Dust (Of Dust and Darkness) - By Devon Ashley Page 0,79
shimmering liquid. It splashes into a moist creek that flows down and away. The cool drops splattering randomly into the air feel wonderful against my bare legs.
Jack returns and takes my hand, hurrying me away, still carrying the lantern and wing clamp with his other hand. “Rosalie, do you remember the map and where you’re going?”
“Sort of,” I admit.
“The map is in your bag. Pull it out if you need to, but keep it dry and safe otherwise. I’ve packed some food and a water canteen, but it’s only if you really need it. You need to always be on the lookout for food and water, and eat as you go. If you find something in surplus, stuff what you can into your bag. But I’m serious Rosalie, don’t eat what’s in your bag until you’re in dire need. It’s meant to feed you if you’re on the run, temporarily trapped up in a tree, or whatever.”
“Okay.” My fingers wrap tighter around his at the thought of being chased up a tree. I’d have to actually climb it. Can I do it before whatever’s chasing me catches up?
“You’re wearing your only faerie clothes. There are two sets of smaller clothes, a blanket, and rope to tie a raft. Think you can build a raft?”
I huff. “I built myself a tree house. I’m pretty sure I can figure it out.”
I can’t see it because he’s leading the way, but I sense the smile on his face when he responds, “Okay. Do you know how to navigate if you get lost?”
“I don’t understand. I’m basically lost from the start. I run until I find the trail, travel until it bends, and keep going straight until I hit the river. Right?”
“Right, but if you get turned around, do you know how to use the North Star?”
“All I know is that it’s really bright.” I’ve spent many nights outside my tree house, lying atop the canopy, admiring its brightness.
Jack stops, and I pull up beside him. He releases my hand and his eyes search the sky. Pointing upward to the right, he tells me, “That’s the North Star.” I shake my head in agreement. He pushes on my shoulder and twists me directly before it. “Any time you’re facing directly at this star, you’re facing true north.”
“Okay.”
He pulls me back into motion, quickening our speed. “You’re mostly going to be traveling east. So if we were in the forest right now, and you were directly facing the North Star, which way would you go?”
I think for a moment… “I don’t know. We were never really taught this in my Hollow ‘cause we knew our land like the back of our hands. We didn’t get lost.”
“Alright…”
Jack comes to an abrupt halt, and I barely stop short to avoid colliding with him. I’m completely silent because I know why we’ve stopped. His hand plays with the air before him, and the glow from the lantern eventually catches a ripple that’s supposed to be invisible. We’re already at the barrier of the prison. And just on the other side is the spriggans’ camp.
He blows the lantern out. Turning to face me, my eyes adjust quickly to the shades of gray building up around me, thanks to the glow of the moon. He squeezes my hand softly. “We don’t have time for me to check the campsite, because there’s only one entry point and this isn’t it. It’d take me at least ten minutes to check the site, enter and fly my way back to this spot. So we’re going through together.”
I nod, anxiety building up within, gnawing at the lining in my stomach.
“Remember, you’re a faerie. So don’t freak out or act all guilty if someone catches us. If they do, you’re my girl and I snuck you in, because you wanted to see the prison.”
You’re my girl…those words, and the protective way he says them, will forever be replayed in my mind. My chest pinches at the realization that I’m probably feeling his fingers cross with mine for the last time. Ever.
He pulls me through the invisible barrier, the magic tickling the fine hairs on my skin. I hold my breath until we step into the real world, and feel the breeze slide along my skin. I immediately hear the forest’s nocturnal occupants: owls hooting, crickets chirping, frogs croaking, and the slight buzz as a lightning bug crosses our path, illuminating the path it’s taking every few seconds.