I blinked as the leaves fell to the ground in a blanket all around me, revealing Xander’s looming form only a few feet away. His jaw was clenched in a firm line, his golden eyes flashing as he reached for me.
His warm hands grabbed onto me, jarring me out of my reverie. “Aileana,” he barked my name. “What in Kydona’s name is going on?”
Shaking my head, blood drained from my face as I stared at my trembling hands. “I-I don’t know, but we need to go. The Red Shadow is coming.”
And if he catches me, everything I’ve done to escape will be for naught.
To his credit, Xander took one look at my face and didn’t question me. “Okay. Let’s go.”
Lacing our fingers together, Xander pulled me through the forest.
I let him, my mind too occupied with thoughts of the spirit we had just seen to do anything more than lift my feet. We stumbled over fallen logs and under branches, constantly pushing ourselves forward. Seconds ticked by into minutes, and still, we pressed on.
My lungs burned from the constant strain on my body, but we continued to run. By the time we came to a small stream, I dropped to my knees without a second thought and cupped my hands. The water streamed through my fingers, most of it landing on my chin and clothes, but I didn’t have the energy to care.
Having quenched my thirst, I turned to Xander. He too was crouched by the stream, but he made drinking from his hands look easy. I hated that.
Clearing my throat, I wiped my hands awkwardly on my cloak. “How will Jo and Daegal know where we’ve gone?”
Xander shook his head. “They’ll be fine. Daegal will See that we’ve left. We have a backup plan.”
He fell silent. I stared at him, waiting expectantly. After a minute, I cleared my throat. “Do you care to fill me in on this mysterious plan?”
He jolted. “Oh. Yes. In the case that we should get split up, we are to find shelter and wait for the next two days.”
“Two days,” I repeated.
Alone. With Xander. That sounded like torture.
“Yes,” he nodded, oblivious to my discomfort. “That should be enough for them to find us. I know of a safe place nearby where we can stay.” He sounded so sure of himself that I just nodded.
Xander pushed himself to his feet, and I followed suit. My body was already aching, and I was not looking forward to running through the forest again.
Holding out his hand, Xander looked at me. “Are you ready to keep going?”
Since the only options seemed to be to run for my life or let the Red Shadow capture me, I knew I didn’t really have any choice. I swallowed, putting my hand back in his.
Forcing my voice to remain steady, I said, “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
We began to run once more.
Xander never let go of my hand.
* * *
We ran for three more hours. The forest was never-ending. Everything around us looked the same. Dark trees, dark shadows, and dark leaves surrounded us on all sides. Xander seemed to have an innate ability to see where we were going, despite the late hour.
In the back of my mind, I was wondering how far the male had traveled in his life that he considered this length of travel time “nearby”.
I had long since given up trying to remember where we were. Just like before, Xander seemed to know exactly what direction we were going in. He led us with ease, his every stride filled with confidence. For once, I wasn’t upset by his bossiness.
The night fell, the sun slipped below the horizon, and we continued forward.
Myhhena’s words echoed in my mind, a backdrop to the symphony of our pounding feet and my hammering heart. Even the forest animals seemed to still as we hurried past.
Run.
Run.