34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Dakota

Dakota glanced down at the crudely drawn map Kane had provided. She twisted it one way, then the other, then back again. Did they cross The Boundary already? It was hard to say.

“It’s gotta be close,” Thalia said through heavy breaths, planting her hands on her hips. “We’ve been walking through this swamp for fucking hours now.”

Sweet forest pine had given way to decay and rot nearly an hour into their drive out of town. Scummy water, frogs resting on tree roots, and late-season buzzing mosquitos replaced the dry forest floor surrounding Norwich proper. It was miserably humid and hot, the mud and slime-coated rocks gripping onto every little bit of the day’s cloudiness.

Dakota swiped her hairline with the back of her hand, pushing away the sweat dripping down her brow. “I can’t—“ She trailed off, narrowing her eyes on the crumpled paper. As if that would help her to see better through the growing darkness. “This map is useless.”

Thalia tromped over, her boots squelching through the muddy soil. Her hand swatted at a fly circling overhead as she approached. “Let me see.”

Dakota handed her the paper before reaching into her back pocket to pull out a small flashlight. The light illuminated the curling mist rising from the standing water at their feet. Thalia glanced down at the map, scanned the surrounding trees, and then squinted down again.

“I think we need to go that way,” Thalia finally said. She pointed off into the distance. “ That tree looks like it could be the same shape as this one.” She held the paper to the light, gesturing toward an ink blob at the top of the page.

“Every tree around us could be the same shape as that one,” Dakota noted. Kane, though an incredible resource for her, was not an artist. She sighed in frustration. “Maybe we should just go back. Get beers and pizza or whatever.”

Thalia let a long breath escape through her nose as she swept her gaze over the crooked branches and rippling water. The sun had long since dipped below the tops of the trees. It darkened the underside of the swamp almost instantly, though the golden hue of the last rays shined just enough for a footpath.

“Let’s try one more spot. If it isn’t there, we can go back to the car.” Thalia turned to squelch through the swamp, her red-tipped hair a beacon in the darkness.

Dakota followed, keeping the flashlight beam pointed toward Thalia’s feet. “James officially announced his retirement. Did you see that?”

Thalia nodded as she ducked beneath a blanket of moss covering a broken tree. “I was surprised. I thought he would have stuck around to see you through the rest of your training.”

The stress and shame of the prison had begun to wear James down. It showed deeper daily in the lines of his face and the dark circles around his eyes. Was it cowardice? Dakota was beginning to think so.

“He’ll continue the observations since I’ve almost completed my association. He won’t have privileges in the Guildhall much longer, but he’s still a professor at the university.”

Thalia swatted at a spider’s web. “You should apply for his position.” When Dakota said nothing, Thalia stopped to glance over her shoulder. “Or are you still thinking about leaving town?”

Dakota shrugged, her heart clenched painfully in her chest when she recalled the last few days with Callum. “I don’t know. Yes? Maybe?”

Thalia stopped to swing her backpack from her shoulders before digging into the pocket to retrieve her flashlight. The darkness markedly grew by the second. She clicked it on with her forefinger before swiping over the shadows. A set of glowing eyes blinked in the bushes, then disappeared in a wake of rustling leaves and snapping twigs.

“If you decide to go, I want you to introduce me to the Lead of the Brotherhood before you skip town.”

“You really don’t want to get involved with them.”

“I really do,” Thalia replied as she swung the flashlight beam toward the tree she aimed for. “I need to find my brother. And if you aren’t going to have access to the Fieldhouse anymore, then I need someone who does.”

“Finn can’t help you?” Dakota teased with a sly grin that Thalia rebuked with a scowl.

“He’s lucky I answer my phone sometimes,” Thalia replied with a hint of disgust. “You’ve had a pep in your step the last few days, though. I’ve seen that look before.”

Dakota stopped beside Thalia, turning her flashlight toward the stagnant water. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“And you’re a terrible, terrible liar.” Thalia’s voice rose above the chirping crickets and croaking frogs as she squelched to the other side of the tree. “I know a good fucking when I see one.”

“Kill me now.”

Thalia only laughed.

Dakota stepped back, the heel of her boot sinking into the silt and water behind her. She crouched down to study each plant around the base of the tree. Water hemlock would be easy enough to spot, even with the flashlight beam as her sole light source. The reddish-purple stems and white flower clusters would stick out like a sore thumb amidst the deadfall and algae.

