Night Myst (Indigo Court 1)

But my clothes--I can't wait that long for Chatter to bring them up and we don't dare chance him wearing himself out.

Then to the bottom of the gorge. Fly and land softly on the trunk near the cataract.

I gazed down, saw the trunk he was talking about. The tree had fallen along a series of small falls that were frozen over, on the other side of the stream. I swept down, spiraling, reveling in the feel of my wings on the wind. The horned owl hooted softly as we landed at the bottom. It waited beside me as I waited for Chatter. Within a moment, a blur raced down the hill and stopped on the shore beside me. He appeared, holding Leo around the waist. I turned back to my companion.

Thank you. Will you watch us on our way through the wood? Can I contact you when I'm in human form?

No, you cannot read my thoughts then--we are connected, but only when in owl form. But I will come with you, I will watch over you the best I can. Now change back and get dressed.

I shifted back, dressing quickly in the freezing air as the snow swirled around us. Chatter headed back up the slope, a blur in the deepening shadows, as Peyton gingerly made her way across the stream. Within a few minutes, we were all at the base of the ravine that would lead us to the Golden Wood and home again. As I stared up the slope, a noise behind us startled me.

Turning, I could see a group of the Vampiric Fae. They were making their way down the alluvial deposit. They were coming for us and both Heather and Myst were with them.

Chapter 26

"Hell! Move. They're on the way."

We scrambled for the slope of the ravine. Peyton didn't have much problem in her four-footed form, and Chatter was quick, but the rest of us weren't so nimble. I grabbed branch and limb, ignoring the brambles that pierced through my gloves, ignoring the needle-laden boughs that slapped me in the face as I half-crawled, half-climbed my way up the slope. The ravine was steep, but luckily had plenty of rocks and trees to gain leverage on. My breath coming in white puffs, I charged upward, trying not to focus on how close they were.

They are almost down the slope on the other side. Hurry.

Shit, they'd traversed the swath of rocks and boulders like they were skipping stones. I pushed ahead. And then, Chatter was at my side, and we were racing in a blur up the mountain. I blinked and found myself standing on the top of the ravine.

"Chatter--you're too tired--"

"Let me do this." He vanished again, a blur down the slope. I took a moment and glanced around. Nobody over here on this side, thank gods. Although I'd really love it if some hero came charging in to save us, but that wasn't going to happen. I pulled out my fan, gearing up for what I knew was coming. At that moment, Chatter appeared again, Rhiannon in tow. Peyton crept over the top, still in puma form. She slunk over to my side.

Kaylin was helping Leo, trying to drag him along faster. Chatter took a deep breath and--looking exhausted--headed down again.

"No--you can't bring them both." I stared in horror at Myst and her crew. They'd reached the bottom and were lithely crossing the frozen stream. This was going wrong. So wrong. Myst wasn't supposed to come with them. I knew in my heart we couldn't stand against her.

I turned to Rhiannon. "Go--get moving back to the house."

"No. I'm staying here with you." She pulled out her bag with the Molotov cocktails in it. "We go down together or not at all."

I took a deep breath. "Let's make a pact then. If they catch us, if they try to turn us, we do whatever it takes to avoid that fate. I'd rather be torn to pieces than work for them."

She nodded. "I know Heather did it to spare Peyton, but I wish she hadn't." She spoke softly, but I could hear the catch in her voice.

Chatter appeared at the top, Leo in his arms, as Kaylin dragged himself over the edge. We were all exhausted, and Chatter looked like he was going to pass out.

"How far are we from the house?" I tried to gauge where we were.

"Ten minutes as the crow flies. Fifteen on foot." He pointed toward a copse of cedar and fir. "There's the path that leads into the ravine, through that stand of trees over there.

I could vaguely see it in the approaching dusk. Nodding, I said, "Let's do what we can to make it hard on them and then run like hell. If we can get over the border to our land, then we should be safe for the night. That is, until Myst finds a way to break the barrier."

I opened the fan and focused on it. Ulean, what's the worst damage I can do with this?

You do not want to know. Each time you use the more powerful energies, the fan will own you a little more.

Tough. We need it. I'd rather be possessed by a fan than by Myst. Now, tell me. I focused on her energy, trying to drive home the urgency.

You have a point. Very well. Vortex force. But be prepared to run. It will not be safe and you cannot control the power once you've set it loose.

Taking a deep breath, I said, "I'm going to unleash a tornado. Whatever you have, start it now and move back. This thing is dangerous."

Without a word, Rhiannon lit the bottles with a lighter and tossed them into the ravine. She held out her hands and a stream of flame came searing out to explode the gas-laden bombs, sending a flash flood of fire down the slope. She jumped away, as did the others as I swept the fan twice and whispered, "Vortex force."