both walked off down the street.
"Aiden?" Tea asked after the shadows had turned the corner. "Was that what touched Mom?"
"Yes." Aiden was crying. "It touched Mama ... like that."
Teagan scrambled out of the wild house and ran to the woman. She had finished with her palms and was examining her bike for damage.
"I saw what happened," Teagan said.
"Did you get his license plate?"
"No," Tea said. "Listen ... I think you may be more badly hurt than you think. You need to go to the doctor."
"I've spilled my bike before," the woman said.
"This time ... there might be internal injuries," Tea said.
"I'm sure I would feel it. Thanks for stopping, though. Bye." She swung her leg over the seat, climbed on, and started to ride away.
"You have your cell phone?" Finn was holding Aiden's hand and keeping one eye on the park. The shimmer had disappeared.
"Yes," Teagan said.
"Call 911."
The bicyclist made it halfway down the block before she wobbled, twisted violently, and fell over. They waited beside her until the ambulance arrived. Teagan saw them pulling a sheet up over the woman's head as Finn led her away.
"We can't go back to your house tonight," Finn said. "Those two, I think they're hunting."
"For us?"
"Most likely. And they won't be the only ones. The one that took your dad has set them looking."
"That goblin's not dead? But your knife..."
"The goblin just went back to where it came from and took your da with it."
"Where?"
"We'll have to follow to find out, won't we? But we can't go after them at night, if we can go at all." He looked around. "We need to get low fast. They'll go to your house, of course. The safest place might be the hole we were in, behind the gate. They wouldn't expect us to stay that close."
Teagan looked around at the dark openings to doorways and alleys. The shadows could be anywhere, dark against the dark, impossible to see.
They followed Finn back to the library and back into the wild house. Aiden was crying quietly, so Teagan pulled him onto her lap and wrapped her arms around him. Her cell phone vibrated.
"Tea." Abby's voice sounded insanely normal. "I'm on my way overâ"
"No," Tea said too quickly. "Don't do that. I mean, I'm not home."
"That doesn't matter," Abby said. "Your dad can let me in. The shoes are in your closet, right?"
"No one is home," Teagan said. "We're spending the night somewhere ... else."
"You're all having an overnight somewhere? What's going on, Tea?"
"Get off the phone," Finn said.
"Was that a guy's voice?" Abby asked. "It didn't sound like your dad. Why's he telling you what to do?"
"I'm..." Teagan looked around "...camping out. I'll tell you about it tomorrow. I can't talk now, Abby. But I'm okay. Really." Teagan flipped her phone shut and turned it off.
"Talk in daylight," Finn said without looking at her. He was definitely staying as far from her as possible. "Quiet, now."
Aiden tugged on Teagan's sleeve. He moved into a patch of light from the streetlamp.
Scared
, he signed in ASL.
Me,
too
, Teagan signed back.
Suddenly Aiden jerked and flailed. Teagan grabbed him, and Finn's knife flashed as he turned, looking for the danger.
What was it?
Teagan signed.
A
spider crawled on me.
We have to be quiet and still,
Teagan signed emphatically.
Very still. Even if spiders crawl on us.
She moved Aiden into the very center of the wild house, between her and Finn, and kept her arms around him. It was a good thing it had been unseasonably warm all week.
As the darkness deepened she focused on the patch of yellow light underneath the streetlamp. If shadows or
cat-sÃdhe
came up the street, they'd have to walk under the light. She'd see them. If something came from the park, though ... There were long stretches of darkness there, like paths across the lawn to the trees. Had the shadows made any noise when they passed? Teagan tried to remember, but she couldn't. Sometime past midnight, she felt Aiden go slack with sleep.
She was still awake when the
"Aiden?" Tea asked after the shadows had turned the corner. "Was that what touched Mom?"
"Yes." Aiden was crying. "It touched Mama ... like that."
Teagan scrambled out of the wild house and ran to the woman. She had finished with her palms and was examining her bike for damage.
"I saw what happened," Teagan said.
"Did you get his license plate?"
"No," Tea said. "Listen ... I think you may be more badly hurt than you think. You need to go to the doctor."
"I've spilled my bike before," the woman said.
"This time ... there might be internal injuries," Tea said.
"I'm sure I would feel it. Thanks for stopping, though. Bye." She swung her leg over the seat, climbed on, and started to ride away.
"You have your cell phone?" Finn was holding Aiden's hand and keeping one eye on the park. The shimmer had disappeared.
"Yes," Teagan said.
"Call 911."
The bicyclist made it halfway down the block before she wobbled, twisted violently, and fell over. They waited beside her until the ambulance arrived. Teagan saw them pulling a sheet up over the woman's head as Finn led her away.
"We can't go back to your house tonight," Finn said. "Those two, I think they're hunting."
"For us?"
"Most likely. And they won't be the only ones. The one that took your dad has set them looking."
"That goblin's not dead? But your knife..."
"The goblin just went back to where it came from and took your da with it."
"Where?"
"We'll have to follow to find out, won't we? But we can't go after them at night, if we can go at all." He looked around. "We need to get low fast. They'll go to your house, of course. The safest place might be the hole we were in, behind the gate. They wouldn't expect us to stay that close."
Teagan looked around at the dark openings to doorways and alleys. The shadows could be anywhere, dark against the dark, impossible to see.
They followed Finn back to the library and back into the wild house. Aiden was crying quietly, so Teagan pulled him onto her lap and wrapped her arms around him. Her cell phone vibrated.
"Tea." Abby's voice sounded insanely normal. "I'm on my way overâ"
"No," Tea said too quickly. "Don't do that. I mean, I'm not home."
"That doesn't matter," Abby said. "Your dad can let me in. The shoes are in your closet, right?"
"No one is home," Teagan said. "We're spending the night somewhere ... else."
"You're all having an overnight somewhere? What's going on, Tea?"
"Get off the phone," Finn said.
"Was that a guy's voice?" Abby asked. "It didn't sound like your dad. Why's he telling you what to do?"
"I'm..." Teagan looked around "...camping out. I'll tell you about it tomorrow. I can't talk now, Abby. But I'm okay. Really." Teagan flipped her phone shut and turned it off.
"Talk in daylight," Finn said without looking at her. He was definitely staying as far from her as possible. "Quiet, now."
Aiden tugged on Teagan's sleeve. He moved into a patch of light from the streetlamp.
Scared
, he signed in ASL.
Me,
too
, Teagan signed back.
Suddenly Aiden jerked and flailed. Teagan grabbed him, and Finn's knife flashed as he turned, looking for the danger.
What was it?
Teagan signed.
A
spider crawled on me.
We have to be quiet and still,
Teagan signed emphatically.
Very still. Even if spiders crawl on us.
She moved Aiden into the very center of the wild house, between her and Finn, and kept her arms around him. It was a good thing it had been unseasonably warm all week.
As the darkness deepened she focused on the patch of yellow light underneath the streetlamp. If shadows or
cat-sÃdhe
came up the street, they'd have to walk under the light. She'd see them. If something came from the park, though ... There were long stretches of darkness there, like paths across the lawn to the trees. Had the shadows made any noise when they passed? Teagan tried to remember, but she couldn't. Sometime past midnight, she felt Aiden go slack with sleep.
She was still awake when the
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