An illusion.
The horses continued to charge, shifting course to chase after their fabricated copies. Taavin’s illusions vanished into thin air as the mounted men and women overtook them. One of the knights let out a cry of frustration as Vi and Taavin plunged into the welcoming embrace of the tree line, and into the dark unknown that was the Twilight Forest.
Chapter Three
The momenther feet hit the mossy, wet earth of the forest, Vi moved faster.
She’d grown up in the jungles of Shaldan, spending her childhood leaping and swinging from branch to branch. The feeling of damp brush and leaves under her feet, the sounds of rain muffled by the leafy canopy—its familiarity was a balm to her panic. She felt more comfortable with trees above and around her than she had in months in the desert and open sea.
There had been a road that led into the forest, but her and Taavin continued to ignore it. Instead, he struck out between the trees. From the corners of her eyes, Vi watched him move. Since entering the forest, her footing had become surer, while his stumbles were happening with greater frequency.
Taavin didn’t even so much as glance her way. His face was etched with a fierce determination that unnerved her. Not just because she’d never seen the expression on his features—but because she was afraid of what would happen when that expression vanished. It was the look of a man who was going to run himself until his body gave out. She took a half step closer to him so she’d be there if he fell.
Vi glanced back, looking to where the riders had been. The rainclouds had blotted out the moon, leaving them very little light to see by. She found herself hoping for the cracks of the ominous red lightning to catch a quick glimpse of the knights or Fallor, but there was no such luck and she didn’t dare summon a fire.
With every winded breath, the ache in her side ran deeper. Vi pressed a hand into the still-healing wound, wondering how recently Taavin had ripped it open. The pain seemed to spread, shooting straight up into her head.
“Taavin—”
“I know.” He slowed his pace, chest heaving with panting breaths. He was faring no better than she. “Looks like I was right…”
“About what?”
“None of them will dare to come into the Twilight Forest,” he wheezed, slumping against a tree. Vi was ready, reaching out to support him. But the moment her hand brushed feather-light against his side, he winced and let out a long hiss.
“Your ribs.” Vi pulled her hands away, looking at the place Fallor had made contact. “Let me see.”
“Let’s get out of the rain first. We may be able to find shelter closer to the cliffs—an overhang, perhaps.”
They pressed onward, albeit at a slower pace. Vi was soon dragging her feet and Taavin was leaning against every other tree to catch his breath.
“We have to stop. We’re not going to make it much longer.” She scanned their surrounds for options.
Ahead, the trees gave way for a small stream. Vi looked up and downstream, searching for any sign of Fallor or the Swords. But there was none. In fact, they seemed to be the only life in the forest, the world still other than the whisper of water. Taavin took a step down onto the slick rocks.
“Be careful.” Vi quickly leapt to his side. Her arm wrapped tightly around his waist, holding him to her and stabilizing him.
“You’re sure-footed.”
“I grew up in a jungle, remember?” Vi helped him across to the giant boulders she assumed he was heading toward.
Just as Taavin had suspected—or hoped—the terrain had become rockier the closer they got to the cliffs that met the sea. The banks of the stream became giant boulders that jutted out from the earth. Downstream, Vi could see more rocks than trees.
They made their way toward one particularly large outcropping, a dark gap betraying a space just wide enough for them to squeeze through.
“In here?” Vi asked.
“It’s the best I’ve seen and we should get out of the rain.”
“Let me go first and make sure there’s enough room.” Vi guided him toward one of the two giant boulders on either side of the opening, stepping away from his side only when she was certain he was stable enough to stand on his own.
Squeezing herself into the opening, Vi tip-toed into the dark before allowing a small flame to kindle above her palm. The passage grew so narrow, she was certain she’d have to give up and turn back. But the flame illuminated a more open space ahead, and somehow she managed to twist the curves of her hips in just the right way to pop through with only a small wince.
Sure enough, it was a small cave, formed by four massive rocks leaning against each other. It would barely be large enough for the two of them—but it was dry and certainly well hidden.
It’d do.
“Come on in,” Vi called back. “I think there’s enough room.”
