repeated grimly. “Over land and through portals…”
His eyes drifted up in thought, but his pace didn’t slacken. His legs propelled forward, running so fast that the rest of them could barely keep up. And yet it didn’t even strain Jason. He could go at least twice as fast without breaking a sweat. It just wasn’t fair.
“Maybe, just maybe, we can evade them,” he said.
“How?”
“Just tell the others to follow me. And quickly,” he instructed before he shot off through the trees.
Cameron slowed his pace until Isis and Everett came in line with him.
“Where’s he running off to?” Everett said.
“He said to follow him. And to hurry.”
“Spectacular,” Everett growled, gritting his teeth as he picked up speed.
Isis slipped between them, dashing off toward Jason. The shuffle of boots through fallen leaves sounded behind them. There was no point in looking back. Cameron knew what he would see there: the stony faces of the assassin crew. The wind whistled in his ears as he wove through the trees. Leaves shuddered and branches whipped against his arms. He watched Jason and Isis leap down, falling out of sight. He slowed slightly, bracing himself for the drop. He fell two meters, not nearly as far as he’d anticipated, then shuffled his feet to an abrupt stop. Jason stood in the center of the small clearing, turning and scanning with his eyes. Isis was watching him. Cameron joined her, and Everett jogged up behind them.
“Jason, what are you doing?” Cameron asked him.
Jason continued his turn-and-scan pattern. “Looking for the portal.”
Cameron looked at Isis. “I thought you said the portal is near the coast?”
“It is.” She watched Jason closely. “But I don’t think he means that portal.”
“I don’t see any portal,” said Cameron.
“Neither do I,” she replied.
“You wouldn’t see it,” Jason told them. “It’s not like other portals. It’s more like a ghost of a portal, one Terra and I found years ago during one of our explorations. It seems to fade with each use. I’m not sure it’s even still here.”
“It had better be, unless you want to take on twelve assassins,” commented Everett.
Cameron could hear the synchronized strikes of boots on the path overhead. The Crescent Order was nearly upon them.
“There,” Jason announced, pointing to a slender red-orange maple tree.
Cameron couldn’t see a portal, but there was something odd about that spot. The tree didn’t appear entirely solid.
“You won’t be able to go through without me, so we’ll all hold hands,” he instructed, extending his left hand to Isis.
She paused briefly before setting her gloved hand in his. Cameron took his right hand.
“Our assassin friends are here,” Everett said, grasping Cameron’s other hand.
Whispering voices drifted down from the hilltop.
“They’re too late,” Isis replied.
“It’s just as well. I don’t much fancy killing before breakfast,” declared Jason.
He said it so matter-of-factly that it didn’t even cross Cameron’s mind that he could be joking. So he was surprised when Isis burst into laughter. It was the first genuine smile he’d seen on her lips since she’d escaped the Selpes. Cameron was so happy to see it that he didn’t dwell on Jason’s dark joke. If it even was a joke. Jason wasn’t known for his sense of humor.
They stepped through the portal Cameron could not see. A portal shift was instantaneous—one moment you were in one place and the next moment you were suddenly elsewhere. This was not a typical portal. The trees dissolved slowly, fading to white. The scent of saltwater stung Cameron’s nose, followed by the unstable feeling of pebbles shifting beneath his feet. Swirls of sand and water solidified before his eyes, becoming a beach. Green blotches became kelp washed up on the shore, and brown lines turned to driftwood.
“The Wasteland,” said Jason. “The next portal in the loop is just down the
His eyes drifted up in thought, but his pace didn’t slacken. His legs propelled forward, running so fast that the rest of them could barely keep up. And yet it didn’t even strain Jason. He could go at least twice as fast without breaking a sweat. It just wasn’t fair.
“Maybe, just maybe, we can evade them,” he said.
“How?”
“Just tell the others to follow me. And quickly,” he instructed before he shot off through the trees.
Cameron slowed his pace until Isis and Everett came in line with him.
“Where’s he running off to?” Everett said.
“He said to follow him. And to hurry.”
“Spectacular,” Everett growled, gritting his teeth as he picked up speed.
Isis slipped between them, dashing off toward Jason. The shuffle of boots through fallen leaves sounded behind them. There was no point in looking back. Cameron knew what he would see there: the stony faces of the assassin crew. The wind whistled in his ears as he wove through the trees. Leaves shuddered and branches whipped against his arms. He watched Jason and Isis leap down, falling out of sight. He slowed slightly, bracing himself for the drop. He fell two meters, not nearly as far as he’d anticipated, then shuffled his feet to an abrupt stop. Jason stood in the center of the small clearing, turning and scanning with his eyes. Isis was watching him. Cameron joined her, and Everett jogged up behind them.
“Jason, what are you doing?” Cameron asked him.
Jason continued his turn-and-scan pattern. “Looking for the portal.”
Cameron looked at Isis. “I thought you said the portal is near the coast?”
“It is.” She watched Jason closely. “But I don’t think he means that portal.”
“I don’t see any portal,” said Cameron.
“Neither do I,” she replied.
“You wouldn’t see it,” Jason told them. “It’s not like other portals. It’s more like a ghost of a portal, one Terra and I found years ago during one of our explorations. It seems to fade with each use. I’m not sure it’s even still here.”
“It had better be, unless you want to take on twelve assassins,” commented Everett.
Cameron could hear the synchronized strikes of boots on the path overhead. The Crescent Order was nearly upon them.
“There,” Jason announced, pointing to a slender red-orange maple tree.
Cameron couldn’t see a portal, but there was something odd about that spot. The tree didn’t appear entirely solid.
“You won’t be able to go through without me, so we’ll all hold hands,” he instructed, extending his left hand to Isis.
She paused briefly before setting her gloved hand in his. Cameron took his right hand.
“Our assassin friends are here,” Everett said, grasping Cameron’s other hand.
Whispering voices drifted down from the hilltop.
“They’re too late,” Isis replied.
“It’s just as well. I don’t much fancy killing before breakfast,” declared Jason.
He said it so matter-of-factly that it didn’t even cross Cameron’s mind that he could be joking. So he was surprised when Isis burst into laughter. It was the first genuine smile he’d seen on her lips since she’d escaped the Selpes. Cameron was so happy to see it that he didn’t dwell on Jason’s dark joke. If it even was a joke. Jason wasn’t known for his sense of humor.
They stepped through the portal Cameron could not see. A portal shift was instantaneous—one moment you were in one place and the next moment you were suddenly elsewhere. This was not a typical portal. The trees dissolved slowly, fading to white. The scent of saltwater stung Cameron’s nose, followed by the unstable feeling of pebbles shifting beneath his feet. Swirls of sand and water solidified before his eyes, becoming a beach. Green blotches became kelp washed up on the shore, and brown lines turned to driftwood.
“The Wasteland,” said Jason. “The next portal in the loop is just down the
Similar Books
