The clenching sensation in my stomach rises to grip my throat. I think he’s saying that he wants to pitch in just like the rest of us are.
I wouldn’t have thought the strange shadowkind creature paid enough attention to the missions we’ve been on to realize we’ve even had missions. Apparently I underestimated him.
Like so many people do me, because of my perky and soft exterior.
I give Falkor another pat, stuffing down my worries. “Okay. If you want to be a part of the team, you can lend a hand. Or paw. Whatever.” I turn my focus to my other companions around us. “Let’s do this!”
Fifteen minutes later,Jonah is marching up to the hunter’s camp in a bright red cape. It billows in the wind as if he’s a superhero.
When the imp produced the garment, our sorcerer raised his eyebrows and asked, “Are you sure?” But I pointed out that it’ll definitely catch the hunters’ attention.
“They’ll also assume I’m totally nuts,” he muttered, and then laughed. “Which might work in our favor. Nuts and harmless.”
Mirage grinned. “A little entertainment!”
It looks as if the hunters are more confused than entertained at the moment. Several of them walk over to meet Jonah at the edge of their camp, furrowed foreheads and puzzled frowns all around.
Unfortunately, the two watching over Gracie stay put.
Jonah sells the role awfully well, swishing his cape behind him and striking a gallant pose. “Who’s in charge here? I have a lot to discuss with your leader.”
Sputtered guffaws pass between the hunters. A couple more amble over to see what’s going on.
Raze has come up with a way to add his power to the mix. He glares at the base of a tree at the far side of the camp—and the roots must shrivel up and die. The cedar topples over, smacking into the roof of a nearby truck.
As a bunch of the hunters whirl toward the sound, Jonah waves his hand in the air. “And look at that! You can’t even take care of your own vehicles.”
Before any of the hunters can recover from their growing bewilderment, Falkor recognizes his cue. He dashes out of the shadows straight toward the two hunters poised around Gracie.
With a burbled arf, he twines between their legs, nearly tripping both of them. Yelping and cursing, the hunters snatch at the whips on their belts. The snake-puppy slither-bounds away, and they take off after him.
Which leaves no one near Gracie.
Mirage wiggles his fingers, and a neon sign blinks in the air in front of her.FOLLOW PATH TO PERI.
A strip of the hard-packed ground lights up like a red carpet straight toward our tree.
Gracie gapes for a second, but thankfully she’s been around supernatural beings enough not to be too thrown for a loop. She scrambles to her feet, swaying for balance, and dashes along the glowing path Mirage has conjured for her.
She makes it nearly to the edge of the camp before someone shouts, “The girl!”
Too late. Sorrel has already materialized in her centaur form. She bends her horsey legs while Hail slices a blade of ice through the bindings on Gracie’s wrists. Gracie throws herself onto Sorrel’s back, wrapping her arms around the centaur’s human-like waist, and Sorrel gallops off toward the main camp.
“What the—” someone yells behind us.
I don’t stick around to find out how they’re going to react. We all dive into the shadows and dart away after Sorrel. Even Falkor manages to catch up with us, panting hard but exuding triumph.
The last thing I hear is Jonah saying, “You know, you’re obviously way too disorganized to have a conversation about this right now. I’ll return when you’re ready.”
Then we’ve left the hunters behind.
21
Hail
After yesterday’s epic rescue effort, I expected to see Peri beaming even more than usual. But when I find my mate drifting through the shadows under Rollick’s trailer just after dawn, her mood is unusually deflated.
A jitter of the concern I’m not totally used to feeling ripples through my nerves. I sidle closer to her. “What’s wrong?”
