Chasing Sparks

Chapter 15.2

Celie was certain now that she was being hunted. The only reason for leaving the Sneak behind, was to take care of some unpleasant business. Unpleasant business, like disposing of the person who had been following them for the last nine days.

She stopped herself from looking around, and making it obvious she knew. But if the Sneak was watching her now, it would likely have overheard the same conversation she had just heard. The Sneak would also have reasoned that she now knew of, or at least suspected, its presence.

In which case, the Sneak would feel it was time to do what needed doing. Celie could feel the tension creeping back into her fingers. Tension that could mean only one thing. Fear. She was scared.

She had told herself with everything that had happened recently, she didn’t care if she died or not. But her body seemed to feel different. It clearly didn’t want to die. She could pretend to herself all she wanted, but the feeling she felt now was that primal feeling any animal gets when it knows its life is in danger. The feeling of fear. Fear of death.

If she continued to just sit there and do nothing, it was just a matter of time before a poison tipped bold hit her in the neck. So she gave up trying not to look suspicious and peered carefully around the room trying to spot anything out of the ordinary. Nothing.

But that didn’t mean anything. It was time to act. Her only chance was to put the Sneak on the back foot. Thinking quickly, she came up with a plan. A terrible plan. A desperate and degrading plan that lacked any real chance of success, but it was all she could come up with, so she went with it.

“Hi boys,” she said, walking over to the group of wells she had been eavesdropping on.

“I’ve been walking in the stinking woods for a week. I smell like, well you can probably smell me from over there. I’m sure one of you handsome fellows has got a room upstairs with a bath I could use”.

The whole group turned to look at the little forest woman approaching them. One of the Terrons leered at her and predictably said something crude that Celie didn’t quite catch. Her attention was focused on the leader.

“Don’t mind my obnoxious friend over there,” the Krill said with a look of mock disdain for the Terron, “There is a big bath in my room. Will this suffice for your needs?”

Celie was caught by surprise at the politeness of the response, but rolled with it. “That is very kind and gentlemanly of you. Would you also be kind enough to show me where your room is,” the implication obvious in her voice. 

The same Terron as before made a strange noise, not dissimilar to the howling of a wolf, which brought peels of laughter from the others around the table.

“Like I said,” the lead Krill said, stifling his own mirth at the wolf noise, “Please ignore my uncouth animal friends and allow me to escort you to my room.”

He offered his arm, which Celie took. She did this, however, without directly looking at the Krill, her awareness focussed on the room around her. She knew she wouldn’t likely see the Sneak directly, but trusted her wider vision and senses. Then she saw it, as they turned to the stairs, just a slight movement or flicker out of the corner of her eye, but something had disappeared quickly up the stairs.

Celie clenched her teeth together. All doubt was gone now. She was right, a Sneak was about to try and kill her. She walked slowly, even stopping and pulling the Krill towards her at one point to whisper something or other in his ear. She wanted to give the Sneak time to get into the Krill’s room.

She assumed the Sneak knew which room each of the boys was in and therefore knew where she was currently heading. She expected the Sneak to be waiting for her in the room.