The Bright & the Pale by Jessica Rubinkowski

Author:Jessica Rubinkowski
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Quill Tree Books
Published: 2020-12-18T00:00:00+00:00

Seventeen

I CONSIDER RUNNING, BUT WE are already too close. They had to have spotted us as we came out of town. If they did, why didn’t they shoot?

Ivan comes to stand beside me. “What are you waiting for?”

“Don’t you see them?” I nod toward the Storm Hounds.

“Yes, and I also see they aren’t moving.”

I squint at the group. He’s right. They’re frozen, just like the people in the village.

We follow the rutted road forward until they’re close enough to touch. Unlike everyone in town, their faces aren’t frozen in placid, everyday interest. Their eyes are wide with fear, mouths dropped open in screams. Most stand with shields raised and teeth perpetually gritted, facing the entrance of the mine, but others are in the process of tripping, some even sprawled on the ground, clawing their way toward town. Instead of feeling a twinge of sympathy, I feel only vicious satisfaction. They got what they deserved.

“What are they running from?” Chinua asks, voice small.

“The mountain,” Ivan responds.

I round the battalion until I stand before them and study their formation, nearly five people long and seven people across. Their terrified faces break through my indifference. I glance over my shoulder at the mountain before studying their faces one more time. They aren’t looking at the mouth of the mines, but ten feet above it.

“What are they looking at?” I mumble to myself. I shiver and examine the mountain, searching for what the battalion could’ve possibly seen. The thick groove running the length is even more pronounced. Some people used to say the mountain cracked when they opened the mine. That the Brother Gods did it to prove how powerful they are, but I never believed it.

The hair on the back of my neck begins to prickle. I’m certain someone watches, their eyes determined to bore into my soul. I glance back at the others, but they still study the Storm Hounds. Wind scrawls between us and Knnot, picking up a dusting of snow. The mouth of the mine lies just two hundred yards away now.

Silence descends on me like a shroud. Not a single bird calls; the wind doesn’t whistle through the boughs of the trees to my left. I pick my way forward around deep holes created by wagon wheels and chunks of rock. I’m just about to step into the shadow of the mountain when something catches my eye within Knnot.

A slender form slithers from one shadow to the next.

A jolt runs through my body, and I race back to the others.

“What’s wrong?” Ivan asks.

“I thought I . . .” I trail off, feeling like an idiot. They’d never believe me. “Never mind. Are you ready to move? The quicker we get to the vaults, the faster we can leave Ludminka. I don’t want to stay a moment longer than I have to.”

“You still want to go inside? Now?” Serafima asks.

I shrug. “Why not?”

“Perhaps we should stay in town tonight,” Ivan says. “Start again in the morning when the sun is brighter and will be out longer.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.