Gateway to Fourline (The Fourline Trilogy Book 1) (25 page)

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

Nat pulled on the reins. The mare stepped out of the thin line of trees. The crooked tree came into view. It felt like ages, not weeks, had passed since her first trip to Fourline, when she’d shoved a crumpled bit of paper into the eye of that tree.

She decided to return using the original path through the forest instead of along the cliff. If the mare behaved, they would reach the membrane quickly. The cliff was safer, but they were running out of time. The blast of pain she felt in her shoulder when she lifted her arm would slow her down. She eyed the tree a moment longer before rummaging in her satchel.

“Why have we stopped? Did you see something?” Soris nervously scanned the tree line beyond the meadow. Aside from a few assenting grunts, these were the first words he’d spoken to her since they’d left Benedict’s.

“We can leave a message for Benedict in that tree.” She pointed to the crooked tree, torn parchment in hand. The horse backed up quickly, knocking Nat into her neck. “Can you put the blinders on her while I write this?” She slid off the saddle and absentmindedly handed Soris the blinders. “Greffen said she was easily distracted after a few hours of travel. He suggested we put these on her if she started getting antsy,” Nat lied in response to the skeptical look on his face.

“Distracted? More like knowing when Nala are around.” He grabbed the blinders and dismounted. “You are a pretty pathetic liar, Sister.”

You’ll find out what a good liar I am soon enough,
Nat thought. She turned her attention to the parchment and scribbled a brief note to Benedict:
8 days since we saw you. My brother is better but moving on with me. If you find a mare, ask around for owner.
She paused.
Expect to see your friends soon.
The message was cryptic, but he’d understand. She folded the parchment into a compact rectangle and returned to the mare. The horse shook her head, displeased with her new limited line of sight. Soris looked off into the woods as she mounted the horse. She leaned over the mare’s neck and whispered gentle, encouraging words.

“False promises?” Soris asked as they made their way through the meadow to the crooked tree.

“You’re starting to remind me of Andris,” Nat said. Maybe the venom was transforming his disposition along with his body. She kicked the mare, forcing Soris to grab her around the waist to avoid falling off. She brought the horse around the side of the crooked tree. She remembered how the soldiers had appeared near the spot they’d just left. Anyone would see the horse, but maybe not as easily if the mare wasn’t right in front of the tree. The saplings and their nasty needles greeted her.
This should be easier with a horse,
she thought as she eyed the tree.

“Get off and hold her still. This will just take a second if you can keep the horse from moving around too much.” She handed Soris the reins when he landed on the ground. She pulled her feet out of the stirrups and balanced on the saddle. She wobbled to the left. “Steady.”

“Easier said,” Soris replied.

As Nat reached for a low-hanging branch, the mare backed away. Pain ripped down her arm. She clung to the branch with one hand. The other brushed the tops of the saplings. She clasped her legs around the branch and grunted, painfully pulling herself around right above the eye in the tree. She shoved the paper in. Now she just needed to get down. “If you don’t keep that horse still, I’m going to end up landing on you.” She balanced herself by wrapping her good arm around the tree. She stepped carefully onto a branch.

“I’m not trying to make her move.” Soris clasped the reins tighter. The mare’s head jerked up as she backed away from the tree. “She’s not interested in staying put.” He glanced at Nat as he struggled with the horse. Their eyes met. Nat, wide-eyed, mouthed the word “Nala” and jumped. Soris ripped the crossbow from his satchel just as the Nala descended from the neighboring tree, one pointed arm wrapped around the tree trunk, the other pointed toward Soris. It made a sound like air escaping a tire before it sprang toward him. The mare reared, kicking her legs like a windmill, and took off running.

Nat struggled to her feet. Her right arm hung limp and useless by her side. With a twisted movement, she unsheathed the dagger with her left hand and lunged toward the Nala. The blade made a thin slice on its leg. She landed with a thud between it and Soris. Blue spittle dripped onto her cheek. The smooth blue head and gaping mouth hovered over her. She tried to close her eyes, to shut out what she knew would be the last thing she’d ever see, but she couldn’t. Drips of venom hit her nose and ran down her cheek. The Nala jerked suddenly to the side. Its sleek body arched, altering its path away from Nat. The long grass bent as it crumpled to the ground next to her. Fletching protruded from its back and the tip of an arrow stuck out of its chest.

Nat frantically looked around for Soris. He looked confused and pointed his still-loaded crossbow toward the forest. A treetop twitched. “Don’t shoot!” Nat screamed. She hit Soris’ arm, sending the arrow high and right of the figure running toward them. Annin spun and brought her fist down on Soris’ forearm. The crossbow clattered to the ground. She helped Nat to her feet.

Soris stood to the side, clutching his arm. “What was that?” he barked.

“No time for an explanation of defensive techniques,” Annin spat. She brought a blade down on the Nala, separating its head from its body. Nat stared as its head rolled away. Annin pulled her toward the forest. “Thanks for getting my friend this far. Get after your horse and as far from here as you can,” Annin called out to Soris.

