Night World : Black Dawn Chapter 6

Beca habit in that respects no point. Shes as good as drained already. Jeannes expression was as hard andclosedas it had been in the beginning.But Cant you see? Shed slow us down. in that respects noway she could run without help. And also that,P.J. check outs shes slur.Blind. A new little shock went though Maggie.What would that be identical, to be in this situation andsick and blind on top of it?She tugged on the girls shoulder gently, tryingto see the averted face.But shes beautiful.The girl had smooth skin the affectation of c offee with cream, delicate features, high cheekb nonpareils, perfectlips. Her black hair was pulled into a loose, glossyk non on her neck. Her inwardnesss were shut, long eye lashes tremblingas if she were dreaming.It was more than tho the physical features,though. There was a serenity about this girls face,a spicyness and stillness that was unique.Hey, there, Maggie utter softly. Can you hearme? Im Maggie. Whats your name?The girls eyelashes fluttered her lips parted. ToMaggies surprise, she murmured something. Maggie had to lean down close to catch it.Arcadia? she repeated. It was a strange name she wasnt authorized shed heard right.The girl seemed to nod, murmuring again.She plunder hear me, Maggie thought. She canrespond.Okay. Can I c alone you Cady? Listen to me, Cady.Maggie shake the girls shoulder s giddyly. Were ina bad ordain however were divergence to try to escape. If we help you out, do you think you can run?Again, the eyelashes fluttered. Then the eyesopened.Doe eyes, Maggie thought, startled. They wereextraordinarily large and clear, a warm brown withan inner radiance. And they might be blind, butMaggie had the oddest sensation that she had justbeen seen more clearly than ever before in her life.Ill try, Cady murmured. She sounded dazedand in pain, but quietly rational. some successions I aspectstrong for a little while. She pushed herself up. Maggie had to help her lead off into a sitting position. Shes tall. But shes pretty lightand Ive gotgood muscles. I can support her.What are you doing?Jeanne said in a voice thatwas not just harsh and impatient but horrified. Dont you see? Youre only(prenominal) making it worse. You should just have let her sleep.Maggie glitterd up. Look. I dont know whatyoure thinking, but we cant issue anybody with them. How would you like to be left prat if itwas you?Jeannes face changed. For a moment, she pick upedmore like a savage animal than a girl. Id understand, she snarled. Because thats the way it has to be. Its the law of the jungle, here. Only strongpeople survive. The weak ones .She agitate her head. Theyre founder off dead. And the faster youlearn that, the more chance youll have.Maggie felt a spurt of horror and anger-and,fear. Because Jeanne clearly knew the nearly about this place, and Jeanne might be right. They mightall arrest caught because of one weak person who wouldnt make it anyway.She move and looked at the lovely face again.Arcadia was Miless age, eighteen or nineteen. And although she seemed to hear what Jeanne was saying-shed turned her face that way-she didntspeak or argue. She didnt lose her still gentleness, either.I cant leave her. What if Miles is alive but hurtsomewhere, and somebody wont help him?Maggie shot a glance at P.J. in her baseball cap.She was young-she might be able to take cautiousness ofherself, but that was all.Look, this isnt your problem, she finally saidto Jeanne. You just help P.J. get away safe, okay?You take care of her, and III be responsible for Cady.Youll be caught with Cady, Jeanne said flatly.Dont worry about it.Im not. And Im telling you right now Im notgoing to help you if you get in trouble.I dont want you to, Maggie said. She lookedright into Jeannes angry eyes. Really. I dont wantto wreck your chances, okay? But Im not going toleave her.Jeanne looked furious for another moment thenshe shrugged. All the emotion drained from herface as if she were deliberatel y distancing herself.The bond she and Maggie had share for that brief moment was severed.She turned, looked through and through a crack behind her,then turned back.Fine, she said in a dull, indifferent tone. Whatever youre going to do, youd better get ready todo it now. Because the place is coming right up. give? Maggie said.They were all standing-or crouching, actually,since there wasnt room to straighten up-withtheir backs against the walls of the cart. Jeanneand P.J. on one side, Maggie on the other, with Cady in the box seat.When I say go, you guys jump over here. Thenall of us throw ourselves back that way, Maggie whispered.Jeanne was peering out of the crack. Okay, thisis it, she said. Now.Maggie said,GoShe had been a little unbalanced that P.J. would freeze. But the moment the word was out of Maggies mouth, Jeanne launched herself across thecart, crashing heavily into her, and P.J. followed.ThecartrockedamazinglyhardandMaggieheard the groan of wood.Back she yelled, and ev erybody lunged the other way. Maggie smash a solid wall and knew shewould have bruises, but the cart rocked again.Come on she yelled, and realized that they were all already coming on, throwing themselvesto the other side in perfect sync. It was as if someflocking instinct had taken over and they were all three moving as one, throwing their weight alter nately back and forth. And the cart was responding, grinding to a halt and lurching off balance. It was like one of thoseparty tricks where five or six people each use only two fingers to lift someone on a chair. Their combined force was impressive.But not enough to tip the cart over. It was surprisingly well-balanced. And at any minute, Maggie realized, the people driving it were going to jumpout and ensnare a stop to it.Everybody-come on Really hard Really hardShe was yelling as if she were boost her soccer team. Weve got to do it, now.She launched herself at the other side as the cartbegan to sway that way, jumping as highas sh ecould, striking the wallas it reached the farthestpoint of its rock. She could feel the other girlsflinging themselves with her, she could hear Jeanne giving a primal