Dust (Of Dust and Darkness) (33 page)

             
We stop now that we’re outside, and Jack takes off and disappears over the top of the cave. A moment later I hear a wooden clunk, and a rush of water flows over the top, covering the entrance with a thick wall of shimmering liquid. It splashes into a
moist
creek
that flows down and away. The cool drops splattering randomly into the air feel wonderful against my bare legs.

             
Jack returns and takes my hand, hurrying me away, still carrying the lantern and wing clamp with his other hand. “Rosalie, do you remember the map and where you’re going?”

             
“Sort of,” I admit.

             
“The map is in your bag. Pull it out if you need to, but keep it dry and safe otherwise. I’ve packed some food and a water canteen, but it’s only if you really need it. You need to always be on the lookout for food and water, and eat as you go. If you find something in surplus, stuff what you can in
to
your bag. But I’m serious Rosalie, don’t eat what’s in your bag until you’re in dire need. It’s meant to feed you if you’re on the run, temporarily trapped up in a tree, or whatever.”

             
“Okay.”
My fingers wrap tighter around his at the thought of being chased up a tree. I’d have to actually climb it.
Can
I do it before whatever’s chasing me catches up?

             
“You’re wearing your only faerie clothes. There are two sets of smaller clothes, a blanket, and rope to tie a raft. Think you can build a raft?”

             
I huff. “I built myself a tree house. I’m pretty sure I can figure it out.”

             
I can’t see it because he’s leading the way, but I sense the smile on his face when he responds, “Okay. Do you know how to navigate if you get lost?”

             
“I don’t understand. I’m basically lost from the start. I run until I find the trail, travel until it bends, and keep going straight until I hit the river. Right?”

             
“Right, but if you get turned around, do you know how to use the North Star?”

             
“All I know is that it’s really bright.” I’ve spent many nights outside my tree house, lying atop the canopy, admiring its brightness.

             
Jack stops, and I pull up beside him. He releases my hand and his eyes search the sky. Pointing upward to the right, he tells me, “That’s the North Star.” I shake my head in agreement. He pushes on my shoulder and twists me directly before it. “Any time you’re facing directly at this star, you’re facing true north.”

             
“Okay.”

             
He pulls me back int
o motion, quickening our speed.
“You’re mostly going to be traveling east. So if we were in the forest right now, and you were directly facing the North Star, which way would you go?”

             
I think for a moment… “I don’t know. We were never really taught this in my Hollow
‘
cause we knew our land like the back of our hands. We didn’t get lost.”

             
“Alright…”

             
Jack comes to an abrupt halt, and I barely stop short to avoid colliding with him. I’m completely silent because I know why we’ve stopped. His hand plays with the air before him, and the glow from the lantern eventually catches a ripple that’s supposed to be invisible. We’re already at the barrier of the prison. And just on the other side is the spriggans’ camp.

             
He blows the lantern out. Turning to face me, my eyes adjust quickly to the shades of gray building up around me, thanks to the glow of the moon. He squeezes my hand softly. “We don’t have time for me to check the campsite,
be
cause there’s only one entry point and this isn’t it. It’d take me at least ten minutes to check the site, enter and fly my way back to this spot. So we’re going
through
together.”

             
I nod, anxiety building up within, gnawing at the lining in my stomach.

             
“Remember, you’re a faerie. So don’t freak out or act all guilty if someone catches us. If they do, you’re my girl and I snuck you in,
be
cause you wanted to see the prison.”

             
You’re my girl
…those words, and the protective way he says them, will forever be replayed in my mind. My chest pinches at the realization that I’m probably feeling his fingers cross with mine for the last time. Ever.

             
He pulls me through the invisible barrier, the magic tickling the fine hairs on my skin. I hold my breath until we step into the real world, and feel the breeze slide along my skin. I immediately hear the forest’s
nocturnal occupants: owls hooting, crickets chirping, frogs croaking, and the slight buzz as a lightning bug crosses our path, illuminating the path it’s taking every few seconds.

             
I can’t smell nature, but already I notice the air is cooler as it passes through my nostrils, more breathable than the stuffy, recycled air within the glamour. The spiggans
’ huts are laid out before us. It s
eems Jack was right. I’m now standing in the exact same spot I was the first time I escaped this place.  Hopefully this time, there’s no spriggan sneaking up behind me ready to knock me out. My head immediately snaps to the back…just in case. Any spriggan inside the prison wouldn’t have to exit where we did to make a sudden appearance up our backsides.

             
Relief washes over me as Jack pulls me into motion, tiptoeing along the backside of the huts, heading right. The campsite is clear of life. Seems even the insects don’t want to disturb the monstrous fae. With Jack leading me, I pay more attention to my feet, trying
to avoid dried
out
leaves and
twigs long dead on the forest floor; or anything else that may wake the guards.

             
Well, at least I can say
I
didn’t cause the commotion. Jack
halts
so fast I can’t help but bump
into
him this time. A loud screech pierces the air, causing my ears to ring long after it stops. I quickly peek over Jack’s shoulder as he takes a defensive stance between me and the furry masked creature. The raccoon seems as startled as we are, but all fae know raccoons are willing to eat our kind if hungry enough. Jack drops the lantern and the metal wing clamp, and they disappear underneath a thick layer of luscious ferns. He twists his body and squeezes my waist, his arms latching on to one another behind my back. With a quick jump, we’re airborne and leaving the furry creature behind, who falls back on two legs in an attempt to swipe us back down. It misses, and I breathe a sigh of relief.

