~
I woke up what felt like several hours later, due to something reflective shining against my eyelids. At first, I couldn’t work out what it was; it was a few meters below, and speeding underneath us. A second later, I realized that it was water.
I sat up and stared around, fear gripping me as Hawthorne glided over a vast body of water. Craning my neck, I discovered that no land was within sight.
‘Hawthorne!’ I gasped, gripping him tightly. ‘Wh-where are we?’
He flew onwards, gliding peacefully over the ocean. I had to admit, there was a strange sense of serenity. I could hear nothing but the sound of the waves, and the slow beating of wings. Nevertheless, chances of Jack finding me across the ocean were slim to none. Perhaps this is what Hawthorne had intended. However, I was injured and wanted to find a Healer as soon as possible.
‘How will I see Jack when we are across the sea?’ I said in nothing more than a whisper.
We were nowhere, and it was beautiful.
The never-ending, midnight blue sky stretched onwards, speckled with stars. The moon was full and high, reflecting on the water. It had been the moon's reflection that had woken me.
The cool sea breeze made me feel awake … no, alive.
I leant down and whispered in Hawthorne’s ear. ‘Where are we going?’
He answered with a low guttural purr that reverberated through his entire body, reassuring me of his certainty.
In the distance, I could see twinkling lights on the horizon. Land was only a few miles away, but time and distance were irrelevant when I was at peace.
I had managed to slip through the fingers of another potentially grave situation with the help of Hawthorne. Together, I felt as though we were invincible. Though the wound in my thigh was a reminder that I was useless without Jack.
The sound of the waves made it easy to relax and get lost in thought. I wondered where Jack was right now – probably sleeping in a lodge somewhere. In the morning he would probably finish the journey to Scyre (if that was where he was going). I couldn’t think of anywhere else he might try to find me.
Another thought occurred to me, something that I hadn’t considered. What if Jack wasn’t looking for me? I raised my hand to the locket around my neck, thankful that it was still there. I’d have never forgiven myself if it had been lost in the ocean.
Of course, I’d understand my parents being unable to travel long distance because they had Helena. They would most likely settle down at an Inn. But what if Jack wasn’t trying to find me? Or worse, what if he’d been found and named an accomplice?
These new thoughts brought fresh waves of anxiety, but I tried to repress them.
Once Hawthorne and I had found somewhere to stay, I would send a message to Mr. and Mrs. Greenwood’s apothecary, in the hopes that Jack might be there. However, it would be dangerous to reveal my location through a letter. Regardless, Jack would not be able to cross an ocean to find me.
‘I’ll find you!’ Jack had shouted from the porch. ‘I swear it!’
But how? How was Jack going to find me when I was unreachable? And if Jack did manage to find me, wasn’t that an indication that anyone could find me if they so desired?
No, the best option was to lie low until things cooled down. I would vanish. Perhaps if I went unseen for a long time, they would give up the search. Surely looking for me would be a large drain on the Realm’s resources. Would Finn be able to track me across the ocean?
The twinkling lights were drawing closer, and I soon saw a beach ahead; its pebbled shore glinting under the moonlight. I had no idea where we were, or what country this was. All I knew was it was far from home, and that was probably a good thing.
Soon, the beach whizzed underneath us, followed by villages and forestry. Unsure of how long Hawthorne could fly, I became nervous. Surely he needed food, and sleep, as much as I did.
A farm passed below us, and I felt Hawthorne slowly decline. It was beautiful to see the different coloured paddocks, joined together like a patchwork quilt. We circled the fields once before descending. We landed on the edge of a forest.
It was too hard to dismount Hawthorne, and I couldn’t walk; I was in so much pain from my injury that I opted to stay on his back and let him carry me.
‘Where are we?’ I asked him, trying to peer through the trees.
We were on the edge of the farm; ahead, I could see multiple rows of crops, but it was too dark to make out what they were. In the distance was a house – all of its lights were out at this hour. To the right of the crops, was an empty paddock, containing only a couple of work steeds. Why had Hawthorne brought me here?
He began walking us through the trees.