yell as she crashed into the wood.And then there was a splintering sound, amazingly loud, amazingly long. A sort of groaning and shrieking that came from the wood itself, and aneven louder scream of alarm that Maggie realized must have come from the horses. The whole world was,Run, Maggie thought. Stop looking now. Run.She ran into the forest, dragging Cady with her. They had to find a place to hide underbrush or something. Maybe they could climb a tree.But one look at Cady and she realized how stupid thatidea was. The smooth skin of the girls facewas clammy and luminous with sweat, her eyeswere half shut, and her chest was heaving.At least Jeanne and P.J. got away, Maggiethought.Just then there was a crashing behind her, and a voice cursing. Maggie threw another glance backand found herself staring at a mans figur e in the mist.A scary man. The mist swirling behind him madehim look eerie, supernatural, but it was more thanthat. He was huge,with shouldersasbroad as a two-by-four, a massive chest, and heavily muscledarms. His cannon was surprisingly narrow. His face was cruel.Gavin Ive got two of them he shouted.Maggie didnt wait to hear more. She took offlike a black-tailed deer.And for a long season after that it was just a nightmare of running and being chased, stopping sometimes when she couldnt hold Cady up anymore, looking for places to hide. At one point, she andCady were pressed together inside a hollow tree,trying desperately to get their breath back withoutmaking a sound, when their pursuers passed right by them. Maggie heard the crunch and squish offootsteps on ferns and started praying. She couldfeel Cadys center beating hard, shaking them both, she realized that Cadys lips were moving soundlessly.Maybe shes praying, too, Maggie thought,t, andapplied her eye to a crack in the tre e.There were two people there, horribly close, justa few feet away. One was the man shed seen before he was doing something bizarre, somethingthat sent chills up her spine. He was turning his face this way and that with his eyes shut, his head twisting on a surprisingly long and supple neck.As if hes smellingus out, Maggie thought, horrified.Eyes still shut, the man said, Do you sense anything?No. I cant feel them at all. And I cant see them,with these trees for cover. It was a younger manwho spoke, a boy really. He must be Gavin, Maggiethought. Gavin had dark blond hair, a thin nose, a sharp chin. His voice was impatient.I cant feel them either, the big man said flatly,refusing to be hurried. And thats strange. Theycant have gotten too far away. They must beblocking us.I dont care what theyre doing, Gavin said.Wed better get them back fast. Its not like theywere ordinary slaves. If we don tdeliver that maiden were dead. Youre dead, Bern.Maiden? Maggie thought. I guess in a placewhe re they have slaves its not weird to talk aboutmaidens. But which girl does he mean? Not meIm not important.Well get her back, Bern was saying.Wed better, Gavin said viciously. Or Im goingto tell her that it was your fault. We were supposedto make for sure this didnt happen.It hasnt happened yet, Bern said. He turned onhis heel and walked into the mist. Gavin staredafter him for a moment, and then followed.Maggie let out her breath. She realized that Cadys lips had stop moving.Lets go, she whispered, and took off in the opposite direction to the one the men had gone.Then there was a time of finish upless running andpausing and listening and hiding. The forest was aterrible place. Around them was eerie twilight,made even spookier by the mist that degrade in hollowsand crept over fallen trees. Maggie felt as if she were in some awful fairy tale. The only good thingwas that the dampness softened their footsteps,making it hard to track them.But it was so quiet. No ravens, no greyish jays. No deer. Just the mist and the trees, going on forever.And then it ended.Maggie and Cady suddenly burst out into an-.other meadow. Maggie gavea frenetic glancearound, looking for shelter. Nothing. The mist was thinner here, she could see that there were no trees ahead, only an outcrop of rocks.Maybe we should reprize back.But the voices were shouting in the forest behind them.Above the rocks was a barren ledge. It lookedlike the end of a path, winding the other way down the mountain.If we could get there, wed be safe, Maggiethought. We could be around the corner in a minute, and out of sight.Dragging Cady, she headed for the rocks. Theydidnt belong here they were huge granite boulders deposited by some antique glacier. Maggie clambered up the side of one easily, then leaned down.Give me your hand, she said rapidly. There sa path up supra us, but weve got to climb a little.Cady looked at her.Or-not looked, Maggie supposed. But she turned her face toward Maggie, and once aga in Maggie had the odd feeling that those blind eyescould somehow see better than most peoples.You should leave me, Cady said.Dont be stupid, Maggie said. Hurry up, giveme your hand.Cady shook her head. You go, she said quietly.She seemed completely rational-and absolutely exhausted. She hadnt lost the tranquility whichhad infused her from the beginning, but now itseemed mixed with a gentle resignation. Her fineboned face was drawn with weariness. Ill justslow you down. And if I stay here, youll have moretime to get away.Im not going to leave you Maggie snapped.Come on Arcadia remained for just a second, her faceturned up to Maggies, then her clear and luminousbrown eyes filled. Her expression was one of inexpressible tenderness. Then she shook her headslightly and grabbed Maggies hand-very accurately.Maggie didnt waste. time. She climbed as fastasshe could, pulling Cady, rapping out breathless instructions. But the delay had toll them. She could hear the men getting nearer.And when she reached the far end of the pile ofboulders she saw something that sent shock waves through her system.She was looking up a barren cliff face. There wasno connection from the rocks to the ledge above.And below her, the hillside dropped off steeply, ahundred feet down into a gorge.Shed led Cady right into a trap.There was nowhere else to go.