fed her a piece of cookie from her stash.
“Take care, little Tratta. Remember me.”
“Meow. Hola ,” Tratta replied, prancing away with her treat. Piper laughed as she watched her go.
Eric walked the children back to the talking gate and waved goodbye as the doors began to close.
Gabriel shook Eric’s extended hand. “Thank you for everything, Eric.”
“You’re welcome. Now, take care of yourselves, children, and don’t go out at night,” Eric warned. “Remember—they come out at dark.”
Chapter Thirteen
When they left Ericville, dark clouds hung over Valta, looking like they’d been saving up rain for a hundred years, waiting to burst free.
“Oh, ain’t that just freaking awesome. Another storm,” Piper moaned.
“Ugh, this totally sucks, Gabriel replied, “but we have to keep moving.”
They walked back through the tall mountains, until they reached a clearing. There, they turned left, in the direction of the Tandem Wood. “This way to Malgor’s castle,” muttered Gabriel, eyeing the map. “We’ll get there tomorrow. First, we’ve gotta stop somewhere else for the night, though.”
Cedric quirked a brow. “Why are we going there ?”
“We just have to see about something, that’s all,” Gabriel answered, reluctant to give Cedric more information.
Cedric smirked.
“What’s with the smirk, Morley? Something you wanna tell us?”
“No, butthead, I just wanna get home. You guys are the ones keeping secrets. You still haven’t told me why Brent’s hands get all crispy.”
“Don’t hold your breath, Morley. I guess we’ve all got secrets, then,” Brent said.
After a couple of hours, they arrived at a beach. Whitecaps crashed against the shore and rocks, spraying angry waves high into the air. Along the shore, a steep, narrow path zigzagged up the side of a cliff.
They edged up the path, which was no more than two feet wide. Piper looked over her shoulder toward Gabriel. “How much farther?” she asked, pulling her lip between her teeth. Gabriel knew Piper well enough to know that chewing her lip meant she was really worried. But before Gabriel could answer, Piper stumbled over a few loose rocks.
Gabriel lunged forward and caught her elbow. “Careful, Piper.”
She nodded once and blew out a breath. “Thanks.” Piper pressed her hand against the cliff face and continued walking. They climbed higher and higher, leaving the beach far below. As they neared the top, Gabriel’s foot slipped, his ankle twisting in a deep crack, and he stumbled over the edge. He yelled, barely managing to grab onto the rock face. He hung by his fingers, dangling over the sea far below.
Brent and Piper, who had walked ahead, hadn’t noticed him fall or heard his shouting. He watched them continue around a corner, out of sight. Only Cedric stood there, looking down at him, his lips curled in a mischievous grin. Gabriel dug his fingers into the stone. “What’s wrong with you? Pull me up!”
Cedric leaned over the cliff’s edge, and relief rushed through Gabriel. But instead of helping him up, Cedric reached his hand out toward the crystal which dangled over Gabriel’s shirt.
“Cedric!” Gabriel roared. His heart slammed against his ribs. He had known Cedric was trouble, but never in a million years did Gabriel think he could be that much of a jerk.
Piper came back around the corner just in time to see Cedric lean over too far. Cedric overbalanced and fell, and snatched the bottom of Gabriel’s pants, just as Piper caught Gabriel’s arm. Piper jolted forward, barely managing to stay on top of the cliff. She struggled to pull them up, yanking at Gabriel’s jacket until it began ripping along the seam.
“Brent!” she screamed over her shoulder. But he didn’t come. “Brent!” she yelled louder, panic flashing across her face.
Finally, Brent raced around the corner and gripped firm hands around one of Gabriel’s wrists. Together, they pulled until Gabriel’s upper body
“Take care, little Tratta. Remember me.”
“Meow. Hola ,” Tratta replied, prancing away with her treat. Piper laughed as she watched her go.
Eric walked the children back to the talking gate and waved goodbye as the doors began to close.
Gabriel shook Eric’s extended hand. “Thank you for everything, Eric.”
“You’re welcome. Now, take care of yourselves, children, and don’t go out at night,” Eric warned. “Remember—they come out at dark.”
Chapter Thirteen
When they left Ericville, dark clouds hung over Valta, looking like they’d been saving up rain for a hundred years, waiting to burst free.
“Oh, ain’t that just freaking awesome. Another storm,” Piper moaned.
“Ugh, this totally sucks, Gabriel replied, “but we have to keep moving.”
They walked back through the tall mountains, until they reached a clearing. There, they turned left, in the direction of the Tandem Wood. “This way to Malgor’s castle,” muttered Gabriel, eyeing the map. “We’ll get there tomorrow. First, we’ve gotta stop somewhere else for the night, though.”
Cedric quirked a brow. “Why are we going there ?”
“We just have to see about something, that’s all,” Gabriel answered, reluctant to give Cedric more information.
Cedric smirked.
“What’s with the smirk, Morley? Something you wanna tell us?”
“No, butthead, I just wanna get home. You guys are the ones keeping secrets. You still haven’t told me why Brent’s hands get all crispy.”
“Don’t hold your breath, Morley. I guess we’ve all got secrets, then,” Brent said.
After a couple of hours, they arrived at a beach. Whitecaps crashed against the shore and rocks, spraying angry waves high into the air. Along the shore, a steep, narrow path zigzagged up the side of a cliff.
They edged up the path, which was no more than two feet wide. Piper looked over her shoulder toward Gabriel. “How much farther?” she asked, pulling her lip between her teeth. Gabriel knew Piper well enough to know that chewing her lip meant she was really worried. But before Gabriel could answer, Piper stumbled over a few loose rocks.
Gabriel lunged forward and caught her elbow. “Careful, Piper.”
She nodded once and blew out a breath. “Thanks.” Piper pressed her hand against the cliff face and continued walking. They climbed higher and higher, leaving the beach far below. As they neared the top, Gabriel’s foot slipped, his ankle twisting in a deep crack, and he stumbled over the edge. He yelled, barely managing to grab onto the rock face. He hung by his fingers, dangling over the sea far below.
Brent and Piper, who had walked ahead, hadn’t noticed him fall or heard his shouting. He watched them continue around a corner, out of sight. Only Cedric stood there, looking down at him, his lips curled in a mischievous grin. Gabriel dug his fingers into the stone. “What’s wrong with you? Pull me up!”
Cedric leaned over the cliff’s edge, and relief rushed through Gabriel. But instead of helping him up, Cedric reached his hand out toward the crystal which dangled over Gabriel’s shirt.
“Cedric!” Gabriel roared. His heart slammed against his ribs. He had known Cedric was trouble, but never in a million years did Gabriel think he could be that much of a jerk.
Piper came back around the corner just in time to see Cedric lean over too far. Cedric overbalanced and fell, and snatched the bottom of Gabriel’s pants, just as Piper caught Gabriel’s arm. Piper jolted forward, barely managing to stay on top of the cliff. She struggled to pull them up, yanking at Gabriel’s jacket until it began ripping along the seam.
“Brent!” she screamed over her shoulder. But he didn’t come. “Brent!” she yelled louder, panic flashing across her face.
Finally, Brent raced around the corner and gripped firm hands around one of Gabriel’s wrists. Together, they pulled until Gabriel’s upper body
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