Awakening

Chapter 10

I took my time wandering back to the cave, trying to process how quickly my life has changed in a matter of days. By some miracle Tom had made his way back into my life again, and here I was, already pushing him back out. I felt a hole in my chest I'd be ignoring for years reopen, and I had to choke back tears as I approached the cave. He was sitting on the ground, trying to rewrap his sprained ankle.

"Here, let me," I said, bending down to help with the bandage.

"Any luck?"

"Sort of, he'll let you two go. I don't think he means me any harm," I sighed.

"I'm not leaving you behind Addy. Last time I left you behind, well..." His gaze turned to the ground. He didn't have to say it, we both knew what happened.

"That wasn't your fault, and this time is different. I can take care of myself," I nodded.

"Why does he even want you anyways?" Tom asked.

"He thinks I'm some sort of vessel, that magic gets stuck in me. He's worried the Mages or Ragamons might try to use me, but I think he's taking me to the rebels," I whispered.

"That's an even better reason for me to stay with you," he said, grasping my good hand, his green eyes boring into mine.

"Look Tom... I'm lucky to be alive and some what free at this point. By all rights I should be in a mages prison or a Ragamon cage. Evelyn can't do this on her own, and the sisters are running out of time. Please trust me," I squeezed his hand.

Tom hesitated for a moment, then he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small black stone. It wasn't a precious stone, but it had been polished to a shine and there was a deep crack running through it. He pressed it firmly into my palm and closed my fingers over it, and I could feel the tingle of magic seep into my skin.

"This is a tracking stone. When you need me to come find you, break it in half along the crack, twist, and press the sides together. It's linked to me so no one else should be able to detect the magic," he said.

I nodded and tucked the stone deep into my dress, hoping that my weird ability did not interfere with Tom's magic.

"So does this mean you'll let me go?" I smiled.

"When have I ever been the one to let you do anything?" He smiled back.

"I suppose that is true. You should check in with the army anyways, they'll be wondering where you've wandered off to," I said, straightening up.

"About that... I'm fairly certain they think I've defected by now, I'm not certain I can return anymore. Even though I'm a scout and I have more freedom, I'm worried they'll start asking questions about you. I can't have that," he said quietly, eyes downcast.

I nodded solemnly, returning my attention to Evelyn. She fumbled with my knife while trying to slice salted meat that we'd found in Dominic's stores. A knot formed in my stomach, this is who I was trusting the safety of the sisters too? A girl who couldn't even cut something that was already dead and had stopped moving? I sighed and moved to help her, making quick work of the meat with practiced hands.

"If I leave this with you, can you promise me you'll at least try to learn how to use it?" I grumbled.

"You're leaving?" Evelyn's eyes went wide.

"She doesn't have a choice," Dominic came up behind us, his broken compass still dangling from his fingers.

Evelyn eyed him suspiciously, pursing her lips before her gaze fell on the trinket in his hands. It was likely she didn't know what the compass was, powerful mages like her father had no use for common objects with purposes that could replicated with a spell. Compasses, and many other inventions like it, were peddled to the poor and the weak to compensate for their lack of magic.