“Over here!”

Dakota stood excitedly, trudging toward Thalia’s dulled voice. A beam of light cascaded through the murky water, highlighting a fishtail that breached the surface. It slunk further under the surface as Dakota approached.

“I think this is it. From this shitty map, it looks to be in the right place,” Thalia said as Dakota crouched to inspect the plant Thalia was standing guard over. It was water hemlock, the distinct shape of the leaves. Was this a plant that she could use for her experiment? It was impossible to say, but she had to try.

Slinging the straps from her shoulders, Dakota let her backpack fall into the mud with a wet thwap . She took out a pair of gloves, a plastic bag, and a pair of scissors.

“You do know that’s super fucking poisonous, right?” Thalia asked hesitantly as Dakota tugged on the gloves and began to trim pieces of the plant carefully into her plastic bag.

“What did you think I'd do when I said I was looking for water hemlock?” Dakota asked in amusement as she continued to fill the bag.

“Look at it. I don’t know.” Thalia let out a sharp exhale. “What are you planning on doing with it? ”

Dakota said nothing as she filled the plastic bag, tied it off, and stuffed it into her backpack.

“Because I’m thinking a handful of things right now,” Thalia casually went on as she leaned against the moss-covered tree. “One, you’re a serial killer, and you’re going to use it to lure and poison every bad man you come across. Or two, you’re some super-human who enjoys the taste and can live through it.”

“Neither.” Dakota stood. The bottom of the backpack oozed mud onto her lower back as she hoisted it into place. “Good guesses, though.”

The noise Thalia made at the back of her throat was both exasperated and humorless. “Why did you drag me all the way out here if you weren’t going to tell me? You had to have known I would ask when you started clipping apart water hemlock and storing it in your little grab-bag of horrors.”

Dakota had known Thalia would ask. It wasn’t a far reach. She would have done the same thing. She also didn’t know why she asked Thalia to accompany her to the swamp. Rocco or Kane would have done just fine, though they would have asked the same questions. She didn’t bother asking Callum, as they hadn’t been able to keep their hands off of each other, and the last thing she wanted was to be fucked in a buggy swamp.

“Because two sets of eyes are better than one,” Dakota said after a long minute. “And I like you. I think you’re fun.”

Thalia stomped ahead of Dakota and held out her hands to lock Dakota into place. “You’re being cagey. I helped you hang up the missing posters of your friend. I’ve advocated for you to take the alchemist job since those rumors about James’s retirement came up. I crossed The Boundary for you. I caught you stealing distills, for gods’ sake. I—” She trailed off, her scrutinizing stare searching Dakota’s expression. “You’re experimenting.”

Dakota’s heart thundered in her chest so hard that she was sure Thalia could feel it beneath her palms. "It’s getting dark. We should—“ She attempted to brush past Thalia, but the mender only shifted on her feet to firmly remain an obstacle.

“Tell me,” Thalia demanded. Even through the darkness, Dakota could see the anger rising through Thalia’s stern gaze. “Tell me that you aren’t experimenting. Right now. Swear it on your boyfriend’s dick.”

“Callum isn’t my—“ Dakota clicked her teeth shut as Thalia quirked a brow. “I…I can’t tell you. It’s dangerous. If anyone knows, if they find out…”

Thalia lowered her hands from Dakota’s shoulders. “You don’t have to take on the entire world. You don’t even have to tell me what you’re experimenting on. But you brought me out here, knowing I would ask. Maybe, subconsciously, you knew it was time to ask for help.”

Threads of discomfort and relief intertwined in a dance that played in Dakota’s gut. It pushed and pulled, an undeniable battle that had been raging for months. Her shoulders sagged as she shook her head.

“I’m fucking terrified,” Dakota said, her voice unsteady and brittle amongst the plops of water and rustling trees. “Of becoming an alchemist, of being involved with the Brotherhood again, of not finding Lyra.” Of finding Lyra…or what may remain of her at this point. She had been missing for nearly a month. What chance was there that her best friend was still alive? “Of making this distillation and it getting into the wrong hands. And Callum…”

Thalia hitched forward, wrapping her arms around Dakota in a tight embrace—as though she willed herself to siphon some of Dakota’s worries and transplant them into her own soul. It took a moment, or maybe even two, but Dakota finally snaked her arms around Thalia’s waist.

