Casted

Chapter 15

Clouds slid silently over the half moon. Shadows whispered through the tree trunks, wreathing like snakes around our ankles. Darkness fell over the forest. We moved quickly and quietly between the trees, the only sounds being the crunch of snow underfoot. I took slow, deliberate breaths. Tonight, we were as silent as assassins, swift and agile as we moved in to make our kill. But of course, our plan wasn't to kill anyone. Our plan was to let the Caretaker take care of that for us and hope we would be the ones to survive.

I was in the lead with Ben and Chris following close behind. I was taking them to the meadow where I'd last seen Zara. We could only hope she'd set up camp nearby. We passed the Chervil patch- I recognized my own knife marks in the earth from where I'd dug up the roots- and I knew we were getting close. I slowly reached down and slid out my knives, gripping the silver handles, eyes darting around in the darkness. I had seen what Zara was willing to do, and I wasn't about to take any chances with her.

A tall, dark wall of something came into view on my left. I reached out, carefully touching it, and nodded to myself as pine needles scratched the skin of my gloves. "The meadow's just beyond this," I whispered to Chris and Ben.

They both nodded. "She wouldn't sleep there though," Chris replied. "She's too smart to sleep somewhere so open and exposed."

I murmured my agreement.

"Let's scout around the perimeter," Ben suggested.

We kept close to the pines, using them as our guide as we skirted the outside of the meadow. Cold wind slithered through the trees, stirring my hair slightly. The skin on my neck raised into goosebumps while apprehension swirled in my gut. This could all end tonight, I thought.

We were maybe halfway around the perimeter when an owl in the branches above us suddenly screeched a warning call and took off into the night. My heart got a jumpstart from that. But in the bushes below where the owl had been, there was a rustling, followed by a few snapping twigs. We paused, staring into the shadowed bushes.

"Who's there?" Chris called. He took a step towards the noise. He gripped the handle of his machete tight. "Come out! We won't hurt you."

The moon shone through a break in the clouds at that moment, allowing shafts of crystal light to filter into the forest. The air was illuminated with silver. A thin figure rose from the bushes and strode forward into the moonlight. Her jet black hair gleamed. Her brown eyes flashed coldly at us.

"Zara," Ben breathed.

She pursed her lips. "What do you want from me?" she asked. I'd never noticed before, but she had a slight foreign accent. Had I ever really heard her talk?

"We don't want anything," Ben told her. "We have a plan that we think could end the Task."

Her muscles relaxed a little. She shifted her weight onto one foot. "I'm listening."

"It involves all of us though," Ben went on.

Chris raised his eyebrows at her. "Which means we'll have to find Lark too."

"Well you won't have to look very far." The new voice jumped out of nowhere. There was a slightly smug edge to it, and I recognized it immediately. I turned just as the slender, dark body of Lark emerged behind me. She looked better than last I saw her. Not quite as... desperate. Now there was a powerful glint in her eyes, a smirk tugging at her lips. Her steps were confident and precise as she walked. She paused at my shoulder.

"Hope there's no hard feeling between us," she whispered in my ear. I shivered as her hot breath hit my skin. "You know, from our last meeting? I just needed a few more supplies to get by. You understand, don't you, pretty girl?"