Streamfield Shifters: Hide & Seek

Chapter Ten

Through the screen of trees, I could see the criss-cross of yellow police caution tape. Leihalani did not pause; she simply ducked beneath the tape and continued on. I, however, eyed the tape with some trepidation. Law-abiding citizens didn't cross police lines. Then again, a child's life was hanging in the balance. Better to ask forgiveness than permission, I thought grimly and shoved my way past it. Hopefully there was some truth to that old saying.

The loader had done a number in this area. A huge ditch, nearly twenty feet wide and thirty feet long had been excavated; piles of dirt lay nearby that were almost twice my height. Cheap plastic tables lay upside down nearby, along with several folding chairs. I stepped around a jackhammer with a broken blade that had been left next to the ditch and stood near Leihalani.

Arms folded, the elf stared into the ditch, feathery eyebrows furrowed. Hitching the backpack to settle more comfortably on my shoulders, I followed her gaze. The loader had dug in front of and behind the silvery stones, leaving a thin strip of dirt and grass between them.

My brows furrowed. Puzzled, I turned to the Leihalani. "Are we still able to use it?" I found it passing strange that they had dug around the stones, rather than between them. Had the Gate's magic prevented them from doing so?

She huffed, then nodded. "Yes, but it's going to take me while to move enough dirt to stand on. I have to touch the stones to activate the Gate."

Hadn't I been present when she wielded grass like a living weapon? "Uhm, aren't you an earth-magic user? Can't you just make stairs or something?"

Leihalani flicked silver eyes in my direction before returning to stare at the Gate. "My magic is plant-related, not dirt and rocks." She sighed. "Sadly, constructing complex items is not relative to my skill level."

Great.

I gauged the height from the base of the ditch to the nearest stone. Leihalani was significantly taller than I—at least five-eleven to my five-six. But she was also slimmer. I didn't like the idea that formed in my mind, but what else could we do?

"What if you got on my shoulders? Think that would help?"

She looked me up and down. "That might work."

Well, she didn't have to be so eager about it.

I walked around the massive pit, looking for the best way to get down. Thankfully, a ramp had been constructed on the right side, so we descended to the bottom from there. As we picked our way through the ditch, I couldn't shake the feeling that we were going to be caught at any moment. The fact that we hadn't tripped any wards made me wonder if the cops simply dismissed the site and were taking their time in fixing the damage.

Once we reached base of the Gate, I shucked off my backpack. I'd never had anyone on my shoulders before (all of my kid relatives preferred the men to play piggyback) so I hoped I didn't blow my back out with this stunt. I squatted and braced myself for the elf's weight.

Leihalani slipped one leg, then the other, over my shoulders. "Ready?"

"Sure," I grunted, wrapping my arms around her legs. Lift with your back, not your knees, I chanted as I wobbled, straining, upright. Up went the elf. While she didn't weigh as much as I expected, it was still considerable.

Sweat popped out on my forehead, underarms and lower back as I strained to remain standing. My knees trembled as I swayed back and forth. "Got it?" I groaned. Please, please, please ...

Leihalani stretched out, scrabbling for the stone as dirt peppered me in the face. Wincing, I swayed.

"Aioh úllaine," she whispered.