“No, we should go see. Come on.”
“All right. Let me grab one more.”
Lia watched with growing dread each moment they lingered in the garden. Then they went out past the main ledge of the garden and walked towards the trees. Lia closed her eyes, grateful. When she opened them again, Colvin had slipped over the wall in front of her, landing in a crouch. She was relieved to see him. After fetching a pinecone, she tossed it towards him, drawing his attention to their location. He kept low and joined them in the woods.
“Colvin!” Ellowyn gushed, throwing herself at him and hugging him fiercely. She pressed her cheek against his chest, her eyes squeezed shut and the look of pure delight and relief on her face. He stared at Lia helplessly, his hands opening and clenching awkwardly, looking at her with bewilderment. Lia gave him an exasperated smile and mouthed, embrace her, as if he were the biggest idiot in the world. One of his hands patted her back gently. She was much shorter than him. She gazed up into his face adoringly. “You came for me,” she whispered. “You came, just as you promised!”
He nodded, still looking conflicted about her surge of emotions. “I promised you I would. But I could not have done it without Lia’s help.” He glanced at Lia. “Where is the Aldermaston? You did not…harm him, did you?”
Lia grinned at the question and shook her head. “No, he let her go. The daylight is fading. We must climb the mountain even in the dark. We cannot stay here.” Lia grabbed Ellowyn’s arm. “I hope you are you ready for your task. This is not the only mountain we must climb together. There is so much I have to tell you both.”
*
The moon was bright in the sky and Lia was exhausted. Sweat drenched her face even though the night was cold. She used every trick she had learned from Martin. Backtracking to disguise their trail. Crossing over rocks when possible to not leave a mark. Leaving false trails in another direction. When the darkness closed in, she stayed near Colvin and Ellowyn, retreating often to mask their passing as they ascended the mountains.
It was clear they were being pursued.
The glow of torches shone as pinpricks in the dark, moving and wending up the mountain pass behind them. Lia knew they would not stop. When she needed to use the orb for direction, she would shield the light between their bodies, or go inside a hollowed-out trunk of a giant redwood. It seemed that no matter what they did, the train of torches was never far behind.
Lia puffed with the exertion, weary to the bone but knowing they had to race Martin and the others back to the village where Pen-Ilyn waited with his boat. With water separating them, it would ease their pursuit. Martin would not know of their plans, though he might guess at it. She looked up at the moon and saw it ringed with frost. She could see the breath coming out of her mouth as she panted. Cold settled in around her. Fog began to form in the air, gathering in wisps.
Oh no, she thought with dread. It was starting again.
Hurrying forward, abandoning her makeshift broom, Lia caught up with Colvin and Ellowyn. It was not difficult, for Ellowyn was staggering with weariness and Colvin had a hold on her arm to keep her on her feet. He soothed her with encouragement and looked at Lia as she advanced.
“The mist,” he said flatly.
“I know,” she replied. Fear began to squirm inside her. The moon was veiled in gauzy vapors that seemed to rush in from every direction.
“I am cold,” Ellowyn whimpered.
Lia was not, so she released her cloak and covered the other girl’s shoulders with it. She gave Lia a grateful look and hugged herself.
The mist descended over the heights of the trees, weaving through the woods in every direction, concealing even the light from the torches behind them in the gloom. The woods were thick and oppressive. They still had not reached the summit yet. It would be a while before that happened still.
“How far behind are they?” Colvin wondered.
“I have tried to throw them off our trail, but nothing has worked so far. They are moving faster than we are, but are closing the distance more slowly. My tricks are giving us more time, but not much. It will be easier on the way down. We may reach the valley floor by dawn and then cross the valley by mid-day if we do not stop.”
“I need to rest,” Ellowyn said. “I can scarcely breathe.”
From behind them, the Fear Liath roared. The trio stopped at the sound. It was the same as before and it struck terror inside them. Ellowyn’s eyes were as wide as dishes and she quailed with fear. “What was that!”
Colvin stared down the mountain. “It is behind us?” he said in disbelief.
Lia understood. It was not hunting them at all. “Martin,” she whispered.
Ellowyn grabbed Colvin and buried her face against his tunic. “What is it?” she said, her voice quavering.
“A grey-rank,” he answered. “It cannot hurt us.”