Silver Secrets

Chapter 15: Bree

When River came back from when she tried to kill Melanthe, I didn't say anything but I thought there was no way we'd ever catch up to her and Lieutenant Bedauri.

I was wrong there, because I forgot this is Angaret, and if she wants something done, she'll get it done. She makes us work so hard I wonder if she was ever in the Serovanian military, because she drives us like a captain with his troops. By the time we reach Deepacre, I'm so exhausted I can barely stand. Nobody else looks any better, but they don't complain so I don't either. I won't be the one to slow us all down. No matter how hard I push myself though, I can never keep up with my short legs, so I'm always walking a long way behind everyone else. It makes me feel bad, because Eddie always hangs back with me and I can tell Angaret's getting annoyed at him for it. Eventually though, Clay comes to my rescue one night when he sees me sitting with my blistered feet in a nice cold stream. He says I can ride on his back if Eddie agrees to carry some of the stuff Clay was carrying before. Eddie agrees, so I don't notice when we actually enter the Deepacre forest because I'm fast asleep with my head on Clay's shoulder.

I'm not sure I like being in this forest. The trees are so thick in places that I can't see very far ahead. Sometimes when we walk at night, it feels like eyes are watching me through the darkness. What doesn't help is that we're getting close to where the twelve statues mark the entrance to werewolf territory. River showed me them on the map and said if the werewolves find out we're trespassing, they'll put us on a spit and roast us over a fire. I don't think that's true because there's some villages on the map so werewolves can't really mind humans in their forest that much, but it's still worrying because I don't know where we are exactly, so we won't know when we pass a statue unless we see one. At least Angaret avoided the gate on the map because it's supposed to be guarded, so then they'd definitely know we're here.

"Clay?" I say one day as we're going up a really steep bit.

"Hm?"

"Have you ever seen a werewolf?" I rest my chin on his shoulder, watching how the patterns from the sun through the leaves match the dapples on the grey skin of his arms. Clay's been all over Serovan and he likes to say he's fought someone from every sentient species there is. He has to know what Lieutenant Bedauri will be like when we finally meet him.

"Sure. Moon Bay's full of them." His earrings tinkle as he cranes his neck around to look at me. "Why do you ask?"

"I've just never seen one, but we're probably going to be fighting one pretty soon. Aren't we?"

"Well, we are. You're not." Clay looks at me sternly, which would terrify anyone who doesn't know him. "When we do catch up to them, you're going to stay out of the way. Stay safe. Do you promise you will?"

"I'll try." Though I don't know what I'm supposed to do if Melanthe or Bedauri come after me or try to control my mind.

"I'm serious, Bree. If something happens to you—" Clay drops his voice so it's even lower than normal, and only I can hear him. "It would kill Ed. You know that, don't you? You're all he's got."

I swallow. I don't like to think about that sort of thing, because I don't want to think about what would happen to Eddie if something bad did happen to me. I know he wouldn't want to work for Angaret any more, but I don't think Angaret would like that.

Something rustles in the bushes next to us. I dig my fingers into Clay's mail shirt. If the werewolf jumps out at us, should I stay with Clay or should I run for it?

It's not a werewolf, though, only River, but I know which one gives me more nightmares. Right now she looks like some kind of angry forest spirit, with leaves sticking out of her hair and wild eyes.

"They're half a mile ahead," she pants to nobody in particular, but everyone stops walking.

"Are you sure?" says Angaret, her hand resting on her the hilt of her sword and her eyes almost as wide as River's.

She nods. "The ground's damp, so I could go through the water until I was right under their feet. They were talking about stopping for a break soon." Her lip curls up. "We'll catch them easily."

"That we will. River, show us the way. Everyone, move as quietly as you can. No unnecessary noise, no talking. I want to surprise them." Then she turns on her heel and follows River up the hill, her sword already drawn. 

~

A/N: We're getting to my favourite part of the story now, so I hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! If you're liking the story so far, please don't forget to vote! Also, I'm writing a few short stories to publish in a separate book when this one reaches certain milestones. The first one will hopefully be published soon, after Silver Secrets reaches 100 hits.