The Duchess Cannot Sleep || ONC 2021

15 | The Search

The storm lasted more than a half an hour, not relenting for a moment and leaving Reide pacing around the red team's alcove and raking a hand through his hair every few minutes. When the rain finally lightened up enough to see to the other side of the Reel, he dashed out before anyone could stop him.

By the time thunder struck again, Reide was already into the woods, slipping in puddles of mud and not even hitting the ground before he was up and running again. "Dreya! Lan! Kella!"

When no one responded, he skidded on the trail, breathing heavy and swiveling in search of movement or color. "Caza! Gid! Is anyone out here?"

It took three tries before someone responded from up the mountain. "We're dry as bone, Reide!"

He raced up the trail as two boys climbed back down it, makeshift hiking sticks prodding in front of them, almost completely untouched by the rain. Lan and Caza, the red team scouts.

"Did you find a cave?" Reide let out a breath when they nodded and a spark of hope lit in his chest for the others.

"Did anyone else get stuck up here?" Caza asked.

Reide was already scanning the forest for them. "Yeah. Gid, Kella, and Dreya, the dark-haired girl who came with me and Tari today. I'm going to keep searching. Blow the horn when you get back and keep an eye out for if anyone else returns."

They both nodded and started past him, and Reide continued further up the mountain, calling after the lost players and receiving no response. Several minutes later, the clear, low call of the Mandy Reel horn sounded from the crater, signaling the end of the game. Still, no one emerged from the trees or the trails.

He checked every spot the Mandies had ever been, ran up the trail he'd hidden by with Andreya, raced past every cave he knew of.

"Dreya!" he called out into the woods. "Kella!"

He didn't feel like his panic was so irrational anymore. "Andreya, where are you!"

"Reide, what in the world?"

Reide spun around to where, a good twenty paces down the mountain, a brunet a year or two younger than him stared with his hands on his hips.

"You're a mess," Gid shouted up at Reide. "Kella and who have gone missing?"

"Dreya." Reide skidded down the trail and met him where he stood. "Dark hair, Nasavtean, from the Mixed District. She's never been in these woods before, I shouldn't have left her—"

Gid flicked a hand up. "Don't beat yourself up, mate. She's with Kella?"

"They could have gotten separated."

"Then I'll search for Kella and you search for your Nasavtean friend." He patted Reide's shoulder and took a few steps down the trail. "And since neither of them have responded to your incessant yelling yet, they might not be able to, so I'd use your eyes instead. I hope they're in a cave somewhere."

Reide had grown up on this mountain to know he'd searched every cave it had, but he still managed a smile as Gid jogged off. Now the only people unaccounted for were Andreya and Kella.

Of course Andreya would be one of the lost players.

Reide pressed a hand to his thrumming chest and blew out a long breath. She was immortal. She would be fine.

Kella, on the other hand, might not.

──── ❉ ❉ ❉ ────

Andreya didn't know how long they'd been sitting next to the rock, but at some point, Kella had either fallen asleep or feinted, and she lay now in Andreya's arms, sharing both warmth and an odd sense of comfort in simply not being alone.