Page 32 of The Stone Curse
I didn’t have the time or energy to find soothing words to assuage her guilt. “I’m sure our councilman will fill you in.” I hoisted Willowman up in my arms securely and headed for the exit.
There would be no sleep for any of us this dawn.
CHAPTER 11
I’d never been this far into the rims, into the gray where my lungs felt too tight and my skin itched. Orix had commandeered a minibus from Outpost Two, large enough to transport us all. If not for Willowman’s dire condition, this might have been a fun field trip into an area filled with pockets of mundane land.
Before leaving, Orix had agonized over whether to bring Taz or not, but in the end, he’d opted to leave the feline in Yarrow’s care. It seemed that Taz was officially becoming the academy mascot.
The vehicle we’d commandeered might have been spacious for humans, but it was a crush for goyles.
The goyles’ larger size made it impossible for them to share a bench, let alone drive this thing. Levi and I took it in turns at the wheel.
He was in the driver’s seat now while I sat at the back, close to Willowman stretched out on the long back bench. We’d strapped him down as best we could to prevent him rolling off. Derek had taken the spot on the floor below the seat, the only space large enough to accommodate his frame. Shar sat oppositeme, her legs stretched out across her double seat, and I was hit by déjà vu from our first meeting.
She met my gaze and smiled. Yeah, she remembered too.
“I can’t believe how far we’ve come from that first bus ride,” Touron said from the seat beside mine. “I knew as soon as we met that we’d be friends.”
Shar snorted. “Of course you did.”
“I did, even with you giving us the cold shoulder.”
Shar sighed. “I was a little harsh, wasn’t I?”
“But you softened up to my charm.” Touron made a kissy face, and Shar rolled her eyes.
“It looks so bleak,” Ginia said from her window seat.
The sun was rising, its fragile rays casting fingers across a barren landscape either side of the winding road.
“Our eyes see color differently,” Palia said from the spot behind her. “But they don’t work as well when there is no magic. We’re basically seeing what a human would see.”
“That sucks,” Touron said. “For them.”
The minibus went over a bump, and Willowman moaned softly. I slipped off my seat, and Derek tucked in his legs to allow me to crouch beside the witch. He’d been unconscious for hours but cracked an eyelid now, looking up at me blearily. “Cameron?”
“Yes, it’s me. How are you?—”
“There are so many stars.” He looked through me. “It’s so beautiful.” His eyes slipped closed.
“He’s still not fully with us,” Curi said.
“What if we were too late? What if they broke him?” Ginia said.
“We can’t think like that,” Shar replied. “This Calista person will help. She has to.”
I needed to believe that. I stroked Willowman’s dark hair back off his clammy forehead. “You’re gonna be fine. I know it.”I moved to the front of the van, squeezing past Curi’s and Orix’s legs to get to Levi. “How much farther to this Mistlegate place?”
“Not long. Another ten miles,” Levi said. “We’ll see it soon.”
“And it’s half mundane, half magical?” Palia asked.
“That’s what Willowman told me,” Orix said.
“Well, we need to get into the magical region soon,” Curi said. “My skin hurts.”
“Mine too,” Touron said.
