Persie Merlin and the Witch Hunters - Bella Forrest Page 0,22

Even if I only managed to jog for half of that time.

With that, I headed out. The Institute hallways lay eerily empty, peppered with the slightest hint of bass from somewhere else in the residential annex. I heard girlish laughter erupt behind one door as I passed and thought of Genie. We hadn’t exactly come up with a plan to get her alone with Nathan, but an opportunity had presented itself, and I was freaking glad that Genie hadn’t chickened out at the last moment and hurried after me. She was the most fearless person I knew, but when it came to Nathan… Well, I guessed that took a different kind of courage. I’d hear all about it later, no doubt.

Pressing on through the Institute, I let myself out into the gardens and kept walking up the central path to the far gate. Overhead, the vibrant sunset leaked into the inky blue-black of night, soon to be swallowed up entirely. On my left, a chilly wind rustled the leaves of the pear trees, and I heard the hushed whispers of people hiding behind the sandstone sanctuary of the walled gardens. Friday night was date night for everyone but me, it seemed.

Sliding back the bolt on the gate, I paused for a few seconds, filled with the same bizarre guilt that I felt when I left a store and knew I hadn’t stolen anything, but still wondered if a whole rack of clothes had somehow jumped into my bag. Except in this case, I actually did have contraband on me.

Satisfied that no hunters were going to come and lock me up, I left the Institute’s perimeter and broke into an ungainly jog across the open fields. My knees jarred and my feet couldn’t find a rhythm, but I pushed on, putting more distance between myself and the Institute. I gritted my teeth and forced myself to move faster, knowing I probably looked like the bottom-ranking horse in a serious case of dressage gone wrong. After a hundred yards or so, I tapped on my hoodie pouch.

“You can come out now, but remember—dim those lights and stick to me like glue. If you sense anyone, then puff out of sight.”

The pixies shot out of my hoodie, nudging and smacking each other. It had been a bumpy ride, made worse by their cramped conditions. But they soon got over it, relishing the freedom of flying in the open air. They turned loop-the-loops like fairy dancers, plummeting to the ground before pulling up at the last second and spiraling high in a mesmerizing twist of wings and light. They had an elegance that my running skills desperately lacked, though I hoped I got points for trying.

Engaging my inner crab, I stumbled along the uneven ground, using the moon as my spotlight to avoid rabbit holes and stones. With no pre-planned route, I decided to head for the small church where I’d dug up Fergus’s bones. After all, this was essentially a replay of the night I’d realized I had zero stamina whatsoever. Once I reached the church, I knew I’d find a flat path to follow.

“This … really… freaking… sucks!” I gasped five minutes later, my lungs on fire.

Boudicca fluttered alongside me, pumping her arms and cycling her legs like she was running in mid-air. She flashed me a cheeky grin and gave a whoop of encouragement. The difference was, she didn’t have to wade through lumpy grass and every other potential pitfall cloaked in the semi-darkness. Still, I appreciated the sentiment. Cynane and Spartacus joined Boudicca in pretending to run, and I found myself feeling even more determined to push on. All I needed was the Chariots of Fire theme song, the one my uncle used to play through a loudspeaker whenever the SDC had a sporting event.

Eventually, I hit a shaky sort of momentum. I nearly rolled my ankle on a rock and the ricochets from every footfall splintered up my shins, but every time I slowed down, I got a whack on the back of the head from Boudicca, a jab in the ribs from Cynane, or a tiny slap in the face from Spartacus. They turned out to be far more effective than any trainer, mostly because they had absolutely no compunction about using violence to get results. They kept me moving until I couldn’t even see the Institute anymore.

I’d taken a different path than the one I’d taken on gravedigging night, venturing toward the cliff trail instead of heading