“No, Annin.” Painfully, Nat pulled free of her strong grasp. “He’s coming with us.”

Annin halted. “No, he isn’t, and we don’t have time to argue about this. There are at least two more Nala approaching from the south.” She tilted her head in the direction they’d come. Her wild hair made her look slightly deranged.

Nat ran back, grabbed Soris’ hand, and hauled him past Annin, toward the path. “He’s been bitten, and he’s coming with us!” she shouted and broke into a run. “Keep up as best you can, Soris, and listen to me, okay?”

Soris nodded, slightly dumbfounded, and picked up his pace to match Nat’s. “Who is that?”

“A friend,” Nat responded. “Duck!” A low limb stuck out as they rounded a rotted stump.

Annin passed Soris, skipped over two fallen logs, and squeezed in next to Nat. “When was he bitten?”

“Yesterday, midmorning. Ethet can help him,” Nat said defiantly. The two jumped over an exposed root and Soris followed suit.

“Not everyone is going to be happy about this,” Annin said as she took the lead.

“I could care less.” Her stomach roiled at the pain in her shoulder.

They ran in silence. Both Annin and Nat looked back every few moments to ensure Soris was keeping pace. When the red boulder came into view, Annin fell back behind him.

“He’s coming with us,” Nat insisted again when they reached the membrane.

Annin scanned the rocks above and the forest around them, then addressed both of them. “It’s a little different for us to get through than it is for you.” She grabbed Soris and positioned him in front of the opening. She glanced back toward the path. “Not much time,” she said. “Send the orb to Barba once you pass over. As soon as you see any part of him coming through, grab on and pull. Got it?”

“Why don’t you go first?” Nat asked, suspicious it was just a ruse to keep Soris in the forest.

“Would you just get in there! I’m not going to leave him—he needs my help to get through,” Annin said.

Nat turned to Soris. “See you in a second.” She ducked her head and leapt through the membrane. The tunnel hummed. The orb left her fingers even before she whispered the order. It flashed down the tunnel in a blaze of light. Nat squared herself in front of the membrane, watching the weird shadows play over its surface. A bulge appeared, then another, until a human shape stretched against the layer. A single hand broke free, and Nat grasped his fingers and dug in her heels, pulling. Soris popped through the membrane and landed on the rocky ground. The membrane contorted again, pushing the bulges back as quickly as they pushed forward. Finally a foot appeared. She clutched the ankle with her left hand and pulled as hard as she could. She felt as if she were pulling a long rope out of thick, wet sand. Annin emerged, panting, and joined Soris on the ground.

“Help me get him up.” Nat clasped Soris under his arm. “He needs Ethet now!” Annin pulled herself up and grasped his other arm. They stumbled down the tunnel.

Heavy footfalls approached. Oberfisk came crashing around the corner. He swept Nat into a crushing embrace. “Did you manage it?” he asked. Nat cringed in pain and heaved the contents of her stomach over the front of his “Fish Minnesota” T-shirt. He dropped her like a bomb.

“Annin, get him to Ethet.” Nat croaked, wiping the vomit from her lips.

Oberfisk looked around, confused, and noticed Soris for the first time. “What’s all this?” he demanded. “Wait, is that you, Soris? Can’t be.” He whirled on Nat. “What are you doing bringing him here?”

Nat stumbled past him and caught up with Annin as she continued down the tunnel with Soris. Riler was blocking the entrance of the tunnel but stepped aside quickly as the three of them tumbled into the infirmary. The room was painfully bright and empty. Annin dropped Soris on the table and hurried to the wall of vials.

“Where’s Ethet?” Nat yelled.

Ethet burst into the room with Barba and Estos. She took one look at Soris and joined Annin at the marble table. “When was he bitten?” she demanded.

“Yesterday, midmorning,” Annin and Nat said in unison.

“The bite’s on the shoulder, we treated it with dennox and a medicinal wrap, but the venom was down his abdomen early today. I haven’t seen the wound since.” The words tumbled out of Nat as she watched helplessly. Barba cut away the clothing and bandage, stripping Soris’ torso bare. A bluish color stretched from his right shoulder down his arm and across his chest.

Nat felt her skin prickle. She turned. Andris stood in the doorway. His eyes were black and his jaw was clenched. He pushed past Nat and grabbed his brother’s hand. He closed his eyes.
“No!”
Andris screamed as he lifted his head. He turned to Nat. “Get her out of here! Now! Get her out before I—”

Nat felt all eyes on her. Soris rolled his head to the side, a look of confusion on his face. Estos touched her lightly on the shoulder and pulled her toward the door. “It’s not my fault, Andris,” she said. Her words sounded hollow. “It ambushed us . . .” She stopped. Andris’ eyes were full of hatred. “You can fix him, can’t you, Ethet?” she pleaded.

