Winter Embers [ Book 2 ]

Chapter Five

          "Claire, come on, we don't have time," Draz insisted.

          "I know him," Claire said, her voice quiet.

          "What? That's impossible-"

          "We met, yesterday," Claire continued, her heart beating fast in her chest. She jumped when she felt Draz's hand on her shoulder. She turned and looked at him, his expression was a mixture of urgency and concern.

          "There is no way," Draz pressed, "if you had met him, you and I would not be having this conversation right now."

          "I'm telling you, Draz," Claire exclaimed, her voice rising in pitch, "I met him on my way here. He was riding the same bus. He sat next to me the whole ride, he got off before me... he..."

          Claire looked back towards the man who had introduced himself the day before as Benjamin Stafford and she felt a cold chill sweep over her. He had been so nice. Perhaps it was the shadows, but his face seemed more angular, sharper somehow and the cool, steeliness of his gaze was a far cry from the soft smile and warm eyes the day before.

          "Alright, Claire, I believe you, but can we talk about this later?" Draz asked, pulling at her shoulder to guide her away from where Benjamin stood still frozen in place. "I'm still working out the kinks of that particular spell and there is no telling when it will fade. Could be minutes, could be hours, I'd rather not find out."

          Claire stared at him a few seconds longer before she conceded and turned to follow Draz down the hallway towards the front of the house. There she paused briefly, pulling on the latch of a narrow door that opened into a small closet. She found a pair of old rain boots and quickly pulled them on. They were too big and felt bulky on her feet, no doubt having belonged to her grandfather, but they would have to do.

          "Where are we going?" She asked as she grabbed an over-sized raincoat from the closet as well and pulled it on. It was lined with fleece and the weight of it made her feel warm and secure.

          "We need to go someplace where it will be much harder for our new friend there to follow us," Draz explained as he pulled open the front door. He paused in the open archway and held out his hand to her.

          "Where is that exactly?" Claire inquired as she took hold of his hand.

          "Oria," Draz grinned before ducking through the the door and pulling Claire with him into the night.

          The rain continued to fall in thick, icy sheets and Claire was grateful for the coat which protected her from the worst of the cold. Draz didn't seem to care about the rain as he lead her around the side of the house.

          Through darkness illuminated by bright blue flashes of lightning, Claire caught sight of the apple orchard whose dark branches stretches towards the sky like bony fingers. Claire felt a shudder dance down the length of her spine. As a child she had loved to play in those trees and had spent many a hot, summer's day hanging upside down from branches and enjoying the fruit the trees had to offer.

          She loved those trees so much that she insisted on having a room with a window that overlooked the entire field. On nights like this, however, the trees turned from magical playmates to creatures of the night whose grasping, clawing branches would reach for her, ready to gobble her up just as she had done to the apples.

          It had been a silly notion, perhaps spurred on by too many viewings of the Wizard of Oz, but it was a concern that had stuck with Claire throughout the years. Even now, knowing full well that the trees were just trees, Claire felt a sense of unease as Draz pulled them in the direction of the grove.