“We’re going to find your friend. Alive.” Thalia squeezed her tighter just as the sun dipped below the horizon and plunged them into complete darkness. Only the flashlight beams cut a light path, though it was muted and weak amongst the trees. “And, as for your distill, you can trust me. I already know you’re a lying, stealing scumbag—“

Dakota let out a huffed laugh, and in Thalia’s following words, she could hear the mender’s shit-eating grin subside into seriousness.

“And I haven’t said anything to anyone.” Thalia pulled away, letting her flashlight fall to her side. “I need you. My brother needs you. Whatever is going on at the Fieldhouse, whatever you’re a part of, you’re the only person I trust to get to the bottom of it.”

For the first time in weeks, something relinquished its tight grip on her lungs, allowing comfort and ease to flood in. She took a breath and then another, each one filling her chest deeper and deeper with much-needed air.

“Thanks, Thalia, I—“ Dakota cut herself off.

The back of her neck prickled, and its suddenness set her on edge. She swung around, casting her flashlight beam into the thick trees and mud. It only managed to expand the shadows, hollowing out the branches until the leaves were clawed fingers reaching toward them.

“What do you—“ Thalia started, but her eyes widened at the sharp sound of twigs snapping under a footstep. She was stark white against the black abyss surrounding them. “ You don’t suppose that was an animal, do you? How close are we to The Boundary's runes?”

The Boundary, the miles of wilderness surrounding Montrose like a noose, was the only place the Banished Gods could reside. Kept out of the cities by a circle of runes, the Banished Gods were cast out to wander the forest alone. And, while it wasn't illegal to cross into The Boundary, very few did. Because if there was one thing the citizens of the cities knew, it was never to make a deal with the things that lived there.

"I don't think they're far." Dakota perked her ears, both wanting to hear something that would signal their safety and fearing it wouldn’t. Her heart hammered in her chest, down to her toes, and she was frozen as her eyes scoured the darkness. She couldn’t look away even if she wanted to.

The breathing came first, ragged and raw, as it tore through the silent night air. She didn’t know when the crickets had stopped chirping or when the water became so still that it could have been mistaken as murky glass. The branches rustled again, too high up to be a rabbit or rodent and far too big to be a coyote. It took another breath, exhaling against the curling mist. It sent an unnatural energy current that tugged on Dakota’s hooded sweatshirt strings, beckoning her forward.

“I’m getting the fuck back over the runes!” Thalia hissed. A loud suction noise sounded as she twisted her sunken boots from the mud and took off toward the car. Dakota hoped it was toward the car.

But Dakota still watched, enraptured by the swirling fog that settled over the swamp. Something was there. She was sure of it. She took a tentative step forward, scanning her flashlight at eye level. Then, something darted behind the hanging branches, cloaked and hooded.

She startled back, dropping the flashlight, where it landed in the stagnant water. The light flickered before dying, shrouding her in black. Her breathing sawed her throat, the silence pressing on her from every angle. She could only hear her heartbeat, traitorously thudding in her ears. Whatever was out there…whatever was still stalking them in the night…it was sure to hear it, too.

The energy current was back, no longer hesitant and curious but furious. It hit her in the chest, blowing her hair over her shoulders like a storm wind and knocking her breath from her lungs.

“ Go! ” It shouted. The wail echoed through the trees, rising above the swamp and scattering the remaining animals hidden in the brush. “ Leave it, leave it! It's mine! You aren’t welcome here! Run! Run! ”

Dakota stumbled back, not realizing until her lips clamped tightly shut that she had been screaming along with it. Her boot caught a tree root, sending her tumbling into the water. Algae covered her arms, and her knee painfully clunked against a stone hidden beneath the surface. She pushed herself forward, not caring that she couldn’t see more than a few feet in front of her, not caring that she was certainly going to take another spill at any moment. She only cared that the yowling, furious wind was scraping at her back, tugging at her bag, willing her to release what she had taken.

But Dakota held the straps in her hands as she ran, as that summoned energy tore at her. It wasn’t until she reached a clearing, the stars above bathing the swamp in light for the first time in minutes, that she finally allowed herself to slow. She turned when she spotted the runes crudely carved into the trees, a shadow of black fog eagerly whirling beyond it. The energy was gone as quickly as it came, lost to the rot and decay of The Boundary.