Firewalker (Worldwalker 2)

Dana clapped Breakfast on the shoulder. “You’ll be alright, little shaman,” she said seductively. “I’ll catch you if you fall.”

Una’s lips tightened, and she glared at Dana. Breakfast had become quite the catch since it was discovered that he was the “other Red Leaf.” All the people in this world wanted partners with magical talents so their children might inherit those abilities. Dana had made it clear she thought Una had enough power of her own to pass on to a child, and that she should share the wealth where Breakfast was concerned. As for Breakfast, he was not accustomed to his new status as man-candy, and he blushed and dropped his head, deathly afraid of Una’s wrath.

The two Tristans could barely contain their laughter. For once, neither of them was the cause of a jealous fight. Mechanics like them were desirable, yes, but spirit walkers like Breakfast were so rare as to be nearly extinct. Goofy little Breakfast had suddenly become a stud. All Lily had to do was train him to spirit walk, and he’d probably have a harem.

Don’t rub it in, Tristan, Lily said to her Tristan in mindspeak. Una’s having a rough time with it.

I know how she feels. It sucks to see someone hanging all over the person you love.

Lily glanced up at him, and he smiled at her in a way that used to make her forget her own name. She quickly went back to frowning down at the map.

“I know this trail,” she said. “You only have a part of it here, but in my world it was called the Trail of Tears. This particular route out of the mountains and along this river is the one the Cherokee followed when they were thrown off their land. We—I spent some time looking at it.” Lily’s voice thickened and she cleared her throat.

Keep it together, girl, Una said soothingly in mindspeak.

Lily took a breath and pointed at some of the Here, There Be Dragons cross-hatching. “I know every step west through here and along the Missouri River.”

“So you know the way,” the other Tristan said. “The geography of our worlds is the same, right?”

“Mostly,” Tristan told his other self. “Our world did a lot of dam building for hydroelectric power out west, but not before the Trail of Tears.”

Lily nodded to confirm what Tristan was saying. “It’s the same. And there’s more water along the northern route than the southern.”

The Outlanders watched Lily trace her finger across the unknown lands in silence. She could feel their fear.

“It’s far, and it will be dangerous, but we need to get here,” Lily said. She brought her finger all the way over, past the cross-hatching, to where there was nothing on their map but blank paper. Lily picked up a pencil and drew the western coastline in for them. None of the native Outlanders had any idea their continent was so big. She went back and started filling in some of the major details from her willstone-enhanced photographic memory. “These are the Rocky Mountains. They’re even higher than the Appalachians. This here is all desert. We call this spot Death Valley. It’s one of the hottest, driest places in the world.”

Lily. Quit while you’re ahead, Tristan whispered in her head. They’re all backing out.

I know, Tristan. But it’s better they know the truth.

“I never said this was going to be easy, but at least I know what’s out there,” Lily said. “I know where the rivers are, the lakes, and the mountains. I know how other people from my world have gotten across the West.” She looked around, meeting everyone’s eyes. “We can do this.”

Lily left out the most glaring difficulty they faced. In her world, the great explorers didn’t have to fight off the Woven all the way to California, but at this point the Woven went without saying.

The meeting ended and the sky darkened. While the rest of the group went off to get something hot to eat, Lily went to the perimeter to stand watch. She pulled a jar of pickles out of her pack and munched on them as she looked out into the gathering dark.

“Guard duty has become your new favorite thing, hasn’t it?” Tristan asked.

Lily turned to see him coming toward her and smiled up at him. She could still tell the difference between him and his double, although Tristan dressed like an Outlander now. He wore dark wearhyde from head to toe and his hair was getting longer, but there was still something about the way that he looked at her—a familiarity that only they shared—that set him apart from the other Tristan.

“Beats the hell out of lying on the ground, not sleeping,” she said.

“At least let yourself lean against something, Lil. You don’t have to punish yourself forever, you know,” he said.

“I’m not—” Lily started to argue, and stopped.

He was right. She had been punishing herself. She’d lied to Rowan for weeks by hiding the truth about Lillian, and although she had no idea how she could have handled the situation differently, she still felt guilty. She’d broken his heart, and it was the look he’d had on his face while she’d done it that kept her up at night.

“Okay. So I’m

punishing myself,” Lily admitted.

Tristan could tell she didn’t want to talk about it and led her over to a large tree. He tugged on her hand until she sat down next to him and they rested their backs against the tree trunk, their shoulders touching.

“You ran that meeting well,” Tristan said after a long silence. “You’re a good leader.”

Lily let out a doubtful laugh. “I think I just lost half the group with that little speech.”