Then Gretel opened the door.
The night held an aching sort of quiet, loaded with tension. Apart from the distant sounds of traffic from the city, this streetlay silent, as if a spell had been cast over the place. The car from before wasn’t prowling down the asphalt, but it’d only be a matter of time. And we needed them to see us get into the car—to make sure they followed.
My gut churned. “Are you sure you’re okay with this?” I asked Gretel. I hated the idea of putting her in danger.
She let out a sharp laugh. “I was born a hunter. I was in more dangerous situations than this at the ripe age of five. Now, let’s go.” Well, that explained all the lethality that surrounded Gretel. I’d never encountered a hunter myself, but I knew of them, given they often ran in Human First circles. Families who swore to eradicate monsterkind, to hunt them down and destroy. Clearly, she’d left that life behind.
I cast another glance to the end of the street, but no cars emerged. My heart thudded in double time. We began to walk to the black sedan parked behind Sofia’s car in the driveway. The quiet crawled under my skin, the tension unbearable. Everything looked inky black. How was I supposed to fumble my way unnoticed in all that mess? How was I supposed to find a clear path without tripping over a root or falling on my face?Ursuline glided beside me, emanating a gunpowder calm—steady but on the precipice of action.
“I’ll give the signal to climb in,” Gretel said. “Watch through the windows.”
My palms had turned into a sweaty mess, and my limbs were shaky with adrenaline. Gretel hopped into the driver’s seat, and the car engine thrummed to life. Ursuline cracked the passenger’s side door open at the ready. Where would we go? What if the driver caught sight of us? The questions multiplied with each passing second, threatening to bury me under the load.
The first flash of a headlight sliced through the surrounding night.
Gretel gave a thumbs-up.
Go time.
“Come on,” Ursuline said. “Follow my lead. I won’t let you fall behind.”
I cast a single glance back. The same car that had been circling the past fifteen to thirty minutes started the next round, moving at a crawl. A riotous shiver ran down my spine. The darkness from the tinted windows glared back at me, as if they could see right through our flimsy attempt.
As if they’d keep chasing us no matter what.
Ursuline hopped into the car, and I snapped back into motion.
I launched myself into the car, slamming the door shut behind me.
“Hurry,” Gretel hissed.
Ursuline cracked the opposite door open, and already, they slid out that door, hunched over and out of sight.
I scooted along the back seat, my legs trembling as I tried to ignore the headlights flooding the area from the oncoming car. If we didn’t get out in time, it’d spot us. This escape attempt would be over before it began.
I almost tumbled headfirst out of the car, but I managed to hit the ground. Then I turned around and eased the door closed. Ursuline grabbed my arm and yanked me forward. A bush ahead was the closest thing to hide behind, and we crouched as we slipped over to the scraggly branches.
Gretel didn’t wait. She backed out of the driveway, even with the oncoming car approaching.
I peered from between the branches of the bush, which pricked at my skin. The car slowed, obviously waiting for her to go.
Like I’d expected, Frederick’s men would trail her.
“Come on,” Ursuline murmured, tugging at my arm. “No waiting to watch.”
They slipped around the side of the building to the alley that Sofia had mentioned. Back here smelled like rotting trash from the dumpsters and mildewing leaves, but the alley was narrow, and the close-together houses loomed, keeping us out of sight from the main street. Exactly the cover we needed right now. I tried to listen for the sound of tires, for any hint that Gretel was okay, but all I could hear was the increasedthump, thump, thumpof my heart.
Ursuline prowled ahead of me, moving with a purpose that helped center me. I might not know these streets, but they did, and we weren’t rushing into the abyss with no plan. Instead, we had a place to go and people in our corner. Ursuline might think we’d never stop being chased by Triton, but I had hope.
We just had to make it to the Spires.
The leaves crunched under my feet as I followed Ursuline, who somehow slunk quietly, even with their mess of tentacles. Every time we passed a sliver between houses that gave a glimpse of the main road, a shiver coursed through me, the feeling of being exposed hanging over me like an errant cloud.
I opened my mouth, questions wanting to spill from my lips, but then I shut it again.
The wind whistling through the alley held the crisp coolness of night and carried the scents of the city with it—metal and asphalt, along with an undefinable sweetness I’d never been able to place. I drank it down for courage, choked on it as I strode into the unknown.
For as long as I’d daydreamed of running off on my own, the reality was terrifying.
