To prove they were wrong, she dashed after them.
The throng of ten people surged down the mountain like a steamroller, moving everyone out of their way. Even though she expected them to go to the path that led to the water, Blue took them to the opposite side of the camp and broke through the trees.
Still behind the rest, she picked up her speed. But it didn’t help. A painful stitch in her side threatened to stop her, but she pushed on.
Then, without warning, a surge of energy hit her, invigorating her. Like the time before, she could sense the presence of something else inside her, almost as though another part of her, one that had lain dormant for years, had come to life. The colors of the world around her dimmed into a mist of amber, but she could see things sharper than ever before. Even as she hurried to stay up with the others, she picked up the soft sounds of animals ducking for cover and quivering in fear.
Was it adrenaline that gave her renewed energy and infused her body with strength?
They charged through the forest, passing the hole where she and Scrunch had first met and continuing on for several long minutes. Just as she was starting to wonder if she could keep up, the group came to a stop at Blue’s order.
“There it is.”
She pushed through the crowd, receiving a few hard nudges along the way, and came to Blue’s side. “They live in that cave?”
The small opening in the mountain was barely large enough to fit three men, shoulder to shoulder, across it. “Are you sure? It’s so small.”
“Yeah, I’m sure.”
“Watch out.”
She glanced at Pete who stood, along with Raine, behind their brother, then followed his gaze to the cave. A group of animals all like Scrunch spilled from the entrance. Their red eyes blazed and their snarls showed their fangs.
Where’s Scrunch?
She scanned the group of black animals, their hands dragging on the ground, as they growled and paced back and forth in front of the cave. They weren’t attacking, but it was evident that they weren’t about to run, either.
“Where’s the little girl?” The man who’d asked the question moved from the middle of the group to the front. “We’re going to have to go in and get her.”
“There she is. There’s my little girl.”
Shelly appeared out of the crowd and started running toward The Cursed. Blue was right behind her and grabbed her, pulling her away from them.
“Mommy!”
Bryna’s dress was dirty, but she appeared uninjured. One of creatures held her arm, and even from a distance, Callie could see how his fingers sank into her flesh. He hadn’t broken the skin yet since there was no blood, but if he gripped her any harder, he would.
Shelly struggled to get free, but Blue held her long enough to pass her off to one of the other men. She cried out for Bryna, who answered with pleas for help.
Blue’s face was emotionless and that frightened Callie more than anything else. “Everyone spread out. This is going to be rough.”
He turned to her. “Callie, when the fighting starts, see if you can grab her. If you can, don’t hang around. Get back to camp as fast as you can.” He pivoted to the men and began talking in hushed tones about their best plan of attack.
Scrunch caught her eye. He stood on the outside of his people, his diamond patch brilliant white against the mass of black. He held his hand in the air in a salute. Or at least that’s what she hoped it was.
Moving as quietly as she could, Callie slipped away from the group. Then, when she was sure she was far enough away that even one of the men couldn’t catch her, she took off running.
“Callie!”
Pete was the first to spot her, but it was too late to catch her. She ran as hard as she could, picking up the adrenaline she’d felt before, until she skidded to a few feet in front of the throng of The Cursed. She could hear the angry and fearful cries of those behind her.
“Stay back, Pete. And keep the others in check. I can do this.”
She lifted her hand as Scrunch had done. He skirted around the edge of his group, earning snarls from a few of his kind, then drew within a yard of her.
“Tell your people to give her back.” She pivoted to face him, but kept glancing at the girl, trying to make her meaning clear. “Please, you have to understand.”
He grunted, but his gaze whipped to Bryna before settling on her again. Another grunt came, but she was no closer to understanding him than before.
She pointed at Bryna. The bigger creature that held her snarled and dragged her closer to Callie. But she didn’t dare hope that he knew what she wanted. Instead, she pleaded with Scrunch again and pointed at the child.
“Let her go.”
Scrunch tilted his head to the side.