Riddle Me This?

Chapter 9

The sound of the leaves crunching under my feet echoed through the forest, bouncing off the trees and rocks, probably alerting anyone who might be on patrol. Here we are. Come and get us. After all that, there was bound to be somebody looking for two kids who walked out of the side of a mountain. Noam and Meris didn't speak as we scaled the hills, and neither did I. Matt followed behind me, silent. His face hadn't changed, stayed all pinched in the hint of a frown he wore. Only his hazel eyes were any different, and the fright and worry in them probably mirrored my own. The trees were smaller here, and jutted all crooked out of the ground bare and rocky ground. Caves dotted the side of the mountain. One phrase flew around inside my head. Brandon knew.

He couldn't have. No way.

But that was the only way it made sense for him to act the way he had.

But how could he have known about this? About this world? About who was waiting on the other side? At least he tried to stop us.

Still wish he was here.

I kept my eyes down on the still muddy ground, just in case, but the rocks and gravel sticking up out of the ground gave the bottom of my tennis shoes some traction.

Much better. Just the sounds of the woods behind us meant there had to be no one following. Probably still trying to figure out what just happened. I risked a question. "Where exactly is this camp?"

Meris glanced back. "Noam and I have been camping in one of the caves up here while we wait to meet up with someone to collect some news." She lifted her right hand and pointed to an opening maybe six feet wide and tall in the side of the mountain. "That one, to be precise." Without another word, she walked ahead and disappeared into entrance. Noam paused at the opening and turned.

"Come in as soon as you can." He gave a half smile and ducked inside.

Matt and I stood together, watching the cave entrance.

"So do we go in?" My elbow still stung, but the bleeding had stopped. What I wouldn't give right now for soap. At least the cut wasn't that deep, as far as I could tell.

Matt raised one eyebrow. "Follow two strangers into a cave?"

"Well, either way, the odds are sort of against us here, right?" I took one step closer to the cave. "I just wish we outnumbered them."

"Me too."

"I think Brandon knew."

Matt nodded. "I figured. I just don't know why he would."

"Maybe he guessed." The thought was so surreal. Guessed what, exactly? I forced my mind to pull back again. If my mind decided to crash later, then it could, but not yet.

Noam was nice, and Meris didn't seem so bad, just a little intense. Both surprised, to be sure, that we were here at all, and both of them pretty afraid of the soldiers in green. If they lived here, they had to know best. "Regardless, I'd really rather be with those two right now than out here."

"I know, but—"

"Matt." I took a deep breath and braced myself. Going in. Don't be scared. You can always run. "It's cold. I'm going in there, and I already know you're gonna follow me. Just...don't be long." I hurried to the cave. Let him be suspicious. The ceiling hung just a few inches above my head. My eyes took a moment to adjust to the sudden change, and an orange glow from deeper in the cave drew me forward. The tunnel curved for a few yards, then opened out into a bigger chamber. Matt's shoes scuffed on the tunnel floor a few yards behind me.

Noam looked up from the fire as we walked toward the glow. "Sit down, please," he said. "Get warm." He looked over. "Are you sure I can't at least run some water over your elbow?