             
My arm wraps around Jack for more support, and I glance over his shoulder and towards the spriggans’ camp. I gasp and catch my breath. Two spriggans now hurry about the site, searching our area with their eyes, pointing long daggers out before them. Luckily, they’re looking to the ground for the source of the noise.

             
“Spriggans,” I whisper. With silent understanding, Jack weaves in and around as many trees as he can find to hide us from their sight. After a few minutes, I can tell he’s beginning to struggle with my weight, dipping down unexpectedly, then fluttering his wings madly to recover against the loss of height. But it’s too exhausting for him, and eventually we’re barely flying over the ground. We land roughly and stumble a few
steps, but our feet remain strong be
neath us.

             
He releases me and bends over, his hands finding his knees for added support. I stroke his back and murmur, “Just breathe.” I fear any second he’s going to tell me that he’s gotten me as far as he can, and that’s it time for me to take off on my own.

             
“Pull the map out, will you?”
             

             
Not the best words to hear at the moment, but at least he’s not saying goodbye. Not yet… I pull the parchment out and unfold it. He’s walking aimlessly, his head looking to the sky. I follow him, looking for more access to the moonlight, so we can better make out the markings. I find it right where he’s standing. Together we hold out the map.

             
“Look, you see this drawing right here?” I nod, noting the cross with N, E, S and W each scratched at one of the four tips. “There are four main points to navigation. This is your navigation key. North is the top of this map, east the right, south the bottom, and west the left. Look up. See the North Star again?”

             
“Yes.”

             
“What did I tell you about the North Star?”

             
“That when I stand right in front of it,” I say, moving my body to do so, “that I’m now facing north.”

             
“Right. So if this is north,” he explains, pointing straight out in front of us, “and we want to go here,” he adds, pointing to the first trail on the map I’m supposed to seek, “which direction do we walk in order to get there?”

             
“East…so we go right.”

             
“Right!” He takes the map and folds it back up, stuffing it back into the bag slung over my shoulder. “I want you checking this map all the time, until you feel comfortable that you’re going in the right direction, alright?”

             
“Alright.”

             
He snatches my hand and we turn to go right. I keep pace with him so not to be dragged behind. I want to see the raccoon coming next time, thank you very much. My heart calms, even though we walk at a quickened pace. Unfortunately, the silence eats away
at
my soul, squeezing what little time I know we have together more and more, until it feels like there’s nothing left. My body wants to cry but I fight it, knowing I have to be strong. I can’t give him much, but I’d like to leave Jack with some comfort in believing I’m strong enough to survive this ordeal, and
that I can
make my way safely back home. It’s the one thing I can do for him, to repay him for all he’s done to get me to this point. I will not fail him. I will go on, without him, and I will be strong about it. At least until I’m all alone, then there’s no telling what my emotions will do
to me
.

             
We hurry along in silence for a long time, trying to travel as quietly as possible to avoid another encounter with a nocturnal predator. I’m unsure of how much time passes, but the sky begins to lighten to a medium blue. I’ve seen this color in the pit before, on a night I couldn’t sleep. We have maybe two more hours until the sun cuts above the horizon.

             
Deep in the woods behind us, a flock of birds panic and flee to the sky. I gasp at the same time Jack twists around, pushing me behind him protectively. A few seconds pass, then another flock of birds take to the sky, this group a little closer to us.

             
“Do you think they’ve noticed I’m gone?”

             
“Maybe. I wasn’t planning on ditching the lantern or the metal clamp outside their campsite, but I knew I couldn’t flee fast enough
with any additional weight.” I’m
grateful he did drop them, because that raccoon barely missed us as we ascended. “If they went out there to see what the commotion was about and came across the clamp, they would’ve immediately searched the prison.”

             
A third flock of birds abandon their trees. I’m ready to run now
, as fast and furious as my heart will allow
. I pull on Jack to come with me, but he surprises me by suddenly jerking me behind the trunk of a wide oak tree, then peeks his head around.
What are we doing? Why aren’t we running? We can’t stay here!
When he turns back, I don’t like what I see. There’s sorrow in his eyes, defeat, and his jaw goes slack, like he doesn’t know what to say.

             
“Jack?” I ask fearfully. My hand still grasped in his, I outstretch my arm and struggle to pull him into motion, but he doesn’t budge. “Let’s go.”

             
He yanks me back, and I snap towards him faster than the whip-tail of a scorpion. Our chests are flush and his free arm wraps tightly around my waist. Thanks to the pixie dust, we’re close enough that his lips could skim my forehead. My heart thuds rapidly, and it has nothing to do with the spriggans I fear are chasing us down. My head tilted back, our lips are just centimeters away...all he has to do is lean down... There’s an urge within me, and I yearn for him to pull me in just a little closer.

             
But what he says breaks my heart, and turns that hunger into absolute panic. “I have to go to them.”

             
“What? No!” My chest constricts, and my breath is suddenly painful.