Agent Moonlark

Chapter Twenty Three

Sophie

Sophie quickly found the stables. The wooden structure was old and looked ready to fall apart at any moment, but when she touched one of the walls, it felt sturdy.

She beckoned Keefe over to the side of the stables. He swiftly crouched down beside her as she peered over the edge.

"See that person?" She pointed to a man in front of the stables. "You're going to distract him."

"Wait why me?"

"Because I have a feeling you will be more entertaining." She grabbed a Blinker, something Dex had made. It allowed the wearer to turn invisible, or camouflage with their surroundings. She clasped it on her wrist, making it look like a normal friendship bracelet. She rummaged in her pockets and found another for the horse she was going to borrow.

"Foster, can you please tell me what you're doing? And what the heck that is?" He pointed to the bracelet.

"This is a Blinker. No time to say what it's for. And basically, I'm going to go in to get us a horse while you're making friendly conversation with that guy."

"And this is why you are the brains of the operation," Keefe said. "Where do you even come up with these plans?"

"In my brain." She made sure her dagger was securely in her boot. "Ok, in three, two-"

She stopped abruptly and glanced around them.

"Did you hear that?" Keefe asked, voicing her thoughts.

There was a rustling in the trees, so small only a skilled eye could have caught it. Then a girl their age tumbled out.

"Foster, abort mission," Keefe whispered. "We have been caught. I repeat-"

"What are you guys doing in my spot?" the girl asked. Her ice blue eyes glared accusingly at them.

Sophie took in the girl's appearance. The girl's blond hair was dirty and looked like it hadn't been brushed for days. Her clothes were torn and it was almost impossible to tell their original color. She was too skinny to be healthy.

"Your spot?" Keefe asked. "What do you mean, your spot?"

The girl crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, I-"

"You ran away, didn't you?" Sophie interrupted. Panic flitted across the girl's features for a split second, confirming Sophie's suspicions.

"No, I-"

"There's no use denying it. It's obvious."

"Don't worry, we won't snitch," Keefe added. "As long as you don't rat us out."

The girl cocked her eyebrow. "Why are you doing this?"

"We just want to help," Sophie said. And she was telling the truth. She couldn't imagine the struggles this girl must have gone through. She desperately wanted to help her.

"What can you even do to help me?" She looked at Sophie and Keefe warily.

"A lot," Keefe said. He leaned against the stable wall, shifting into a more comfortable position.

"Trust us," Sophie put in. "We can help a lot more than you think."

The girl closed her eyes for a minute, then sat down beside Sophie. "My name's Marella Redek. I don't trust you, but whatever you two have to offer is better than my life right now. It can't get any worse. And that's all I'm telling you." She glared at the ground.

Sophie wanted to know what had made Marella run away, but she knew better than to pry. Instead she nodded and put her hand on Marella's shoulder.

"Stay here," Sophie said. "Keefe's going to cause a distraction, and I'm going to get us some horses."