Page 10 of Compass Points
“Hmph,” Luc grunted.
Arie was unusually silent.
They’d finally reached the temple in the middle of Bury, which was as bad as she had imagined. The mist sprawled through every street, shop, and house. Anyone they passed had collapsed into the layer of shadow covering the ground.
Rose and Luc unsheathed and clutched the magical weapons from Rose’s workshop. Arie slowed to a tentative trot as the mist swirled around them. Rose waited again to see if she was about to collapse like the rest of those the mist plague touched. She didn’t, though she still wasn’t sure why.
She took a deep breath and searched for signs of life. She pictured one of those mist monsters forming and cutting its way through each of the villagers. Maybe it wouldn’t have killed her if it had been able to strike her. Perhaps it would have dropped her into the sleep-like state she saw before her.
Reaching the barn just behind the temple, she jumped off Arie and ran the rest of the way to the crumpled figure. Rose’s heart cracked open in her chest as she dropped to her knees and cradled Tara’s body in her arms.
She might have expected this, but she was unprepared for it.
“Tara! Tara, say something.” Rose leaned in to see if her chest still rose and fell.
Logically, Rose knew the mist shouldn’t have killed her. But Rose wasn’t thinking logically at the moment.
“Is she still breathing?” asked Luc. He slid off Arie and took a few hesitant steps toward her, discomfort evident in the set of his jaw.
“Yes, but it’s faint.”
“I’m sorry,” Luc said hesitantly.
Rose wondered for what. That he’d stalked her? That he’d delayed her? That he’d probably been right about her weapons and the mist?
Rose shook her head again, still cradling Tara. It was so strange. She’d just seen Tara this morning and was supposed to see her again this afternoon. Tara was so excited to learn to defend herself from something…like this. Why hadn’t Rose ever left any of her weapons here for Tara? What if that really could have made a difference?
“Want me to help move her to a more comfortable location?” Luc’s careful words interrupted her thoughts.
She choked down her guilt, ignoring him as she kept focused on Tara. She didn’t know what to do but didn’t think she could leave Tara like this.
She looked from Luc back to Tara, unable and unwilling to put all her feelings into words.
She hugged Tara’s body again. Bending her forehead to the younger girl’s, she whispered, “I’ll fix this. I promise.”
“Rose…”Arie’s words cut into her guilt-ridden promise.
Just as quickly as she spiraled, Rose replaced the wealth of despair she felt at the current situation with something much easier to deal with.
Anger bubbled to rage as her gaze flicked back to Luc.
“It had to be after you,” she accused.
“Rose, that’s not how the mist…”Arie warned, but she cut him off.
“Why else would the mist have come here? It must have known the Compass Points had sent a Suden to find a way to stop it.”
“I know you’re upset, but be logical. The mist knows? Is it sentient?” Luc held up his hands, seeming ready to take a step back from her.
“Who knows anything about the mist! Maybe it is sentient!” Rose was yelling now. What did it matter? No one could hear her. The villagers around them had all been taken by the mist. “You show up today asking for custom weapons. The one thing that apparently makes a difference when fighting it. Don’t tell me you overlooked that.”
“Of course not. But I had no idea until today.”
She carefully laid Tara down and got to her feet.
“Isn’t that a little too convenient? The Compass Points wouldn’t send you across the continent without knowing what they were after.”
“This isn’t going to help anything,”Arie mentally chastised.“What do you want from the boy?”
