Fate's anger peaked. There was lightning in the sky, all over the sea. No passing ship would have survived that day.
But I didn't care. I was in Angel's arms, and I trusted him. He was the love of my life, purgatory, and after, like he said. And even though Fate waved his hands in the air, sending tide after tide after us, I didn't care…
Wait.
Something was wrong…
I couldn't breathe. I just couldn't. This had been an impulsive move. My body trembled. I lost my grip on my sack. I felt like… dying. Worse. I felt like dying a thousand times. With all the water around me, my lips went dry. My heart stopped beating. I mean it. It stopped. My skin seemed to thin and dissolve. It felt as if I was turning into ash or sand, splintered into millions of pieces until my soul disappeared.
Even while held by Angel, the joy of life, I was in perpetual sorrow. Hadn't he known I feared water more than I feared death?
38
Fable's Dreamworld
Loki's voice filled the forest, like a ghost's breath terrorizing every step you make. Fable believed a few trees had backed away from them, afraid the Huntsman would hurt them. All kinds of animals hobbled away.
None of the Lost Seven said a word for a long time. Loki's voice brought on a feeling of urgency to ride away from him, as far as possible. It was as if unshadowing from the Missing Mile had turned him into a more evil entity than the Queen herself. Or was the forest handing him such power? Fable thought about where she had been before the dream—in this forest, right? What evil had she endured in here so much that she feared something as small as breadcrumbs?
How could anyone fear breadcrumbs?
***
A few minutes later, Fable still rode alongside the others, the Beast still taking care of Shew's coffin.
"The cottage idea isn't going to work," Jack said, riding along. He still made sure his hat was in place. "I haven't heard Loki so angry before. I am not sure we can confront the huntsmen this way. They definitely are empowered by his presence."
"Thanks to Ladle." Marmalade pursed her lips. "She didn't have to hurt him. He is angrier now."
"And how were we supposed to escape the castle?" Fable said. Ladle did nothing but feed her horse another fortune cookie.
"Stop it." Jack seemed irritated. "Let's get up to my tree." He wasn't asking. He changed direction and rode away.
The rest followed.
Fable thought the tree made sense. In fact, they should have thought of it earlier. Loki couldn't reach them there. Still, Loki's threatening voice didn't seem to be far away no matter where they rode.
At the same spot Jack had brought Fable up before, he planted his beans after getting off his horse. Immediately, the tree began to rise, Jack hanging on to its vine. "We have to leave the horses," he said. "I don't know of a way to get them up."
"Then we have to make sure they are scattered all around," Marmalade said. "So Loki doesn't know our location. We can't risk that. I will do it."
Sometimes, Marmalade's role as leader worked just fine, Fable thought.
The Beast held Shew's coffin on his own, slung like Jack's sack behind his back. Shew's neck twisted inside.
But as Fable began climbing, Jack screamed from above, "Get down!" He came flying, holding to a vine with one hand, his hat with the other. He looked like Tarzan. "We can't get up now. The giant!"
Even the Beast looked worried, and climbed back down and put Shew on the horse again.
"The giant?" Fable said.
"Jack's giant?" Marmalade squinted at her. She had begun noticing Fable's repetitive questioning.
"Of course." Fable shrugged. She assumed Jack and the Beanstalk had a rival giant in the tales, so it made sense. She wondered why he wasn't present before, though. "Where to, then?"
"Back to the cottage plan," Marmalade said. "We're really wasting time."
"I know of a place better than the cottage," Cerené said. Fable turned and looked at her, and was astonished at Cerené's eye contact with her. Again, it seemed like Fable should have known about the place Cerené was about to mention. Fable shook her head, as most of the others had returned on their horses, listening to Cerené.
"Where to?" Jack said.
"Trust me," Cerené said. "It's the best hideout. Much better than the cottage. Loki knows the cottage well."
"Then maybe you can fight him with your Art again," Marmalade suggested. "Like you told us you did the last time."
"Yeah," Ladle chirped. "Blow some dragon, Cerené!"
Fable had to admit, Death didn't fear anything. She almost thought all of this was fun.
"I can't." Cerené glanced behind Fable toward Loki's voice. "There is no time to explain. Besides, my creations from the blowpipe don't last long."
"Then where to?" the Beast said calmly. He didn't seem to worry about Loki. He worried about Shew, though. Fable began to think that saving Shew wasn't just about doing the right thing and saving the Princess. The Lost Seven seemed to have a greater reason.
"To a cave!" Cerené said, and rode away.