The Blue Woods (11 page)

“We don't have time for that,” Heath said. “He needs to get the lay of the land around the Waterfall.”

“I don't want to get into another confrontation with the Malandanti,” I said, giving Cal a pointed look.

“I'm really sorry about that,” Cal said, a look of contrition painted across his features. On most other people it would seem phony, but you could tell it was genuine on him. He had a good heart—the
Concilio
wouldn't have Called him if he didn't—and that radiated out through his face. “I was rash and dumb, and it won't happen again.”

“Don't go past the birch trees,” Nerina suggested. “They won't consider us a threat unless we get too close to the barrier.”

I looked at Heath with pleading in my eyes. “Can't you come? I don't know the first thing about Guiding someone.”

Heath stumbled backward with his hand over his heart, like I'd shot him with an arrow. “That hurts, Alessia. That really hurts.”

“Oh, come on.” I rolled my eyes. “You just barely finished training me. I don't know why everyone thinks I'm ready to be a Guide.”

“You are a lot more ready than you think,
cara
,” Nerina said.

“I have faith in you,” Cal piped up from the couch. I half-laughed, half-snorted. Okay, maybe there
was
something kind of refreshing about his enthusiasm. I'd only been in the Clan for like four months, and I was already jaded. Maybe if I'd been Called at a time when the Guild hadn't been breathing down our necks, if my boyfriend hadn't turned out to be a Malandante, I would be just as gung ho about the Benandanti as Cal was. But there were too many ifs and maybes now, and my heart had been broken one too many times.

But if Jonah
was
at the Waterfall tonight, I'd have to figure out a way to keep Cal and his enthusiasm out of the way.

Bree sauntered into the room, her hands wrapped around her refilled mug of coffee. Cal took one look at her, sat up straighter, and smoothed his hair down. I'd become so used to Bree's presence that I'd forgotten the effect she had when you saw her for the first time, with that long raven hair and crystal-green eyes. Her usually luminous skin was still mottled with bruises and cuts, which made its own impression. She looked like a porcelain doll that could take you down with a single blow.

Cal cleared his throat and got to his feet. “Hi, I'm Cal. I don't think we've met yet.”

Bree leveled her gaze at him. “Bree. I'm the mage.”

Cal glanced from her to Nerina. “What's a mage?”

“A mage is the person who's going to save your ass in battle,” Bree said. She took Cal's offered hand, a slow grin stretching her mouth wide. As they stood staring at each other, their hands still clasped, I saw Nerina roll her eyes and shake her head. I bit my lip to keep from laughing out loud. So much for her plan to distract me from Jonah.

Bree pulled her hand free from Cal's and turned to the rest of us. “Alessia and I were just at my house,” she announced.

Nerina rounded on her. “What? Without any kind of protection?”

“That was really risky, Bree,” Heath said.

“We're here, aren't we?” Bree shrugged. “So it all worked out okay.”

“Why on earth did you go back there? You know the Harpy is looking for you.”

Bree's gaze flickered to me. I gave a tiny shake of my head, so small that Heath and Nerina missed it. But I could've sworn Cal saw it. His eyes narrowed at me. I ignored him.

“I needed to check on my mom. She's not doing great, obviously,” Bree said. “We eavesdropped outside my dad's office. He was in there with Pratt—”

“—the Raven,” I supplied to Cal.

“—and they were talking about the Guild, about them having a failsafe in place in case something like this happened.”

Nerina clenched her jaw. “Did they say what it was?”

“No.” Bree leaned against the mantel over the fireplace. “Could it have something to do with the telephone call you just had?”

“Yes. Or no. It could be anything.” Nerina ran her red-nailed fingertip over her bottom lip. How she had time to keep her hands perfectly manicured, I had no idea. “There are so many pieces flying around. It is hard to see how they fit together,
sí
? But at least we know they are planning something. And I would bet it involves one of the sites they still control.”

“I'll hit the books we salvaged from your lair,” Bree said.

“I'll help you,” Heath offered.

“And I'll see if I can find out anything at the Waterfall tonight.” I crossed the room until I stood right in front of Cal. “Listen. Tonight, on patrol, if I tell you to do something, you do it. No matter what. No questions asked. Okay?”

Cal nodded. “Absolutely. No problem.” He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Should I—stay here? Help with the research?” He shot a look at Bree, who tossed her hair back and ignored him. Wow, she really had that hard-to-get thing down.

“No, you should get some rest before patrol tonight,” Nerina said before I could answer. “Sleep now while you can.”

Cal looked a little crestfallen, but he obeyed Nerina and left. “He could've helped,” I said to her. “Three pairs of eyes are better than two.”

“The last thing we need right now is for our mage to get distracted,” Nerina said.

“I resent that,” Bree snapped. “I'm not Alessia.”

“Hey,
I
resent
that
,” I said.

“Stop it, you two,” Nerina said, heading for the den. “There's enough teenage angst in this house as it is.”

“I don't do angst,” Bree said, and the two of them bickered all the way into the den, their voices carrying back into the living room.

I ran my hands through my hair and looked at Heath. “Please come with me tonight. Please.”

He slung his arm around my shoulder. “You really are ready to be a Guide. I wouldn't have let Nerina choose you if I didn't think so.” I avoided his eyes. Better to let him think that was the reason I wanted him to come. But Heath was smarter than that. He pulled his arm away. “You want to talk to Jonah tonight, don't you?”

