The Twenty Seven

Chapter 18

"How do we know where the headquarters is, again?" Eira asks after they push deeper into the forest. She'd given Es an extra Toch that increases her hearing; Sam had increased sight, too.

"We don't know anything for sure," Sam says. "I'm relying on muscle memory."

"You've gone from Carrion Cove back to the base before?" Ty asks. "You were watching us?"

He gives her a sheepish smile. "We never actually found your safe house, likely because of the security measures the people before you took. But we were close."

Es stops them, raising a hand. Her head moves towards the right and Sam follows her line of sight. "It's just a bear."

"Just a bear?" Eira whispers frantically. "Aren't they dangerous?"

"Not if we keep our distance," Sam says. We need to keep going. I'm not sure how far the base is."

"Or if it's even in this direction," Ty adds under her breath.

---

"How long have we been walking?" Eira asks.

"You've got a clock in your pocket," Nes says.

Grumbling, Eira pulls it out, her eyes widening. "It says it's only been twenty minutes. That can't be right, can it?"

A slow smile spreads across Sam's lips, but it's Nes who speaks, her brow furrowed. "No. It can't be."

"They're worried. They've got time slowed down around here," Sam says. "How long have we really been going for, Nessa?"

"Thirty-six minutes."

Eira turns on her. "If you knew the whole time, why'd you make me check?"

"It builds character." Nes says.

"That means we've been in dilation for sixteen minutes," Sam starts. "Their field has a range of three thousand feet and slows things down by a third." When everyone keeps watching him expectantly, he shrugs. "I was never good at math."

Es sighs. "So we've been walking for about five minutes. Do you know how fast we've been going?"

Nes tilts her head to the side. "Three -- no -- three and a half miles per hour."

Es mutters under her breath as they walk, calculating how long they have left. "We should be there any minute now."

"Time to split up?" Ty asks.

"Yup," Nes says. "Sam, Ei, stay behind us. Cenns, let's go."

As the three move ahead, Es takes point. She uses her heightened hearing to ensure they don't run into any of the Adda. Though they have invisibility Tochs, they still make noise as they walk. A few minutes in, Es raises her hand. She taps her wrist, speaking into everyone else's mind. 'The base is about fifty feet ahead. I hear ten people outside. Should we try and sneak in? Or take them out?'

It's Sam who responds. 'If you take them out, the Adda will know. Try not to kill any Dims until you've been detected.'

'Understood.'

Nes steps in front of Es for a moment, slowing down the time around them even more. 'Go.' With the final word, Es and Ty take off towards the building that is just barely visible in the distance as quietly as they can.

Sam and Eira stop walking, Sam searching the trees for any sign of the base. 'Eira, can I have another Toch? I can't make anything out around these trees.'

Eira chews her lip. 'The book said not to give more than one enhanced sense to someone. It's dangerous.'

'Ei,' she hears Nes' voice in her mind. 'Do it. We can deal with the consequences later.'