Arrows of Time - Kim Falconer [53]
Rosette revelled, basking in the strength of the feline’s body, her mental anxiety vanishing as she succumbed to the new sensations. She felt the smooth glide of her paws over loam the impact of each stride releasing a wealth of rich aromas. The scent brought a pungency of information that made her whiskers tremble, her tongue water. White-tailed deer had browsed here only minutes ago. A family of bush pigs hunkered nearby, disturbed from a midmorning snooze. She could hear their grunts and squeaks, visualising them lined up in a row, half covered with dirt, their pink snouts poking out of the black soil, worms in their teeth. Ripe blackberries swelled, sweet as jam, and the sun streamed in from holes in the leafy canopy. It formed shafts of gold against the dark wood, a perspective she’d never seen before.
She drew in another breath, scenting. There were feathered nests with spotted eggs deep under grey down, redwood bark peeling from the limbs of great trees, fairy ferns beneath the bracken, a babbling stream full of crawdads and minnows, a lumbering bear and two cubs on the far side. Each image was depicted through their auras and aromas, the new sensations rich with meaning. Rosette could taste them all on her tongue, and it made her head spin with delight and prickling curiosity.
Focus, Maudi! We’re fleeing danger, not sniffing out a picnic site.
She snapped to her senses, concentrating on the threat of the guards. Drayco and Shane had fallen behind. Got it.
The sound of the guards entering the woods was clear as her breath. The great bulk of the warhorses moved surprisingly fast through the trees. They were in their element and knew the way. She heard the order given for some riders to head north and south, effectively cutting them off. Seconds later, she detected a troop of riders on the road. Damn. More are coming.
Glad you can hear them.
She looked back at Drayco running hard in her body. You okay, Dray? You look a little…
A little what?
Strained?
It’d have been better if you’d warned me about the sore foot. What’s wrong with these boots?
Sorry. They’re new, remember? Bought them in Flureon before we left.
You could have mentioned it.
I don’t like to dwell on negatives.
He squared his shoulders. And what’s with the breasts? I feel like a newly calved heifer.
It’s cyclic, you know…premenstrual.
Great. You better get out of here before I change my mind.
Drayco’s words were stern but his intonation full of warmth. She felt good in her heart and her hopes lifted.
She sped on, sensing for the portal. She couldn’t detect it. Problem, Drayco.
What’s that?
I still can’t locate the portal. It’s got to be due south.
Unless we’ve passed it.
I’ll race on, doubling back if I can’t find it in the next few minutes.
Be quick, Maudi. Be safe.
She let out a rumbling growl before shooting off into the woods. You too, she echoed back to him, and don’t forget Shane. He’s lost without us.
She heard a faint chuckle.
He might be just as lost with us, Maudi.
Rosette laughed in her mind, unable to replicate the sound in her throat. I think you’ll be fine, Dray…as long as they don’t have dogs. Keep following. The moment she sent the message, she heard the baying. Apparently they not only had dogs, but the beasts were yowling as if their quarry was in sight. Dray?
I hear ’em. Don’t worry. Run.
‘Where’s he off to?’ Shane asked.
‘Ahead.’
‘Do you hear dogs?’
‘Just keep running,’ Drayco commanded, speaking the words as if he had a hot marble in his mouth.
Shane’s face twisted. ‘Are you okay?’ he asked.
The woman beside him did not answer.
Rosette charged ahead in her temple cat’s form, leaping fallen logs and tangles of undergrowth with ease, putting distance behind her with every stride. For a few miles she coursed in a zigzag pattern, searching out the portal. Eventually she could see it in her mind’s eye. It felt as if an invisible force was drawing her closer, propelling her faster than she had ever