Chapter 42 - Cammon
Cammon
XLII
I stared at the crystal in Glory’s hand before looking at her. Her sleep-lined face was pale, her lips parted in a silent gasp, her eyes wide with horror.
“All the time we saved travelling under that mountain, and we’ve just lost it.” Her words came out in barely a whisper.
I tasted the sharpness of her panic and cupped her face to make her look at me. Her pulse flurried beneath my palm, and it matched so well with mine that I almost believed we shared one heart.
We couldn’t afford to give way to fear, but I understood her concern. We still had two clues to figure out. The second one would get us the amulet, but how long would it take us to reach it? How complex would these final signposts be?
Three days.
We’d have to push ourselves to our limits to get there.
And then in three days, Glory and I would get on that ship and make our way home. A week and a half had shrunk to half a week with a single message, and my chest tightened at the thought.
But no. The speed would work to our benefit.
Less time for us to get comfortable with this new bond.
Her questions about Karhasan yesterday had made me imagine what would happen if I convinced her to come home with me.
What it would look like for her to stand by my side while I made my bid for my birthright.
I pictured her in the rocky terrain of my homeland, with the pulses of volcanic smoke in the far distance of the capital.
It was beautiful in its way. Less green and lush in most places, but warm.
Not impossible for a non-demon to make a life for themselves there, especially one as resourceful as Glory.
I could imagine her and my father poring over old scrolls, discussing history that had been forgotten because no one had bothered to study it.
She wouldn’t need to hide what she was there—her ferocity would be accepted.
But she had her own dream, as she’d made clear to me more than once in the past few days. She had her library, and although it broke me to think of leaving her behind, I would do whatever it took to help her achieve that dream.
So we would move as fast as we could and not let the change in schedule ruin what was left of our time together.
I tightened my grip on the back of her neck in a reassuring squeeze, and the tension in her shoulders loosened. Her eyes cleared, her turbulent emotions settled, and although I wouldn’t say she was calm or happy, she rediscovered the pragmatic state of mind we’d need to see this through.
Without saying much, we packed up camp and started down the hill, sticking to the trail that would lead us to the second-last clue.
The road was quiet, devoid of all forms of life except for the grass, a few flowers, and the two of us.
But when we crested the next incline, it was clear where dragon territory ended.
Almost a severe boundary cut through the base of the hill.
On the other side, a fluffle of rabbits hopped amid the daisies, and birds flew after each other from tree to tree.
The scene was idyllic, almost laughably so compared to what we’d come through since leaving the mountain.
“You were right,” Glory said as we crossed into the long, lush grass. “We were only a day away from a full meal. If I’d known we were that close, maybe I could have held on a little longer.”
I doubted she could have held on another thirty heartbeats, but now we’d never know. “I’m sorry. I was so worried about hurting you, but I should have flown you as far as it took.”
She rested her hand on my arm and looked up at me, her hazel eyes so large they filled my entire view.
“Please don’t. I don’t remember a lot of what happened after I fell, but I do remember the agony when you tried to pick me up.
I wouldn’t have lasted the flight. I didn’t say what I did to make you think—Please don’t think I’m not grateful. Don’t think I—my only—I just didn’t—”
She cut herself off, but the bitterness of guilt wafted off her, and I pursed my lips with a nod. She didn’t need to explain. She hadn’t wanted to trap me into this bond. It mollified me somewhat to know her concern for my wellbeing was the source of her regret.
I wanted to reassure her she had nothing to feel guilty about, but all my words fled when I spotted tracks in the grass and through the mud along the path.
Dread wound its fingers around my neck, and I tightened my grip on Glory’s arm to pull her closer.
She looked at me in confusion and opened her mouth, no doubt to tell me we didn’t have time to slow down, but her gaze fell in the same direction mine had, and fear spouted off her.
“Mutts?” she asked in a whisper.
I nodded grimly. “Before it looked like they were coming towards us. Now it looks like they’re leading us.”
“How do they know where we’re going?”
My head snapped up and back the way we’d come. “Your notebooks. My siblings must have gotten their hands on them. At least enough to know the direction we’re headed. They must have found a way over the mountain while we travelled under it.”
“Wouldn’t that have taken them longer?”
I grimaced. “The mutts have nothing to lose. We would have followed that mountain trail with an aim of staying alive, but if their numbers are as big as they seem? My siblings would have ordered them through regardless of losses and taken the seaway themselves.” I rubbed my brow with a sigh.
“It’s also possible they summoned more. If they’ve made a deal with them, they might have gathered every mutt in Golthwaine to come after us.
Either way, we need to be prepared for them to try to take us down where they think they’re most likely to succeed. ”
She frowned. “Which is where?”
“We won’t know until they strike. The only advantage we have is that I threw the vial last time.
If they think I have more surprises like that, maybe they’ll keep their distance until they’re certain they have me.
” I rolled my shoulders, settling my pack more comfortably along my spine.
“Let’s keep moving. If we stop, we become targets.
They might know what path we’re taking, but they don’t know where we’ll end up.
How much detail does your notebook give about where the amulet is buried? ”
“None,” Glory said as she hurried to keep pace with me. “It’s why we had to start at the beginning. I know it’s somewhere near Blue Harbour, but that’s it.”
“That’s a wide area. The clue will help us narrow it down, and they won’t have access to that.
We can still hope to keep ahead of them, and we only need to outsmart them for three days.
Then we’ll be on the ship and they can race us home.
Everything ends for them as soon as Evaniel gives me what I want. ”
I kept watch on the trees once we returned to the woods, mindful of the shadows, of every creak among the branches.
There was a reckoning coming, and the day it arrived, I would revel in it. But Glory wouldn’t be involved. She had already suffered enough for my family’s problems. The next fight I faced with my siblings would be between me and them. Hopefully with Glory a continent away.