Amid all the humans prowling around their camp with their narrowed eyes, tensed stances, and badges flashing on their chests, it’s not hard to spot the one person who doesn’t belong. A young woman is sitting cross-legged not far from the fire, the light glinting off her chestnut hair with its streaks of purple and pink.
I’d smile at Gracie’s interest in vibrant hair coloring if the rest of her situation didn’t wrench at my gut. The hunters have tied her wrists together behind her back in a position that looks very uncomfortable. Dirt smudges one of her cheeks as if it was pressed against the ground not long ago.
Two hunters stand over her like prison guards, their expressions extra somber. You’d think they’d caught her attempting to stage a mass murder rather than wanting to talk to little old me.
Anger prickles through my essence. I gather myself and will my emotions to settle down.
We’re not going to rescue Gracie by charging in like a bunch of cowboys. This needs to be a spy film, not a western.
I have the sense of Raze cocking his head where his presence is crouched next to me. “It doesn’t look as if her legs are bound. If they stopped watching her, she could probably get up and simply walk away.”
Fen wrings her hands. “But they’d see her. There are so many hunters around. Where would she go?”
“We’ve got to get her back to our home base,” I say. “And be fast about it. She can’t jump into the shadows with us. Maybe if we brought around a car…?”
Hail snorts. “They’d notice anyone driving over this way and start keeping an eye on them. Especially if the driver’s skills are anything like Raze’s.”
The basilisk shifter lets out a huff but can’t exactly argue.
A glimmer of inspiration lights in my head. Maybe we should think like cowboys as well as spies.
I glance toward Gloss’s friend—Sorrel, I think her name is. “Humans have other ways of getting around quickly. Would you be willing to let her ride on you, as a centaur?”
Sorrel shifts uneasily. “I’ve never had anyone on my back like that before. But…” She pauses. “The human doesn’t look very big or heavy. I’m sure I’m strong enough. I’d be the getaway car!”
Her voice brightens with those last words.
I grin. “Exactly. They’ll never see it coming.”
“All right. I’m on board.”
We just have to make sure that Gracie is. She won’t be expecting rescue via centaur.
I study the mini-camp again. “Okay… So we divert some of their attention. Jonah can come and ask to speak with them, make a fuss so more of them go over. But that probably won’t be enough.”
Mirage’s presence squirms in the shadow. “I’d use my illusions, but they won’t be able to see those anyway.”
Another lightbulb goes off. If this keeps up, my head will be blazing.
“They can’t, but Gracie can,” I say with a quiver of excitement. “You can let her know we’re here and guide her to where we’ll scoop her up without them having any clue!”
Hail chuckles. “I like the way you think, Cream Puff. I could conjure up something as an extra distraction—a sudden, condensed flurry, or icicles shooting up here and there.”
“Hmm. I’m not sure that would have the right effect. They know we have someone with wintery powers, so they’ll go more on guard trying to figure out where you are.”
A softwoofemanates from the darkness near my feet. I have the impression of a furry serpentine body pressing against my ankle.
I tickle the top of where I think Falkor’s head approximately is. “Hey, boy. I don’t think there’s anything for you to do here.”
The snake-puppy woofs again and squirms a little toward the edge of the shadows—toward the camp. Then I feel his attention turn back to me with an eager panting.
My stomach clenches. “You want to run in there? I guess that would be another distraction… But what if they catchyou? They could really hurt you.”
Falkor wriggles from side to side without any trace of concern. He seems to think it’s all a big game.
I try again. “They have powerful weapons. They could stick you in a cage. It’s not fun.”
All at once, my self-declared pet wraps his presence around mine as if he’s squeezing me in a hug. The vibe he gives off is all brave supportiveness.
