They landed somewhere behind me. The smell of rot, algae, and ammonia grew thicker with each step they took as they moved in.
They were so close now—right above me on the ledge—the sound of their talons curling over the edge of the limestone made my skin crawl.
I held my hand over my mouth, trying not to breathe, tears steaming down my face.
My insides clawed at me to run for it, but I was paralyzed with fear.
I clenched my eyes shut, willing them to leave, when Rhys came barreling down the hill. The crows attacked in unison, viciously stabbing at every bit of exposed skin on his arms and neck. I lurched forward, trying to fight my way through the flurry of black wings to help him, when suddenly, the crows dropped to the ground like dead weight.
My brother stood there, stunned, blood flowing from deep puncture wounds on his arms and neck while black feathers rained slowly down on him.
Tentatively, I stepped forward, nudging one of the crow carcasses with the toe of my boot.
“They’re dead?” he whispered, eyes wide.
Dane and Beth came running down the hill, but when Dane got a good look at Rhys surrounded by the dead crows, he held Beth back. “You’re lucky . . . you have Katia’s blood. Otherwise, they would’ve ripped you apart.”
“Is that what saved him?” I reached out to help my brother, but he shook me off.
“I’m fine. Just give me a minute,” he said, bracing his hands against his knees, trying to catch his breath. “I don’t know what just happened, but we need to get the hell out of this place. Can you do it, Dane? Can you get us out of the corn?”
“At dawn on the summer solstice.” Dane nodded. “We’ll meet at the old stables at first light—”
“Why not now?” Rhys interrupted him.
Dane’s eyes narrowed. “You know you’re going to have to trust me if this is going to work.”
“I don’t really have a choice, do I?” Rhys smirked.
“Then it’s set,” I said, trying to break up the tension.
Rhys stepped out of the crow circle and began walking back toward the lodge. “Oh, and, Dane?” He peered over his shoulder. “Stay away from my sister until then. If you get caught . . . well . . . you probably wouldn’t be up for a long journey.” He gave Dane a pointed stare. “Do we understand each other?”
I’d never thought of my brother as being intimidating before, but Quivira had changed us both.
35
RIFT
BETH LOOKED ON, wincing with sympathy pain as Henry cleaned and bandaged the puncture wounds that covered my brother’s neck and arms.
“Ladies love scars,” Henry said as he concentrated on a particularly raw spot near Rhys’s temple.
“Yep.” Beth bobbed her head as she gripped the edge of the farm table in the dining room.
Rhys smiled back at her, and my heart melted.
I was proud of my brother for remaining upright throughout this entire ordeal, but my feelings were a little hurt he didn’t want me to treat him. Still, when I looked at the three of them huddled together like a little family, it gave me some peace. We all saw what Teresa had become. I had no idea how much time I had left.
“And it’s not like you tripped in the woods,” Henry added as he moved the lantern closer. “You survived a crow attack. Not many people can say that.”
“You were really brave,” I said.
Rhys barely acknowledged me.
I’d never felt so out of step with the world. Dane was the only person I felt comfortable around anymore, and I couldn’t even be seen with him.
“Henry”—my brother cleared his throat—“I want you to come with us. We’re leaving Quivira at dawn on the summer solstice.”
“How?” Henry dropped the bloody sponge into the bowl of witch hazel, sending the murky liquid sloshing over the side.
“Dane.” Beth smiled. “He’s a cornwalker.”
“Well, I’ll be . . . ,” Henry whispered. “Just like his mother.” Henry looked back at me with sharp eyes. I wasn’t sure what he was looking for, but I tried to bar him from my thoughts.
“But Ash isn’t coming with us,” Henry announced.
“Of course she is.” My brother jutted his head back.
I glared at Henry and then took a deep breath. “Dane will still take you,” I assured them. “But Henry’s right. I’m not leaving . . . not without Mom.”
“Why?” Rhys finally looked at me and I wish he hadn’t. “We need to get the police, the FBI, Nancy Grace for all I care—anyone who will listen. We need to blow the lid off this place once and for all. There’s nothing you can do for her here. These people are never going to let her go.”
“Neither can I.”
Rhys sprang to his feet. “They’ve brainwashed Mom and now they’ve brainwashed you,” he said as he came toward me. “You just want us to stay here with you and—”