NOAH

The throbbing in my head worsened. Seated on the logs, the others looked like they were developing headaches of their own, while behind Robin and Phil, Dave kept clearing his throat and attempting to speak, though he never succeeded in getting a word in edgewise.

“Dartinian recorded thousands of dehaians living on land at that point in history,” Phil argued. “This is just one girl. The difference in scale makes this a viable strategy.”

“We could try–” Dave started.

“Scale is irrelevant!” Robin cried.

I looked away. They wouldn’t stick Chloe in a hole in the ground. I’d make sure they’d regret it if they tried.

And meanwhile, I wished they’d keep it down. The idiots could probably be heard for miles.

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes, trying to concentrate on the sounds of the forest beyond their arguing.

Birds shrieked. There was a river not too far to our left.

“We have new technologies now,” Phil snapped. “We could shield her location in ways those dehaians couldn’t even have dreamed.”

“Technology isn’t the issue,” Robin replied. “Magic is energy. It will permeate the–”

“Energy frequencies can be disrupted,” he retorted.

I grimaced, struggling to hear anything past their voices.

A rustling came from deeper in the forest to my right. A branch snapped, and then another. More leaves rustled.

I opened my eyes, looking toward the noise.

“You can’t be serious,” Robin snapped.

“Says the woman suggesting we use Longtiel as a reference.”

I fought to focus. Something was coming this way. Maybe someone.

It could just be a bear.

That didn’t make me feel better.

The rustling sound came again, closer this time. A voice murmured, the words too low and distant for even my ears to pick them out.

My heart began to pound harder. Someone was coming. Someone avoiding the main path.

That couldn’t be good.

I hesitated. I needed a way to tell the others without those idiot landwalker elders learning what I was. Chloe hadn’t said anything about that to Olivia and from what I could tell, Ellie hadn’t either – though God knew why. But I appreciated it.

If I had it my way, the fewer people who knew I wasn’t human, the better.

I glanced to Chloe. She was looking back and forth between Phil and Robin like she was watching the tennis match from hell. At her side, Baylie held one hand protectively to Chloe’s arm, while Ellie was studying her phone, which was once again buzzing.

I swallowed, scanning the clearing. There had to be a way to get their attention.

Zeke was watching me.

I hesitated, but there wasn’t another option. The girls weren’t looking our way.

My gaze twitched illustratively back toward the forest. He drew a breath, tensing.

At Chloe’s side, Baylie caught sight of his motion. She looked to me and obviously read something of what was going on from my face.

“Uh, guys?” she called.

“And I don’t believe we can just– what?” Robin cut off.

“I, um… I think someone’s coming,” Baylie finished.

They all paused. Olivia’s eyebrow climbed.

“Excuse me?” Phil asked, disbelief clear in his voice. Craning his neck, he looked beyond us to the trail, while Robin leaned past him to do the same.

Dave fidgeted anxiously. “Were you expecting anyone else?”

Olivia shook her head, still studying Baylie.

I took the opportunity to move closer to the trees, straining to hear anything more. I couldn’t pick up on any of my cousins, although that didn’t mean much. Stupid as they were, they’d still know I’d be near Chloe. They’d hide their presences so I wouldn’t be able to tell they were coming.

Though, on that account, they also wouldn’t make noise. Or talk. They were good enough hunters to be careful about that, especially when they knew I’d hear them.

My brow drew down. Something wasn’t right.

A rustle came from beyond the opposite side of the clearing.

I looked back toward the sound.

“We need to go,” Baylie said, seeing my expression. “Now.”

Chloe and Zeke were already getting to their feet.

Another branch snapped, the sound coming from a different direction entirely.

A breath left my chest. We were surrounded.

How the hell had anyone gotten around us without me hearing them?

I pushed the thought aside. The answer was standing in the middle of the clearing, still seeming like they wanted to continue their argument. And meanwhile, I was burning time.

I strode toward Chloe and Baylie.

Ellie looked between us and Olivia. “What do we do?”

Olivia just watched us, saying nothing.

Something inside me went cold. She wasn’t helping. She only stood there.

Like we were a science experiment. Like she’d set this up.

CHLOE

“And who would you be?” Olivia asked, pushing to her feet and then brushing the dirt from her jeans. Behind her, Dad helped Mom stand while he watched the greliarans and the dehaians warily.

“Jirral. This is my granddaughter, Ina.” Jirral glanced from Olivia to Zeke, as though questioning how much more he needed to explain.

“My sister,” Zeke supplied.

“Well, Jirral, I agree,” Olivia said. “We need to go. The police will be here soon. We need to get Chloe out of here before they arrive.”

“Why does Chloe need to hide from the police?” Mom asked, alarmed.

Olivia’s mouth thinned. She didn’t respond, but instead turned to Noah. “If you’d please take the Kowalskis to my car?”

Noah hesitated. I looked to the vehicle, and then to Jirral and Ina, reality catching up to me. They couldn’t come with us. There wasn’t enough room for them in the car. There would’ve been barely enough room with my parents and the people we’d already brought.

And I couldn’t go in the water. I was already too close.

But Zeke could.

We had to split up. If Ina and Jirral were going to follow us to Joseph’s – since I doubted they’d agree to simply head home now that they’d found Zeke again – we had no choice.

My stomach roiled. I didn’t want to do this. But there wasn’t another option, short of having Zeke leave his family behind.

Again.

“Is it safe out there?” I asked Jirral, working to hold my voice steady.

Zeke turned to me in alarm. I didn’t look away from his grandfather.

“It’s a bit crowded,” Jirral allowed. “Ren’s got soldiers everywhere. Mercenaries have been prowling around too, though obviously they’re staying out of the soldiers’ sight.” He paused. “Pretty sure they’re all looking for you both.”

My stomach grew worse. I turned to Zeke.

“Chloe,” he protested, reading the look in my eyes. “I’m not–”

“Guide them to Joseph’s, okay? Just… follow the directions Dave gave us.”

He didn’t respond. My brow rose pleadingly.

A breath left Zeke.

“We need to go,” Olivia pressed. “Now. Even being this close to the water is dangerous.”

Zeke’s gaze flicked over, regarding her, and then it went to my parents. To Noah.

And then me.

“We’ll meet you,” he said to me, nothing but certainty in his tone. “We’ll probably even get there before you.”

I nodded, attempting to look confident and not think about the mercenaries. The Sylphaen. The Beast.

He reached out, taking my hand. “See you soon.”

“You too,” I replied.

“Go on,” he continued to the others. “We’ll make sure they don’t follow.”

He twitched his head at the greliarans.

My parents wasted no time in hurrying toward the car. Olivia hovered by me, looking ready to pull me after them.

“Soon,” I repeated to Zeke.

He nodded. A tingle of aveluria magic brushed my palm like a kiss, making my breath catch.

And then his fingers dropped from mine. Swallowing hard, I hesitated. We had to go. I knew it.

I just couldn’t shake the sudden fear crawling up my spine.