And I’d come so close to the horde. I’d spoken with a Dakkari male.
And I could push my barrier as far as my strength would allow, I thought, pressing my lips at the knowledge, not entirely certain what to think about that. The barrier didn’tabolishthe fog. It simply pushed it out of the way, creating clear pathways at my beckoning.
Still…that was powerful in itself. I thought back to the conversation I’d had with Tess a few days prior. About her suggestion that we leave the Dead Mountain. Together. Now, I knew I could lead her through the densest areas of it, where even Benn could not follow. I could keep her safe. Protected. Would that give us a chance to escape?
But then where would we go?came the sobering question.
Tess wanted to find the others. The small group that Jacob had led back north, back home. A part of me still resented him for leaving us behind, Tess and me. But Benn had nearly killed him and time had been running out.
“There you are,” came her voice, bright with relief and something that was tinged with excitement.
Tess emerged from the Dead Mountain. The fog was lightest here, however, pushed in and out of the Dead Mountain’s entrance, which acted like a wind tunnel. Like the mountain was…breathing. Inhaling and exhaling. A chill pricked the back of my neck at the thought.
Tess crouched in front of me.
“I couldn’t find you anywhere. I was worried,” she told me. She touched my forehead and her brows drew together in concern. “What’s wrong? Are you sick?”
“No,” I whispered, not trusting my voice. “No, I…I’m just tired.”
I didn’t stumble over the words once and Tess blinked.
There was still a spark in her gaze, however, and I swallowed, finally feeling like I had caught my breath.
“What is it?” I asked.
Tess smiled wide. She took my hand and helped me stand.
“The hunters returned,” she murmured. “Just now, through the north tunnel.”
My heartbeat quickened. “And? Did they—”
“The women brought down a hugebeast, Mina,” Tess said, her eyes glistening with her excitement as she led me back inside the mountain. “They managed to bring back most of the meat and hide!Satchelsof it.”
That would feed us for…weeks. And it would feed uswell.
“Truly?” I whispered.
“Don’t you know what this means?” Tess asked, taking my hands, rounding on me with wide eyes. “The witches were right.”
I stilled, something in my belly souring at her words.
“You heard her, didn’t you?” Tess asked. “You were right there! She said if we fed her, she would have Kakkari bless us with a bounty so we do not doubt her powers again.”
“Tess…” I started, swallowing. “That...that was—”
“She was right. She gave us a bounty, Mina,” Tess said, laughing, bubbly in her exuberance. “It’sunbelievable, isn’t it? But it’s true. She has powers. Now we’ve all seen it. We shouldn’t have doubted him. And now, I won’t doubt the witches either.”
I focused on breathing through my nostrils because the world swayed again.
“Benn?” I asked, managing to spit out his name before I could even think about stumbling over the word. “How can you say that? How can you say that he’s right? You know who he is. You know what he’sdone.”
If Tess was surprised I spoke the words clearly, she didn’t show it. Or perhaps she hadn’t even realized it.
“He wants what’s best for us,” Tess told me, her voice tightening. “I know how he is. But I feel like things are starting to change for us. Our lives are starting again. Don’t you feel it too?”
How could she defend him after everything? After what he did to Jacob? ToSong? After his abuse yesterday, when my face was still tender and bruised? Just a week ago, she’d wanted to run from him.
And now everything was changing because offood? Because of the brittle words of a witch? If the witch was so powerful, why didn’t she ask Kakkari for herownbounty, as starving and desperate asshewas?
