Shadows of the Night | BOOK 2 DRAFT

11

11.

Nobody ever taught me how to swim. I never left my village, never saw a large body of water, never experienced the sensation of kicking for the earth and not finding it. So, perched in the scrub as I stare out at the large expanse of black water, I feel a pit deep in my stomach. I am way out of my depth.

The earth transitions to rocks before us, the tide pulsing against it like a heartbeat. Beside me, I feel the heat of Eric's body.

"This it it?" I ask.

"The ocean," he confirms.

The moon ripples on the water like a drop of white paint. It doesn't smell like pine anymore, but salt. But beyond the coin of the moon, a thick fog clothes the sky. I can't see anything.

"Anything?" I ask.

He pauses, then shakes his head. "They could be anywhere."

I don't know what I expected to see when we got to the coast—some sort of sign, any indication people have passed through here, anything that alluded to the fact that we were heading the right way. But there's nothing. I leave Eric perched in the bushes and make my way back to our makeshift camp. Malik foraged together a shelter from broken branches and fallen leaves to create a shelter for Cassia, who leans against the rock face, hand clutching her stomach. She looks awful, a sheen of sweat across her pale skin. She woke up an hour ago and even though she insisted on walking, Eric carried her the whole way.

"See anything?" she asks. The hope in her eyes evaporates when I shake my head.

Across from her, Anastasia sits against a tree, knees pulled to her chest. I can feel her eyes on me but I can't look at her. It's so hard to remain composed, to keep myself from grabbing her shoulders and demanding her to tell us where Elias is. But I can't lose it. Not like Eric did. Not now.

"I'm going for a walk," I say.

"No." Eric doesn't look at me when he returns, just goes straight to Cassia. "Too dangerous."

"Excuse me?"

His eyes meet mine, nonchalant. "I said no."

"I won't go far. I just want to have a look around the beach to see if there's anything."

"You're not going anywhere."

Cassia shifts on the ground. "Eric—"

"The last thing we need is another incident," he says.

His comment stings, but I clench my jaw. I know Cassia said he was worried about me, but I've been working hard in the time that he's been gone, and his lack of faith in my abilities hurts more than anything.

"I'll go with her," Malik interjects before I can say anything.

"The hollower is your responsibility," Eric snaps.

"Fine, then she can come, too," I say, grabbing her arm and pulling her up, mostly because I'm not entirely confident that Eric wouldn't torture her if both Malik and I left. Eric stares at me, a challenge brewing in his eyes. But finally, he sighs and looks back to Cassia. A wave of triumph washes over me and I look to Malik, nodding in thanks, before snatching a dagger and sliding it at my ankle.

The foliage and fauna are all new to me, the pine trees replaced by shorter, less densely packed forest. Tallgrass surrounds us, and the temperature has spiked from the shifter village. I peel my sweater off and tie it around my waist as we reach the beach. Malik walks stealthily ahead, posture on high alert.

"This is where they found you?" I ask Anastasia.

Malik answers when she doesn't. "A couple miles inland, but they tracked her tracks all the way to this beach. They ended at the waters edge." He kneels to the ground and picks up a stone, throws it across the beach. It stops at the bottom of a cluster of boulders. "I'm going to climb up on that rock, see if I can get a better vantage point. You okay down here?"