DARKNESS

DARKNESS | Chapter 27

"Everybody wants a flame, they don't want to get burnt."
- James Blunt (Bonfire Heart)

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

One week later

Never before has my knack for improvisation failed me. During the course of my time amongst the Immortals, I've allowed the most absurd of ideas to enter my mind and, most of the time, determine my actions. But what does one hope to achieve when they no longer have a purpose?

I set out with Brayden to capture Kale and Blake in hopes of upsetting Ash. I'd involved the Anderson brothers on my journey in hopes of discovering information. I'd ran from the Rebellion to be free and dictate my own actions. Now that I have acquired that valued liberty, I find myself at a loss. What am I to do now?

"I found this." Kale makes an appearance after scouring the forest for food, his chest rising and falling deeply. The cassowary wounds on his shoulder are now almost fully healed and he is back to full health.

His fingers brush mine as he hands me the piece of yellowed paper.

'WANTED:
Harper Bryant.
For the abduction and possible murder of Blake and Kale Anderson.
Large reward to be claimed upon her body being delivered to the Shadow castle, dead or alive.'

I scrunch up the paper in my hands and throw it as far as I can, watching with distaste as the light ball of paper falls to the ground only five metres away.

"Just great," I mumble. I now have no plan and I'm wanted dead or alive by Ashleigh himself. My strategies are shit. I can't play this game. I'm at a loss of ideas as to my next move.

"It's okay, we'll think of something," Kale assures me.

"Have you seen Blake?"

"I thought he was with you."

"He told me he was going with you to look for food. That asshole."

"He might not be gone yet."

"He's gone alright. I watched him walk off into the forest, thinking he'd stay true to his word. I'm an idiot. I knew this could happen."

"You knew this would happen."

"True."

"Do we really need him?"

"Do we really want him telling everything to you father?"

"He doesn't know everything."

"Are you sure about that?"

"He doesn't know our next move."

"But that, my friend, is a piece of information even we don't know."

"And that's precisely why we need to do something completely unpredictable."

"Going into the western portion of forest was unpredictable."

"No, almost dying by a damn cassowary was unpredictable. The western portion was a walk in the park in comparison."

"I'm glad we're out of there."

Kale and I have been camping out in the forest to the north of my house, close to a path frequently travelled by soldiers as we plan whatever we are going to do.