NEW GODS: The Awakening

Danger Everywhere

Ebel's mother followed him all the way to the beginning of the woods, pleading and begging and ordering him to come back home.

"This is none of your concern," Fatma grimaced "You are pointing your arrow on a scared bear."

"Somebody is in danger. That is everyone's concern. Including mine," Ebel argued.

He knew his mother would not give up easily. Then, came the guilt trips.

'Don't leave me alone,' she said.

"Mom, stop this," he cut her off softly.

Her face fell. Her shoulders shagged.
She looked like she might actually cry. They were at the very edge of the forest.

He could see his house from there clearly. It would be hardly more than a few minutes worth of walk for him to return to his house, to his garden.

Perhaps his heart would beat a little less madly then.

But the guilt would burden him for the rest of his life if he gave up now.

His cheeks burned up as he realized the team was effectively waiting for him.

"I have to go. But I will be home by sundown. I promise,"

Fatma seemed no more calm but then a hunter called out to him.

"Tea boy, we have a child to find!" he bellowed mockingly "If you are too scared, then just stay here with your mom and we will find her on our own."

Rowan said nothing. But their silence spoke volumes. They were looking intently upon the woods, face scrunched up.

"We need to go. Things will get more dangerous the lower the sun sets," they spoke with certainty.

"I promise," Ebel swore once more and then with a heavy heart turned his back to his own mother.

As they delved deeper into the woods, Ebel tried to convince himself that he had not done anything bad. He wasn't lying. He genuinely planned to return home before sundown. The mayor would probably not allow the search party to linger out any longer regardless.

Yet it felt wrong. Something felt so twisted.

"Don't," Rowan stopped in their tracks abruptly.

The party froze in shock. A few went for their weapons instead. Ebel shivered at the sight of their long bows and the silver arrows. It reminded him of when he had gone out hunting for the first and last time. By the end of it, he had felt so physically sick that he could not get out of bed for a weekend.

"We go the other way," Rowan announced "Too much danger there."

"Won't Nabi be where danger is?" someone questioned.

"No, that is the weirdest thing," they clutched the pearls in their hand "I can sense threats directed at people I know. Nabi is not in physical danger yet."

"But I thought she was with an Abyssal. How can she be safe?" a policeman Ebel occasionally saw walk through the streets and yell at children that kicked their balls a little too close to shop windows asked.

"The future changes every second. Until Nabi is home with her family, she is every bit unsafe as the worst scenario imaginable. And neither are we. We have no time to be wasting..." a small silence followed "That path is too dangerous too. Follow me."

That turned out to be a pattern. Every few steps they took they were forced to stop in their tracks and go another way because it was too dangerous. Ebel was growing dizzy from all the spins and turns they had to make.