Arrows of Time - Kim Falconer [139]
‘Are you insane?’ Everett looked desperate. ‘Rosette’s in deep cryo, subzero saline crystals…’
‘You’re right. Her body is, but she still has a plan.’ He motioned to the elevator as the door opened. ‘Get us to the hospital, fast!’
GAELA—TIME: FORWARD
CHAPTER 30
Kreshkali alighted in the oak, her back wing strokes parting the leaves, the bough swaying briefly as her claws found their grip. From this position, she could observe the progress of the others climbing out of the north end of Treeon Valley. The owl’s night vision gave her an advantage. She wouldn’t be able to see much otherwise, now that the moon was behind thick clouds. The going was steep and progress slow, but there was no sign of pursuit.
Teg stood below her near the edge of the road. He was bipedal and unmoving, his black leather vest wet with sweat, his shoulders taut. Silently she morphed, dropping to the ground behind him.
‘That was close,’ he said as she approached. He didn’t turn but kept his attention on the others climbing the rocky path. ‘Which one’s Jarrod?’
Apparently he could see them clearly. She squinted. ‘He’s running to the left of An’ Lawrence.’
Teg nodded. ‘And the other two?’
‘Don’t know. I suspect Jarrod picked them up somewhere along the way. Another world perhaps. Hopefully they aren’t from this Beltane festival.’
‘Wrong place at the wrong time?’
Kreshkali chuckled and he turned at the sound.
‘No such thing, Teg.’ She tilted her head towards him. ‘Thank you,’ she said, her words in time with her heartbeat. ‘You handled that perfectly.’
He captured her eyes, leaning so close that she could see gold and green flecks when the moon came out from behind the clouds. She was held immobile for a moment. As the cloud cover returned, the moon vanished, and his eyes were again black pools. She shivered.
‘We aren’t free of it yet,’ he said.
Her hand was next to his, their fingers a breath apart. Then he touched her. Like a butterfly, he traced her knuckles once and then drew away. She lingered for a moment in the sensation. An owl hooted in the background, a mournful sound. The crickets had stopped their chatter. Exhaling, she stepped forward and checked the road. ‘All quiet?’ she asked, looking both ways.
There were no lights or sounds of hoof beats. Only the owl and the rustle of wind broke the silence.
‘As still as death,’ he said.
‘That’s not comforting.’
‘Just a metaphor.’
‘Interesting choice.’ She smiled. ‘Teg, when we find Rosette, I want you to stay close to me, no matter what. There could be…’
She never finished the sentence as the temple bells suddenly rang out, the sound ripping through the air, clanging the alarm. It pealed across the valley, urgent and clear, jarring her bones and rattling her mind. ‘Go,’ she said, pushing him forward. ‘Guide them.’
‘To the portal?’
‘I’ll lead from above.’ She shifted into her falcon form, letting out a raptor’s shriek. She needed speed and she knew her destination. They had to reach the portal. A second rescue wouldn’t be so easy and she wanted to avoid a direct confrontation. There had already been one death at Treeon. She didn’t want to cause any more.
The terrain was clear beneath her, the finer details of the night no longer obscured by human sight. She flew high above the valley, staying just ahead of the others. They ran hard, climbing up the rock face and over the valley lip. She whistled long and shrill. Teg was racing down to meet them, urging them on. Good lad. They’d have to hurry to stay in front of the dogs that were pelting towards them. She spotted the dark shapes running up the hill. They were sight hounds and locked on, their quarry well within range. A mounted guard followed, twenty strong. They had to take the road out of the valley, the cliff face too steep for horses, but they were already a quarter of the way up.
She shot out over the dense forest, searching for the glimmer that marked the portal. It wasn’t far off, nestled between granite boulders and a grove of tall redwood trees. When she spotted it she circled, making certain Teg had seen