Saving F.

Chapter 11

Newt was more than glad to leave the Graveyard of the Troubled behind. The heft of the place, which had weighed on him in inexplicable ways, gradually abated as they followed the boy into the dark night. He threw a quick glance at Farida to see if she, too, was feeling any better. The previous expression contorting her face was replaced with a look he couldn't read, but at least it wasn't unease.

Now free of emotional burden, Newt became aware of his aching joints as he hunched under the Invisibility Cloak. The cloak barely fit him alone, let alone the two of them, so they had to be extremely careful as they moved. Overall, it was not a comfortable position to be in, but he didn't want to risk exposure when they were closer than ever to rescuing the Thunderbird.

And the physical discomfort did not stop there. Newt's fingers were numb from the tight grip he had to keep on the suitcase, and his shoulder stung from having to pull it closer to him. His other hand was deep in his wand pocket, since he wanted to avoid coming into contact with Farida's bare hand. He ended up looking as if his limbs were glued to his trunk.

But thankfully, the boy did not make it more difficult to go after him. He was walking at a slow, easy pace, and not once had he turned his back or looked anywhere but forwards. Something about how smoothly he moved made it seem like he was gliding rather than ambling. And although the sack he took from Mena was heavy, he carried it without evident effort.

A few minutes passed in complete silence, for even their surroundings were quiet at this hour. But Newt couldn't fully give in to the peacefulness of the night, as vigilance proved to be a must in their pursuit. He and Farida had to make unexpected turns to many obscure streets which were hardly noticeable. They entered passageways that were so narrow that Newt thought he might get stuck in between their cold stony walls. Finally, and oddly enough, they reached a broad plain with nothing but a few scattered trees occupying it. Newt could hear a continuous murmur brushing soothingly against the calm of the night. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Nile running not so far away from them.

But only then did something strange occur.

In the split second in which Newt divided his attention, the boy was gone. Like a mischievous ghost playing tricks, or a wisp of smoke staying true to its nature, he seemed to have vanished into thin air.

Newt turned to Farida only to see that she was as baffled as he was. The possibility of the boy Disapparating was the first thing to cross his mind — but if that had happened, wouldn't he at least have heared a pop? After all, the night was quiet enough for the babbling of a river to be clearly audible, so would a whisper be heard but a shout muffled?

In an anxious impulse, Newt took the cloak off them and pointed at the empty spot.

"He was there just now," he said in a hushed voice, letting the cloak fall on to the ground. "Where did he go?"

"I don't know," Farida answered him in quiet disbelief. "One moment he was there, and the other he was not... did he decide to Disapparate?"

Newt explained to her why he thought otherwise.

"I didn't hear anything, either," said Farida, "and if he wanted to Disapparate, he would have done it from the beginning, right?"

Newt nodded absently, as this was not the main issue on his mind. All his brain was trying to figure out was where the boy had gone. Losing him meant losing what was perhaps their only chance to save the Thunderbird. There was no doubt that the gang of traffickers would leave as soon as possible, now that they had enough supplies. Newt's worry shot up at the thought, but luckily this time his determination was more inexorable than his fear.

He brought out a vial of the Beast-Detecting Powder he had bought from the Geb Market. He wasted no time in spreading it evenly on the area around them, up until the spot where the boy was last seen. Then he and Farida stood in trepidation, waiting for the reaction to occur. It was their only hope.