Chapter 34

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

I arrive on Mount Greylock in a crouch, Orlan's hand resting on my shoulder.

I'm immediately aware of the crunch of fallen leaves beneath my boots and the shadow of trees around me.

I blink against the influx of light, judging that it must be early morning out here.

I'm glad I thought to cover my eyes as I assess my surroundings: the trees and the steep slope ahead.

Rising to my feet, I listen for the sounds of anyone nearby.

Orlan remains beside me, also rapidly surveilling our surroundings, both of his hands raised, ready, no doubt, to call his magic if needed.

Everything is quiet.

The tension remains in Orlan's shoulders as he continues scanning the trees. "Continue toward the summit, heading east, and you'll find their cabin." Then he points in the other direction. "There are hiking trails and skiing facilities that way, and you don't want to encounter any humans who holiday there. There's also a War Memorial tower near the summit, but again, stay east of that."

I understand hiking, and I can picture what a memorial tower might look like, but I'm not sure about skiing. I don't waste time asking.

Now that we're away from the Underworld, where there could be many listening ears, I ask Orlan the question that could influence his ability to help me. "Halle seemed a little more concerned about your welfare than I was expecting. What are you to her?"

One corner of his mouth twitches up and he casts me a quick glance. "Just another orphan who needed a home."

He focuses on the side of my neck before I can ask him more. "Ready for the rune?"

I sweep my unruly hair to the side to expose the left side of my neck, suddenly aware of how clumped the strands have become. I lived for years with matted tresses. My hair was never so well-kept as it became over the last month of living on Ryuji's island.

Now it's messy again.

Wild-Haired Woman. That's what the keeper smugly suggested naming me. It might not be such an inaccurate descriptor, after all.

Orlan quietly presses his palms together, slowly pulling them apart to reveal a single, glowing symbol floating between them. It's about the size of my thumb.

Still moving carefully, he taps the side of the rune with a forefinger to gather it up and then presses it to my skin beneath my left ear.

Meanwhile, I remain alert to our surroundings, but we're still very much alone.

From the corner of my eye, I catch Orlan peering at the spot beneath my ear, a crease growing on his forehead.

"What is it?" I ask.

"The rune is starting to fade already. Your body must be rejecting my magic."

As annoying as that is in this instance, I'm not sorry my body is taking care of the external magic placed on it. "How long has it got?"

"Maybe an hour at most. If it's still there, you'll feel three little bumps. The bumps will disappear as the rune's power fades."

"Then I'll have to be quick."

He scratches his chin as he scans the trees again. "If you don't summon me, I could come back at a predetermined time?—"

"And walk straight into danger if I'm already dead? Not a good idea."

"We'll see," he says.

As grateful as I am that he would consider it, it isn't a good idea. But I can tell I'm not going to influence his decision. After all, I'm not his alpha. "If you choose to come back without being summoned, please return to this spot, where it's safe enough."

He nods, presses his palms together, and then, with a flash of light, disappears again.

The air tingles with his magic, and then that, too, fades.

It hits me then that I'm alone. Without my pack. It's one of the few times they, or the keeper, haven't been at my side. In fact, it could be the first time since I stepped through the broken wall of my cell that I'm completely alone in a fight.

I tell myself this situation doesn't scare me.

I survived many years on my own.

But it makes me realize how badly I want to make it back to them. I have family now and I won't squander that gift.

Keeping my eyes and ears peeled, I proceed up the slope, staying to the east, as Orlan suggested, and remaining within the shadows beneath the trees as much as I can to spare my eyes.

I've left the gauzy dress hitched up around my thighs to ensure the material doesn't hinder me and I keep my claws at the ready.

Up ahead, I finally make out a small log cabin.

It has a shallow porch at the front and appears to be made out of roughly hewn logs. It looks rustic. Old. Definitely drafty.

I slow my pace because the furies must be either within the hut or the nearby trees, but still, I don't sense anyone.

I certainly don't sense James's presence, and he's the reason I'm here.

Pausing at the edge of the clearing, I force myself to relax.

I don't have a lot of time before the rune fades, but I can't rush this. So I lean back against the nearest tree trunk, clasp my hands in front of myself, and prepare to wait.

They won't tolerate my presence for long. I'm certain of it.

Unless Orlan brought me to the wrong place…

I banish my doubts. I'm here now and I can summon him back soon if this is all for naught.

A few moments later, the scent of wildflowers fills the air around me.

It's a new aroma, slightly reminiscent of the overly floral fragrance that radiated from one of the angels I encountered after I escaped my cell.

My nose wrinkles.

The scent is incredibly irritating.

"Poison?" I ask quietly while I stay exactly where I am and resolve to avoid any sudden movements.

"Compulsion," replies a serene voice in a pitch that is distinctly female. A curious tone enters her voice. "Which normally works."

I locate the sound of her voice behind me and to my left, but much higher than I was expecting. Certainly not at ground level.

I didn't think furies had wings. I can't hear the wings beating, and it'll require a significant shift in my posture to turn and look.

For the moment, I remain exactly where I am, although I succumb to the urge to shrug my shoulders. "What were you trying to compel me to do?"

"Submit to my will."

"Huh." I purse my lips. "Well, I'm not inclined to do that."

"I suspected as much," she says. "Which sadly means I'm more inclined to kill you."

The calm breaks, the air shrieking with the sound of a whip's deadly tips coming straight at me.