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It was a relief—and a distraction—when the spells arrived. Everything Theo had stored inside of Vega over the years. Ren felt that knowledge clicking into place in her own mind. She looked up at him. It was such an intimate gesture. The hairs on Theo’s arms had risen, and she knew just how vulnerable he must feel. He’d offered her something incredibly personal.
Ren tried to keep the mood light. “You know, they say the true test of a proper wizard’s arsenal—”
“Is whether or not he has Evert’s basic principles stored and stacked. You know you’re not the only one who reads books, right? I’ve got all of those spells memorized. Trust me.”
She laughed as Theo shouldered their pack.
“We need to keep moving.”
He said those words as if the most significant thing in the world hadn’t just occurred. Before he could turn, she caught him by the collar. Her hands took action before her mind could even confirm the thought. When he’d spoken of a future, this was the sort of thing he’d meant. Now she’d perform the expected steps. She drew him into a brief kiss. When she slid away, Theo’s eyes were closed and his lips were still slightly parted.
“Priorities,” she reminded him. “Let’s go home.”
Vega fluttered into the air before setting back down on Ren’s shoulder. A little heavy, but the magic she felt waiting for her within the stone creature more than made up for that. Ren’s plans were slowly altering course. Now she had several viable paths forward. Some more glittering than others. All she had to do was get back to Balmerick. As they walked, her mind honed to a fine point, focusing entirely on that goal—and that goal alone. The first step was to make a plan.
“If Clyde catches us, I have an idea,” she said. “I’ve been thinking about our forced memories. The figure that was in my dreams—and Cora’s dreams—but not in yours. I’m pretty sure I figured out why that would happen. And if I’m right, it means we can beat him.”
And I’m always right, she thought.
39
The afternoon breathed a welcome warmth through the forest.
Ren and Theo took off their outerwear, tying it around their waists, as they walked. The hound’s barking had stopped. Ren wished its absence made her feel any safer. If anything, it meant they had no way of calibrating how much of a lead they still had on Della’s crew. And there was an odd stillness in the air too. As if the forest were holding its breath until they’d passed. Ren thought it was inevitable that they’d have to face someone when they made their final stand. She just wished she knew which hunter would reach them first.
Evening saw them halfway to the valley below. Theo wisely corrected their course, however, as the sun started to set.
“If we’re porting to the Heights, we’ll want to maintain a similar elevation.”
Ren nodded. It was one of the few details that had slipped her mind.
“You’re right. We’re already asking the magic to send us a long way in one direction. Forcing it to turn at a right angle, at the very last moment, poses a challenge.”
Instead of down, they started hiking across. Watcher Mountain loomed on their right like a dark and solid shadow. Heavy cloud cover blotted out the light of the stars. In that darkness they were forced to slow their steady pace. At least there were proper trails on this side of the mountain. A good sign that they’d entered more settled territory. Ren wouldn’t have minded crossing paths with a pioneer, though she’d felt the same hopefulness about spotting Della’s farm. There was no guarantee anyone would help them this far away from proper civilization.
Exhaustion crept in as they trudged through the dark. Theo kept talking, an effort to distract them both from the lack of sleep. “… they have the best desserts there. It’s down by the wharf on the corner. The building with that livestone pig out front. The pies are as big as your head. Nothing up in the Heights is even close to that quality.”
“Mm-hmm,” Ren mumbled.
“That pig is an odd statue. Did you know that no one knows who made him?”
“Oh?”
“Anonymous. Every other livestone statue traces back to a famous artist. Some are miscredited, of course, but every single one is claimed. No one ever claimed the pig. He’s useful, though. Back during the War of Neighbors, he’s the one who sniffed out an assassin that burrowed under the viceroy’s house. Saved by a pig. They never publicize stories like that, though.”
It was all Ren could do to keep stumbling on. They were on a wide path with level footing, and if not for that, she’d have already asked Theo to stop and rest.
“… but the first thing we’ll do is visit the family estate. My mother will want to meet you. It’s beautiful there. She’ll want to show you the gardens. Her pride and joy. She’s been curating them since they got married. The hounds will be there too. Fisk and Silver and Roland. They’re all old as dirt.…”
Ren stopped walking. It took Theo a few seconds to notice. His boots kept crunching down the stone path, his voice barely loud enough to reach her. He was describing his favorite tree on the family estate. Like nothing strange had happened. Pretending that what he was saying was completely normal. Ren’s mind kept turning over the same haunting detail. Like a stone that she knew a snake was hiding beneath. But she could not stop her hands from reaching out. Could not stop herself from lifting it up to see what horror would spring out. Theo had stopped to look back at her. There was an unexpected presence between them now. Ren sensed a distant nervousness.
I can feel his emotions, she realized. Which means he can probably feel some of mine?
“Ren? Do you need to stop for a rest?”
“What did you say your dog’s name is?”
“Fisk?”
