The commotion behind him faded as he ventured deeper into the park. Mud camouflaged the paths, and he skated across the ground more than walked. His injured leg stayed useless and bent while the toe of his shoe dug a trench in the sludge.
“Eva!” he shouted, propelling himself forward by lurching from tree to tree. Bloody handprints and syrupy-red splatters added to the trail behind him. “Eva!” he called again. “Can you hear me?”
A calming wave washed over him, dulling his pain, and swirling his vision. “Oracle,” he muttered, stretching his arms out in front of him. The trees seemed to lurch back as he reached for them, and he tumbled to his hands and knees. His fingers disappeared in the mud, and he struggled against the suction to free them. His arms shook, and he let his body slump inches from the ground.
“Alek.” Her voice fluttered to him like a whisper in a dream.
“I will not die today,” he snarled, clenching his fists and pushing off the mushy ground and up to his feet. He bared his teeth and grunted. “I will reach her. Ten more paces.”
His hands and feet felt cold and clammy, and the edge of his vision darkened. “Ten more paces,” he repeated.
“Eva!” A thin layer of sweat coated his body, and his breathing quickened and became shallower. “Up that hill. Only ten more paces.”
His foot slipped in the sludge, and he collapsed to his back on the ground. His body felt tired and empty. He stared at the sky as he let himself sink into the mud.
“Oracle, where are you?”
Thirty-Two
Eva’s headache lifted with the rain. The excruciating pain vanished and left in its place panic and fear. Scared of anyone who might see her, she didn’t dare leave the safety of the small cave. Instead, she focused on meaningless tasks to keep from shattering into a million frightened, blubbering pieces. She dug at drying layers of muck to uncover her pants and shoes. Her body ached, and her hands felt raw and tight. They shook with fatigue and pain as she plucked thorns from her fingers and palms.
“I should have never left the house. Why did I think they wouldn’t find me?” Eva rested her head on her knees and rocked back and forth. She sniffled and wiped her nose on her damp, dirty sweat pants.
“Eva.” Her ears perked and she stared out the den’s wide opening. Her ragged breathing and the soft patter of water echoed around her. She straightened and crawled to the mouth of the cave. Her hands and knees throbbed as she stretched her neck to listen. “Eva. Can you hear me?”
“Alek?” She launched out of the hole and slid on her back down the embankment. Mud sucked the shoes off her heels, and they slapped against the soles of her feet as she ran toward his voice.
“Alek!” she yelled, pumping her arms wildly as she navigated over the uneven terrain. Tears of relief streaked her face, and she pushed through her misty vision.
“I’m here, Alek.” She fell to her knees beside him. His shredded jeans revealed a deep gash in his thigh. She ripped the cord from her hoodie and passed it under his heavy leg. “This is going to hurt.” She tied it into a knot and yanked on the ends.
Alek made a fist in the mud and howled in pain. “Is this what it’s like to be mortal? I did not realize it would be such agony.” His mouth hung open, and he breathed in shallow bursts.
“Are you hurt anywhere else?” Before he could answer, she lifted his tattered shirt. Scrapes marred his flesh, and she passed a careful hand over his torso. “You’re pale. You’ve lost a lot of blood,” she said, noticing how dark her skin appeared in comparison to his. “I thought you were like me and couldn’t get hurt. How did this happen?”
His swallow was audible as he turned his neck to face her. “I had to find you. To protect you.”
She took off the hoodie, rolled it into a ball, and gently placed it under his head. “You didn’t need to come back for me.”
He winced as a shudder passed through his body. “I believe my body is failing me.”
Eva grabbed his hand and held it tightly between hers. “Don’t worry about me. I have a place to hide. Go back home. You’ll die if you stay here.”
“My talisman. I drained it to get to you. There is no way back.”
Her eyes welled up with tears. “Why would you do that?”
“Without you, our worlds are lost.”
“But I can’t help anyone on my own.” Tears dripped onto her hands, and she released her exhale slowly to calm her shaking voice.
“I only saved you and returned so soon to reverse the curse, but I have failed. I am sorry,” he whispered.
“No, you haven’t failed,” she said with a sob. “Everything will be okay. You’ll be okay.” She leaned over him and rested her head against his chest. “I don’t know how to do this on my own. Don’t leave me,” she wept.
“You are strong. You must fight.”
The amber light from his talisman flooded her vision, and Eva lifted her head. “I thought you drained all of its energy.”
“Magic.” He smiled weakly and closed his eyes.