Page 82 of Sanctuary of the Shadow
She quickly unbolted the latch, wondering what in the Shades was going on this Goddess-damned night. Harrow sounded fearful. Distraught, even.
If Raith had hurt her…walking nightmare or not, the bastard would pay.
…
Harrow had run out of the Underground as though she ran for her life. In her haste to escape the tavern, she’d left everything, even her cards and her mother’s locket. The loss, on top of everything else, made her want to weep, but there was no way she was going back.
Though Malaikah’s many turns had disoriented her on their way to the tavern, Harrow’s inner senses had shown her the way back. The Water had risen cautiously, as if expecting her to slam it furiously back in its cage, but this time its advice was in accordance with what she wanted, so she allowed it to guide her. She took each turn with confidence as she came to it, knowing exactly which way to go.
At one point, she’d felt a sudden certainty that someone was coming in her direction that she didn’t want to cross. Without questioning it, she chose a random detour to bypass the next few blocks. When she was certain the danger had passed, she headed back to the main road once more.
She didn’t stop running until she’d crossed the fairgrounds and made it all the way to Mal’s caravan. She leaped up the steps in one bound and pounded on the door. “Malaikah!”
Silence.
Or were those murmured voices coming from within? She pressed her ear to the door, but her heart was pounding so hard she couldn’t hear anything else.
“Mal, it’s me! Open the door.”
Still nothing. No, she was certain there were voices inside. Who was in there? Darya had said to go straight back to the fairgrounds, where she’d be safe from the others hunting her. Who exactly was hunting her again? She couldn’t remember. Or maybe she’d forgotten to ask.
But Darya had said the grounds were safe, and Harrow was well within them now. Maybe she was overreacting? She couldn’t gauge her actions normally—she was too overwhelmed by everything she’d learned tonight.
She just wanted to see her best friend, the only person in the world she really trusted. With tears in her eyes, she gave one last effort. “Mal? Are you here?”
The sound of the lock unbolting came instantly, and then Mal threw open the door.
They collided in a hug. “I was worried about you.” Malaikah squeezed her so tightly she couldn’t find the breath to respond. Harrow wished she’d squeeze tighter.
She pulled back. “Where’s Raith?”
Suddenly, Harrow was back to choking on her breath. “Mal, he—he—” She was gasping, unable to get the air out.
“Oh, honey.” Malaikah’s eyes were full of sympathy. She already knew; Harrow could tell. But how?
She was about to ask when she saw a dark shadow moving inside the caravan behind Mal. “Good evening, Harrow,” a male voice said, and then he stepped into the lantern light.
It was a reptile Hybrid, immediately obvious from his vertical-slitted eyes and the scale pattern on his skin. A snake, to be precise, judging by the lack of tail. He was so tall he nearly hit the roof, and the hilt of a blade jutting out from beneath his coat didn’t exactly make her feel relaxed in his company.
All of Darya’s warnings about the people hunting her came back in a rush, and her heart started to pound anew. She waited for her power to rise in defense.
Instead, she felt…encouragement. Expectancy. She frowned. “Who are you?”
“Name’s Ouro. I’ll explain more on the way.”
“The way to where?”
“We’ve got a bit of a walk ahead of us. Best get going now.”
“Where are we going?” Malaikah snapped, proving she wasn’t any more excited about the strange visitor than Harrow was.
“I explained this already, Malaikah.” They knew each other? This was getting weirder and weirder. “The Oracle wants to meet the Seer and the wraith.”
Harrow stared at him. “How do you know…?”
“All will be explained shortly. I mean you no harm. I’m simply the messenger tonight.” Ouro flashed a fanged grin.
Darya had told her to remain at the fairgrounds and wait for Salizar. She’d said nothing about going with a strange snake Hybrid to meet a mysterious Oracle. But if Harrow was in danger, then why wasn’t her power rising? Goddess damn it, she was getting sick of the Water’s conflicting reactions to everything.