“If he's on patrol, yes.” I swallowed hard. “If he knows something about this failsafe, he'll tell me.”

“And if the Malandanti find out what he's doing . . .”

“I know.” I gripped Heath's hand. “But I need to talk to him. And it will be harder with Cal there. This way you can keep Cal occupied and I can . . .”

Heath closed his eyes and inhaled deep. “Fine. Fine.” He jabbed a finger at me. “But I hope your Padawan will someday cause you as much stress as you've caused me.”

My heart pounded loud as I flew away from Jenny's house that night. Heath and Cal streaked across the ground below, their auras shimmering like beacons in the dark. We headed for my farm and led Cal down my driveway and over the hill behind the house.

Will you rebuild it?
Cal asked when we passed the ruins of the burned barn.

I hope so.
I flew over the stone wall that marked the edge of our property, while Cal and Heath leapt over it.
And Nerina's underground hideout too. But not until it's safe to come back here.

Not until we destroy them, right?

It's a lot easier said than done,
Heath said.
The war between the Benandanti and Malandanti has been raging for centuries.

But there's something about now, isn't there?
asked Cal.
Somehow it feels like it's all coming to a head, doesn't it?

I swerved around the tops of tall pine trees, the wind whistling through my feathers. Cal was right. It
did
feel like the war was coming to a head. I wondered if it felt like that just because I was part of it now, if every generation of Benandanti had felt the same as me. Was I just one small part of the longer story, or was I appearing in the final chapters?

We can only hope you're right,
Heath said, interrupting my solitary thoughts,
and that we are the ones who prevail.

Up ahead, the birch trees came into view. I dropped low, darting through and around bare branches until I reached the birches.
This is as far as you go,
I told Cal.

True to his word, Cal didn't protest. He belly-crawled into the thickest part of the copse and hunkered down. Heath picked his way into the brush just beyond the birches.
You go ahead,
he said to me.

I almost didn't want to crest the trees. If Jonah wasn't there . . . I'd gotten my hopes so high that even the idea was crushing. I had to remind myself there was a good chance he wouldn't be there, that he was still trapped inside the Guild. With heavy wings, I rose up and over the back side of the stream, peering into the magical bubble below.

Almost immediately, the Raven's hateful black shape loomed just inside the barrier at the top of the Waterfall. He beat his wings, so fast and so mocking that I wanted to punch through the barrier and slice his throat open with my talons.
I know who you are,
I thought at him, my body humming with anger.
I know what you're doing.

Alessia?

I tumbled backward in the air, the sound of Jonah's voice in my head a shot of sweet pain. Tearing myself away from the Raven, I rounded the barrier and flew down to the pool at the base of the Waterfall. Jonah stood on its banks, his paws sinking deep into the snowy ground there.
I felt you,
he said to me.
I heard what you said to the Raven.

Jonah!
My body shook with relief and gratitude that he was there, that he was alive, that he seemed to be okay. I flew close to the barrier, remembering just in time how much it would hurt if I actually hit it.
Are you all right? What did they do to you?

Wait.
He leapt lightly up the rocks at the side of the Waterfall. The Raven fluttered down to meet him. After a moment, Jonah wheeled around and burst through the barrier.
Go. Fly like I'm chasing you.

I took off like an arrow through the trees, over the brush, and past the birches. Jonah rushed after me. I heard Cal howl as he ran past, but Heath muffled his cry with one of his own. I had no idea what Heath would say to explain this to Cal, but I couldn't worry about that now. I drew Jonah far away from the Waterfall, back over the stone wall, all the way to the shadowy ruins of our barn. There was no moon tonight, and the crumbling structure would hide us from anyone or anything that happened past.

Jonah crouched beside the remnants of the milking pens, the blackness of his form blending into the dark so that only his green eyes showed. I fluttered down to him and pressed my face into his neck.
Are you okay? Where have you been?

They've been keeping me at the Guild in Bangor,
he said.

What did they do to you after they came back and found us gone?

I felt him shudder against me. He shifted so that I could settle between his front paws, almost like an embrace. It wasn't close enough, but it would have to do.
They weren't happy. But I think they believed me, that you guys overpowered me and escaped. I mean, they must have, because they didn't kill me. But they were definitely suspicious.

And they've been keeping you locked up since then?

Yes. It's been a regular reeducation camp.

A sick feeling dropped in my gut.
What do you mean? Have they been . . .

I didn't need to say the word; Jonah felt it in my mind.
No, they haven't been torturing me. Not physically, anyway.

Then . . . what?
I didn't want to know, but I needed to.

They never leave me alone. There's always a Malandanti—or a member of the
Concilio
—with me.
His aura crackled, the anger from his words fueling it with energy.
If there's one thing the Malandanti are experts in, it's mind games.

Oh, Jonah.

His eyes met mine and in their jeweled depths I saw a twinkle, the spark of the Jonah I knew and loved.
Luckily, I am even more skilled at mind games than they are. After all, I learned from the master.

Bree?

Bree,
he confirmed, a note of laughter in his voice.
Is she okay?

She's healing. She's worried about you.
I nestled my head right against his throat, feeling the thrum of his pulse there.
We went to your house today and overheard your dad and Pratt talking. Something about a failsafe.

I've heard them mention it too.
Before I could ask, he answered.
I don't know what it is. No way are they trusting me with that information.