But Stran kissed her and swore up and down he’d return unscathed, on top of whatever he’d promised her in the privacy of their kitchen, while the others politely pretended they weren’t watching. Tearfully, Amurra turned to Kreya. “Promise me you’ll bring my husband back to me, alive and unharmed,” she pleaded.
Kreya replied, “Why in the world do you think I could make that kind of promise?”
That did not help.
Eventually, though, they were under way.
Marso, wrapped in blankets, was tucked into the wagon with Jentt. Stran took up his position at the back, facing behind them. He’d ensure they weren’t chased, or if they were, that they were aware of the fact. Kreya sat with Zera beside her on the front bench. She’d steer while Zera assisted—or, more accurately, provided running commentary:
“You should slow on the corners.
“Gotta watch out for the branches.
“You ran through moose crap. Do you have any idea how hard that stuff is to wash off? We are going to be smelling it for days.”
Finally, Kreya said: “How about you warn mebeforeI’m about to hit anything instead of after it’s too late, hmm?”
Zera sat up straighter. “You were listening to me? Okay. Great. Rock.”
A half second later, Kreya hit a rock, and the wagon jostled up into the air a foot and then crashed back down, rattling as it careened onward.
“Thanks,” Kreya said through gritted teeth.
She didn’t touch the brakes, though, despite how many branches whacked the wagon and how many rocks bounced it. Speed was key as they zipped past farms, villages, and pastures. It was fine if people remembered an out-of-control wagon. It wouldn’t be fine if they were stopped or even recognized. The fewer questions they had to answer later, the better.
If we’re wrong about Eklor,Kreya thought,it’s best if no one guesses where we went.
Going into the mist to certain doom would confuse most onlookers anyway.
Fortunately, keeping up their speed was easy—she just aimed the wagon straight down the mountain. She didn’t even have to activate the speed bone. Gravity and momentum were all the magic they needed.
As they sailed over a larger rock, Zera flung her arms in the air and whooped. “This is amazing! We’re doing this! And we’re going to be awesome! We’re not less than what we were; we’re more! Eklor, we’re coming for you!”
Kreya grinned. She kept her eyes on the path as it twisted between the trees. If she had read the map correctly, they had a few hundred yards before—
The path ended in a pleasant clearing, with clusters of wildflowers. Birds startled as they rattled into it. Kreya didn’t slow. She’d seen the elevation markings and knew the contour of this part of the mountain. This should be the perfect place to descend.
“Wait, Kreya? Road? We lost the road,” Stran called from the back of the wagon.
“No more road,” Kreya said. She braced herself. “Hold on, everyone!”
She hit the opposite side of the clearing, where a flat boulderjutted out from the mountain slope, and she drove the wagon off it. Its wheels flew over empty air for a moment, and then they crashed down on a steeper slope.
Every bone in her body rattled, and she clung to the steering stick as they careened down the mountainside toward the mist below.
With luck, any onlookers would remember a tragedy: an out-of-control wagon that disappeared into the mist. They’d murmur about how it was such a shame, and then they’d dismiss it as an accident—certainly, they wouldn’t expect anyone to intentionally driveintothe mist.
“Stay alert, everyone,” she called. With the kind of racket they were making, they were bound to draw attention. Without thinking about whether he could or not, she asked, “Marso, any predictions?”
“Death and doom,” he replied. “I don’t need bones for that.”
“Helpful,” she said through gritted teeth. “Stran, report.” She glanced back at him.
“Movement to the east. Ten-foot predator. Make that multiple predators.” He drew his knife but kept his seat. “Croco-raptors.”
“They hunt in packs,” Kreya said, focusing on driving again. “Expect the visible ones to be a distraction. Attack will come from either west or behind us.”
“Or front,” Zera added. “Could be front. For fun.”
