded. "You can avoid taxes out here too. Kathor's not sending a census taker up this far. I wouldn't blame anyone for coming out here to avoid the government."

"It could be illegal," Theo said. "Some kind of smuggling operation."

Ren rolled her eyes. "Another slice of knowledge from your adventure books?"

"From my father," Theo corrected, and he'd never sounded quite so golden and pompous than in that moment. He must have realized it, because he shrugged quickly. "I've just heard stories about outfits like this. When bounty hunters track down criminals, it's never a hideout in Kathor. Criminals make their homes in remote places. Like this."

"What do you suggest, then, Theo?"

He bit his lower lip. "Keep moving. We can get down the mountain ourselves."

"No," Cora said. It was the most forceful she'd ever sounded. Just the sight of that distant farm had lured her a few steps closer. Ren knew a place like this would feel more like home than Balmerick ever had. "If there's even a chance they can help, we have to stop. We can't survive without food. I don't have enough magic to set more traps. A farm is our best chance of finding sustenance."

Ren nodded. "And we can get our bearings. Find out how far we are from Kathor."

"Right. And what are we going to tell them?" Theo asked. "Hello. We accidentally took a waxway portal out into the middle of the Dires. Oh, and by the way, we've got a revenant trailing us that's already killed two of our friends. Do you mind if we stay over for the night?"

Cora frowned. "I didn't think about the fact that we might lead Clyde to them."

Ren shook her head. "As long as we move quickly, there's not going to be an issue. We can ask for food and directions, then keep moving. Clyde is after us, remember? Not them."

Theo still looked uncomfortable with the idea.

"You can make camp out here in the woods if you want," Ren told him, stowing her mother's bracelet in their shared satchel. She tucked her wand into a belt loop, just out of sight. "But I'm hungry and I'm going down there. Leave Vega if you're that nervous."

Cora nodded. "I want to go too."

Theo bit his lip again. "Fine, but if they're out here harvesting the organs of lost pioneers, I'm going to say I told you so."

"You won't be able to," Ren pointed out with a smirk. "No lungs to speak with."

And with the cheery thought of evisceration on their minds, they started down the hill.