Faith is Fallen (Broken Fantasies Series)

Chapter 32

Cara and Mike ran, tripping over roots and rocks, sticks and other detritus. They ran until everything hurt—their feet, ankles, legs, lungs, everything. They nearly collapsed at the side of the first road they came across. It took a while before either of them caught their breath enough to speak.

"We're not likely to catch a ride on this road, Mike. It's rarely used."

"Well, isn't that just lovely. Still, we need to keep going. What's in that direction?" He pointed at the trees on the other side of the road.

"More trees for miles."

"But will we ever encounter civilization?"

"Well, of course. But we could just as easily get hopelessly lost in the process. We should stay by the road. At least there's a chance someone might drive by."

"But what if that someone works with your brother? We can't take that chance."

"But then can we trust anyone? Where would it end?"

"What about your friend? That Val guy."

Cara slapped her pocket, a sick feeling sinking into her stomach. "I don't have my phone. He has no way of reaching me."

"I didn't grab mine either." He looked down at himself. Mike stood on the side of the road wearing a pair of Val's pajama pants, and nothing else. "I didn't even grab a pair of shoes."

"Oh, Mike. I didn't even think. Your feet must be killing you from running through the woods like that."

"I'll live. And that's the important part, now isn't it?"

"Yes, it is." She looked around her, and decided to risk it, for the sake of Mike's feet. "Walk on the edge of the pavement or this grassy area here. It will be easier on your feet. If we see anyone coming, we can duck into the tree line."

"What if they could help us?"

"If I don't sense any magic, I'll try to flag them down."

"Are you certain you'll be able to sense it?"

"Yes. And if I can't, they're probably not strong enough to be a threat to us."

"Right."

And so they started walking. Cara gliding gracefully, and Mike limping painfully, but every step was one step further from Beathan, and that was all that mattered.

#

Mike griped constantly about how far away from civilization she lived. It was a constant litany of complaints that rotated between how much his feet hurt, the fact that nobody had passed them on the road, and how they hadn't seen anything in hours except road and trees.

Cara tolerated it all in silence. Though not having shoes on herself proved a hardship, she'd had plenty of times in the past where she had to walk over rough terrain, and the shoes back then were almost worse than walking barefoot. But she didn't say that, choosing instead to just push forward.

By midday, they reached a Walmart. "We're never going to go unnoticed."

"What, you mean the whole shoes and shirts required bit most stores have in the windows?" He laughed at their ragged appearance.

"Yes, precisely. Look for a couple of stones. I have an idea."

They quickly found a couple of pieces of quartz half buried in the ground and small enough for her purposes. She spoke a spell over them, and handed one to Mike, keeping the other for herself.

"What'll this do?"

She smirked. "Allow us to go unnoticed, of course."

"We could have used that earlier."

She shrugged. "It only works if someone isn't actively looking for you."

"So, it wouldn't work with your brother, then."

They started walking, and she shook her head. "No. And if he's paying enough attention, he might even be able to sense it. Altering perceptions take more power than a lot of other things."

"Even more than killing?"

Cara's mind drifted back to their conversation so short a time ago, and a familiar guilt seeped in at her own inability to stop things sooner. "Killing is probably one of the easiest things a Fae can do."

He stopped. "That doesn't exactly speak well of your kind."

"No, it doesn't." She didn't turn back. She didn't face him. She couldn't.

#

They left the store with a backpack full of supplies. Some things they'd put on in the store, like a shirt and jacket for Mike, socks and shoes for Cara. Mike cleaned his feet and applied some bandages to them in the bathroom. Cara shuddered to think how nasty it must be. The women's bathroom was pretty bad itself.

"How's your feet?"

"Better if a little squished in these shoes."

They finally stopped when it grew so dark they could barely see the trees for the forest.

"We're going to sleep in the open?"

"Yup. Wouldn't be the first time." Cara dropped the bag on the ground near a clear spot of dirt where she could make a fire without causing the whole forest to go up in flames.

"You've got to be kidding me. Then why the hell didn't we get any camping gear?"

"First, because I very much doubt that Walmart has any camping gear adequate for backpacking, and second because that type of stuff is expensive, and I try, I really try, to adhere to human codes of morality." She walked off in search of wood and kindling. "If you're so bent about it, conjure something up yourself."

"Wait, if we can conjure up stuff, why the hell didn't we conjure up some shoes earlier?"

Cara stopped, looking over her shoulder, a hand on a hip. "Because any magic could give us away, and we were too bloody close to them."

"But you used magic before..."

#

The wolf was drawn by the noise. Raised voices carried over the trees, piquing his interest. He followed the voices in the pitch black, slipping through the darkness like some wraith. Soon, he caught sight of two humans putting a campsite together. The male grumbled incessantly, the noise making his ears twitch.

The female, on the other hand, worked industriously, creating a fire and passing out food. He sniffed, surprised that the woman's scent intrigued him more than the food. The wolf sat on his haunches and watched as the couple ate, then went to sleep.

By the time the dawn crept into the sky, the wolf had gone, leaving the two humans none the wiser.

Author's Note: Welcome to this beautiful Sunday!  The new goal is 79 votes or 13 comments.  What do you think so far?  We're only a few more chapters until Part II.  Isn't that exciting?