Page 53 of A Brighter Yellow
Scarlet took Anna into Central Park and toward the nearest grove of trees. When they were away from prying eyes, Scarlet took her hunting knife out of the backpack and strapped it to her belt.
“Just in case,” she said, smiling reassuringly at Anna. The wolf-girl looked like she was two seconds away from shifting. Scarlet also couldn’t help noticing that Anna’s hands were speckled with blood. It had been a long day for Anna already. Scarlet hoped that Anna was up to the task because she didn’t want to tell Anna that the Fae weren’t the only things to walk in the fairy woods and that place could be dangerous on a good day. If Ochre was injured, then he was vulnerable.
“OK, I’ll open the woods in a second. The thing about the woods is that all woods are one. And that wood is… it is all the woods, overlapping each other. Ochre could be lost in one of the….” Scarlet’s vocabulary ran out. “Layers?” she offered. It was weak, but Anna nodded. “It’s probably better if you shift once we’re in there. Liam says that things aren’t quite as weird in wolf shape.”
“I can’t shift in the woods,” said Anna. “I tried before. It’s either this shape or the other. I can’t change once I’m in.”
“I… Really?” Scarlet was shocked. “I guess… Liam’s never tried to shift while actually in the woods before, now that I’m thinking about it. Um… Hmm. Well, which shape do you want to be in when we go in?”
“This one, I think,” said Anna. “In case I need to talk to you. Unless you’re telepathic like Ochre.”
“Uh, no, I’m not. Also, I did not realize he could talk to people.”
“Just me, I think,” said Anna.
“Well, that does make sense,” said Scarlet. Assuming that this girl was his mate. Scarlet felt a turmoil of emotions. She felt like she could have used more warning that Ochre was going to find someone. She felt a sudden burst of sympathy for Azure, who had not taken Liam’s arrival particularly well. “OK,” said Scarlet. “Here we go then. Stick close to me.”
Scarlet rearranged her brain and opened the pathway. Anna stepped through instantly, and Scarlet followed, trying to decide if this red-headed shifter was brave or foolhardy.
“Give me a second,” said Scarlet, once the woods closed behind them. “I’ll see if I can’t get a bead on him.”
“He’s this way,” said Anna and pushed forward.
“Or you could just ignore me,” muttered Scarlet.
“I’m not ignoring you,” said Anna. “He’s just this way.”
Scarlet looked down at her hands. In her meditations, her family members were represented by strings around her hands, but in the woods, unseen things became seen. She called them heartstrings. Liam was the tangled red string that wound all over her body led back the way they’d come. Ochre’s string was yellow and wrapped around her wrist, intertwining with Azure’s blue string, before vanishing off into the underbrush that Anna was currently crashing through.
“Huh,” said Scarlet. “How did you know?” she asked, hurrying after Anna.
“I’m one of Charlie’s test subjects. I’m stupid, and I’m slow, and it never occurred to me that my mate would be someone who wasn’t either human or wolf.”
“Test subjects? What are you talking about?”
“Charlie and I have been looking for a way to remove the spell infection that prevents wolves and humans from mating. I’ve tried all of her first attempts and her cleansing spells. I haven’t noticed anything different. I thought maybe my sense of smell got better. Maybe? Humans smelled a little less shitty than usual. That was about it. I didn’t think anything happened. Only now I’m hundred percent certain that I was wrong because Ochre is that way.” Anna pointed urgently and then stopped. “No, that way.” She yowled an impatient note, turning to face a new direction. She looked worried.
“The woods do that. You have to be focused on your destination; otherwise, they’ll thwart you. We will stop talking, and we will both concentrate. That is how we will find him.”
Anna nodded, and Scarlet held out a hand. She felt a little odd holding Anna’s hand, but it was the safest way. They pressed on. Scarlet tried to keep Ochre in her mind’s eye, but she could feel a gathering push against her will. The woods became darker as they walked. Scarlet was getting more worried by the second, but Anna moved with a singular purpose. Scarlet checked her hands—Anna was still following the yellow string. They were going the right way. It was just that they were also heading directly into someplace very bad. Anna paused, panting, her head twitching left and right.
“We’re close,” said Anna. “But there’s something else here. Something I can’t…” She rubbed her nose with the back of her hand. “Something bad.”
“Yes,” agreed Scarlet.
“You’re supposed to say that we can handle it, and everything will be all right,” said Anna, with a hysterical laugh.
“That is very possibly true,” said Scarlet. “But mostly, I think we should hurry.”
“Right,” agreed Anna and plunged forward. The woods were resisting them, and Scarlet had to focus on the yellow string. She put her hand on Anna’s shoulder and they both leaned into the force that pushed against them. For a moment, Scarlet thought they weren’t going to make it and then Anna erupted in a roar that echoed in the woods, and the force holding them back broke like a wave. Scarlet could feel the energy pulsing off Anna in a wave.
“Ochre!” Anna yelled and dashed forward. In front of them, a small pool of water had stabilized and Scarlet saw Ochre stretched out by the side of it. At least she thought it was Ochre. Plants and vines were creeping up over him, covering him in flowers. Anna dropped to her knees and tried to pull the plants off of him.
“No, wait,” said Scarlet, pulling her back. “Wait.” Anna looked at her mystified. “It won’t do any good. It’s a fairy trap. They lure unsuspecting travelers, and once captured, they end up becoming slaves.”
Anna stared at her in disbelief.
“I thought the Fae species were good.”