“Get her away from here, Estos,” Andris said through clenched teeth. He had a murderous look in his eye.

Estos wrapped his arm around Nat’s waist and lifted her. “You have to help him!” Nat cried out. He carried her away, Andris’ glare burning into her. Estos kicked the door shut behind them.

The hallway on the other side of the massive door was quiet. She felt numb as he led her through the kitchen to the base of the stairs. He stopped and looked at her torn cloak and cheeks smeared with dirt. “You’ve looked better. Head upstairs, get some rest.” He sighed. “I’ll send Barba to talk to you in a little while.” He turned and Nat reached out, grabbing his shirtsleeve.

“Estos, is he going to be okay?”

“I don’t know,” he said. “The venom is deep.”

“But Annin was bitten, too, and she’s fine. Ethet can help him like she helped Annin, right?”

“It’s not that simple, Natalie. Annin’s guardian got her to Ethet a few hours after Annin was bitten.” He looked at her sadly. “His venom lines are running deep. The deeper the venom, the more difficult it is to stop the poison or the turning.”

“What does that mean, you’ll just send him back?”

“If Annin can erase his memory of this place. We can’t risk his revealing where we are.”

“So he could stay here, then,” she said, frantically trying to come up with a solution. “You can teach him how to live here.”

“Natalie, if he turns more Nala than human, he won’t survive here. He can’t survive here. Even Annin’s struggled with Ethet’s potions to aid her in this world. I’m sorry, but from what I saw, he’ll have to go back.” His voice was quiet and cold.

She stood mute. “I was just trying to help him,” she said finally, tears slowly welling in her eyes.

“I know,” he said, glancing down the hallway. “I need to return to the infirmary.” He looked at his sleeve. Nat was still pinching the fabric. She let go. “Get some rest. I’ll send Barba to talk to you in a few hours to find out what went wrong.” He turned his back to her.

Nat stood dumb for a moment, then said quietly, “We did it.”

“Hm?” Estos paused by the door.

“Soris and I did it. We destroyed the map and the Chemist’s tracker. Gennes is waiting for you at his camp in the northern canyon. You can go home now.”
What a dismal triumph,
she thought.

“You really did?” Estos asked, his voice filled with surprise.

“We did,” Nat responded and trudged up the stairs. She heard the thick wooden door slam shut as Estos ran down the hallway.

CHAPTER FORTY

The tunic, cloak, and dagger lay in an untidy heap in the corner of the bedroom. She’d done her best to clean up and remove the weeks of grime and filth from her body. Her pants and shirt stung her freshly scrubbed skin when she pulled them on. She’d examined the burning slice in her shoulder while cleaning up. It needed stitches and a round of antibiotics.

Nat tucked her phone into her backpack and shut the door to the bedroom with her left hand. The taxi would meet her a few blocks away from the costume shop near a steep embankment by the road. She wasn’t sure how she’d explain her injury to the campus health clinic. She’d make something up, just like she’d been making everything up the last few weeks.

The hallway was still. She pulled her coat gingerly over her shoulders, leaving the right armhole empty. Silence met her at the base of the stairs. She imagined the hive of activity beyond the door and down the next hallway, the preparations they must be making to return to Fourline and find Gennes. After what Estos had said, she knew they’d take Soris back, too. She closed her eyes. There was nothing else she could do, and everything she’d done for him had turned out wrong. She hesitated at the carved door. The kitchen was deserted. She silently padded along the carpet toward Ethet’s lab and the tunnel entrance.

Ethet placed a wet strip of linen across Soris’ torso. She put her finger to her lips and beckoned to Nat. She was the only person in the room with him. He lay with his eyes closed, looking peaceful.

“How is he?” she whispered. She pulled a stool next to him and brushed his hand with hers.

“I don’t know yet. The poison is deep. I had to sedate him. It helps slow the progression.” Ethet’s lips were set in a straight line. “If it’s safe, I’ll take him through in a few days. I know a Sister who may be of more help to him than I can be . . . if I find her.”

Nat rubbed her forehead, feeling helpless. “When he wakes up, will you tell him . . . tell him I’m sorry.” She traced her finger over his broad cheekbone. He was going back to Fourline a duozi, and there was nothing she could do about it. She swallowed.

“You did the right thing bringing him here, Natalie.” Ethet laid a hand on her shoulder.

Nat winced and coughed to cover up the pain she felt running down her arm. She slid off the stool. “Thanks,” she said stiffly and walked out the door, leaving them behind.

Excited voices spilled out from behind a door opposite Ethet’s lab. She heard Estos and Oberfisk and the clank of metal. She ran down the hall, away from the sounds. The doorknob leading to the costume shop felt cold under her fingers. It turned easily and she walked past row upon row of costumes. Flipping the lock, she opened the front door. The bell jingled. She looked back hesitantly as she stepped into the twilight. No one would come to see who was here. They were all heading home.