Arrows of Time - Kim Falconer [52]
Drayco responded by quickening his pace. Rosette grimaced, forcing her legs to work harder. The dense foliage entangled them and the loam became deeper. It slowed the pace considerably. The woods darkened further as the trees thickened. Redwoods shot up in frequent groves, their peeling bark and green leaves rising high above her. The smell of leaf mould and bramble berries filled the air—recognisable yet not quite as she recalled. She dodged a fallen log as Drayco leapt over it.
‘This way,’ she said, slowing her pace until Shane was beside her. She darted left, waving for him to follow.
‘Are you sure?’ he asked, his breath coming in gasps. ‘I’m all turned around.’
‘Not really. I’m all turned around too.’
They ran on, the sound of shouts and barking orders receding in the distance. Drayco moved with ease, his stride still effortless and fluid. Maudi? I have a new idea.
Tell.
Change with me.
She felt the warmth of his mind touch and the glow of his body as he pressed his consciousness against hers. Change with you now?
Yes.
Are you forgetting what happened last time we tried?
This is different.
How so?
It’s an emergency, and there are no sudden drop-offs or children involved.
None that we know of anyway…She considered the idea.
A witch’s bond with her familiar wasn’t only one of companionship, nor was it simply a mind-to-mind contact. Their indivisible link allowed for an even greater merging—an exchange of bodies. As a bonded pair, they could switch forms—her slipping from human body to feline, and he to hers. They did it sometimes while she slept, but this was different. Apparently Drayco thought it would be the next best thing to her shifting to a falcon, even though they’d only done the exchange once when she was conscious—with disastrous results. It took a lot of skill and they hadn’t had time to practise. Even if we manage it smoothly, how’s it going to help? She panted as she sent him the mental query.
You can find the portal much quicker than I can, if you take my form. The Entity is your homing device and you can guide us to it. If we do get tripped up by these guards, you’re free to find Kreshkali or Jarrod and bring help. Meanwhile, I can mind the bard in your form.
Rosette considered. Shifting with Drayco did mean she could at least locate the portal much quicker. Without Rosette—in any form—neither of them were going anywhere. They needed her consciousness to link with the Entity to travel the corridors. Drayco knew the priorities and was being logical. He was also being brave.
There’s no point in all of us being cornered when you’re the one who must survive.
Dray, we’re all going to survive. Don’t worry about that.
Drayco sniffed the air. They’ve worked it out. They’ll be on us in minutes. They’re on horseback, remember?
I remember.
The exchange was a reasonable option in a pinch, and things were getting tight. The guards would catch up with them soon, despite the evasive trail they had left behind. The temple guards had to know these woods much better than she did. As they jagged around a stand of boulders Rosette didn’t recognise, she made a choice.
All right, Drayco. Let’s do it. I can lead the way to the portal, and you and Shane can follow.
Are you going to tell him? Drayco rolled his eyes towards Shane.
No time. Come, before I lose my nerve.
Think easy and it will be easy.
She felt the soft pull of Drayco coaxing her out of her body and into his. Easy it is.
Her limbs let go of her human form and found shape in the essence of the temple cat. It was like putting on a new winter coat—arms slid into forelegs, hands into paws, her upright spine lowering into a smooth arch above the ground as they ran. She felt her life energy flowing down the length of his shoulders and back to his hind legs, her pace no longer the churning pump of a biped but the graceful lope of a wild animal in the woods—tireless, majestic and formidable. For a moment they were together, the boundaries of their bodies blurred and souls intermingling, then