must have identified it at the same time, for he grabbed her arm and effortlessly hauled her to her feet.
“Jump,” he ordered firmly.
With her mind not quite catching up to the moment, she gave a startled gasp as Nicolas threw her out of the train. Her world spun and she was weightless. All she heard were the train’s deafening wheels as she fell to the ground.
Though she planned on landing on her feet with the grace of a cat, her foot landed on a slippery slope. She struggled, grasping at the muddy hill in hopes of regaining balance. Mud caked under her fingernails and coated her fingers, eventually rendering her grip useless.
She surrendered to gravity and rolled down the hill, encountering nothing but thick and wet mud.
Finally, for what seemed like eternity, the muddy terrain turned into rocks. The fall was more painful, but Hayden quickly regained her balance. Resting on her hands and knees, she steadied her pounding heart and listened as the train retreated away from her.
She could hear the birds chirping and the steady rhythm of water trickling over rocks. Slowly, she looked over her shoulder, spying a small creek further down the hill. Small boulders were lining the water bed, their fuzzy moss a vibrant shade of emerald.
Winter possessed a cruel beauty, but Hayden preferred the welcoming sight of life and color.
Steadily, she got to her feet, studying her surroundings. She didn’t hear anything out of the ordinary. Nicolas was nowhere in sight, either was their adversary. Like a typical male, Nicolas probably threw her out of the train for her safety. He thought he could lure their enemy inside the train and take care of it himself.
Typical, Hayden thought despondently.
She hoped he was struggling without her.
Gritting her teeth together, she tried wiping away the mud coating her clothes. It was futile. Her clothes were ruined and even drying mud caked her skin.
Her hands paused over her sleeves as soon as she detected the awkward silence. The birds abruptly became mute, and the creek that once seemed discreet was almost deafening in the silent forest.
Hayden whirled around, her feet crunching noisily on the rocks as she frantically sought the source that silenced nature. Her eyes jumped from tree to tree, peering into the shadows and even looking up into the surrounding trees.
She could feel the eyes on her. She could feel her hairs stand on end. Yet, her observer remained elusive.
And then a single leaf fluttered from above and settled gracefully at her feet.
With her heart in her throat, Hayden craned her neck back and looked straight above her head. There, crouching on a sturdy branch, was one of Celeste’s puppets. His grey eyes were blank, yet malevolent as they stared unwaveringly down at Hayden.
Her courage faltered and wavered at the sight of such a detached enemy. Her mind replayed the scene that took place in the Nevada woods. Tracer’s puppet had ripped out that female’s throat with such impeccable ease. Even if he’d been fatally injured at the time, it hadn’t distracted him from his master’s last orders.
Whatever orders this one was following, Hayden was clearly involved.
The puppet lunged itself off the branch, his entire body one fluid motion as he zeroed in on Hayden. She stumbled backward, hesitating just briefly over her options. Like a fool, she could courageously stay put and try to fend off the puppet with a throwing knife, or maybe she had time to unsheathe her sword.
Opting for survival, she turned her heel and sprinted away.
Running on a rocky incline was a challenging feat, but she channeled as much grace as she could into her steps. Her toes hardly touched the ground as she flew across the terrain, hoping her speed was at least superior to the beast behind her.
Throwing a peek over her shoulder, Hayden’s hopes sunk miserably. The puppet kept up easily, matching her stealth and silence with equal fortitude. Throwing his arm back, he swung it at the
“Jump,” he ordered firmly.
With her mind not quite catching up to the moment, she gave a startled gasp as Nicolas threw her out of the train. Her world spun and she was weightless. All she heard were the train’s deafening wheels as she fell to the ground.
Though she planned on landing on her feet with the grace of a cat, her foot landed on a slippery slope. She struggled, grasping at the muddy hill in hopes of regaining balance. Mud caked under her fingernails and coated her fingers, eventually rendering her grip useless.
She surrendered to gravity and rolled down the hill, encountering nothing but thick and wet mud.
Finally, for what seemed like eternity, the muddy terrain turned into rocks. The fall was more painful, but Hayden quickly regained her balance. Resting on her hands and knees, she steadied her pounding heart and listened as the train retreated away from her.
She could hear the birds chirping and the steady rhythm of water trickling over rocks. Slowly, she looked over her shoulder, spying a small creek further down the hill. Small boulders were lining the water bed, their fuzzy moss a vibrant shade of emerald.
Winter possessed a cruel beauty, but Hayden preferred the welcoming sight of life and color.
Steadily, she got to her feet, studying her surroundings. She didn’t hear anything out of the ordinary. Nicolas was nowhere in sight, either was their adversary. Like a typical male, Nicolas probably threw her out of the train for her safety. He thought he could lure their enemy inside the train and take care of it himself.
Typical, Hayden thought despondently.
She hoped he was struggling without her.
Gritting her teeth together, she tried wiping away the mud coating her clothes. It was futile. Her clothes were ruined and even drying mud caked her skin.
Her hands paused over her sleeves as soon as she detected the awkward silence. The birds abruptly became mute, and the creek that once seemed discreet was almost deafening in the silent forest.
Hayden whirled around, her feet crunching noisily on the rocks as she frantically sought the source that silenced nature. Her eyes jumped from tree to tree, peering into the shadows and even looking up into the surrounding trees.
She could feel the eyes on her. She could feel her hairs stand on end. Yet, her observer remained elusive.
And then a single leaf fluttered from above and settled gracefully at her feet.
With her heart in her throat, Hayden craned her neck back and looked straight above her head. There, crouching on a sturdy branch, was one of Celeste’s puppets. His grey eyes were blank, yet malevolent as they stared unwaveringly down at Hayden.
Her courage faltered and wavered at the sight of such a detached enemy. Her mind replayed the scene that took place in the Nevada woods. Tracer’s puppet had ripped out that female’s throat with such impeccable ease. Even if he’d been fatally injured at the time, it hadn’t distracted him from his master’s last orders.
Whatever orders this one was following, Hayden was clearly involved.
The puppet lunged itself off the branch, his entire body one fluid motion as he zeroed in on Hayden. She stumbled backward, hesitating just briefly over her options. Like a fool, she could courageously stay put and try to fend off the puppet with a throwing knife, or maybe she had time to unsheathe her sword.
Opting for survival, she turned her heel and sprinted away.
Running on a rocky incline was a challenging feat, but she channeled as much grace as she could into her steps. Her toes hardly touched the ground as she flew across the terrain, hoping her speed was at least superior to the beast behind her.
Throwing a peek over her shoulder, Hayden’s hopes sunk miserably. The puppet kept up easily, matching her stealth and silence with equal fortitude. Throwing his arm back, he swung it at the
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