Windburn(5)

“May I make a rather bold suggestion?” Peta asked.

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. “Please. When do you ask if you can be bold?”

“You are going on a rather dangerous journey in search of your father. What are the chances we run into Blackbird? Or Cassava? Or some new threat?” She paused, but before I could formulate words she went on. “Don’t bother answering. The chances are high; Spirit Elementals draw trouble to them, and we are going to add a Tracker to the mix which will cause a duplication of said trouble.”

I folded my arms over my chest. “All those words, and no actual suggestion yet.”

Her lips twitched. “Keep the smoky diamond close to you in case you need it; hide the pink since you already carry Spirit.”

Her idea held merit, but it bothered me. An Air Elemental had been the one to kill my mother and little brother. I did not want anything to do with that particular element. “Perhaps. I will think on it.”

The crack of a twig spun me around. A fleeting figure was all I could see dashing off into the distance.

“Peta, go!”

From one beat to the next, she was a tiny gray housecat, then a bounding gray and white snow leopard tearing through the forest after the spy. Now was my chance. I took off in the other direction, heading toward the northern lines of the Rim. There was only one place safer for the stones than the blasted fields. Mind you, there was one person who wasn’t going to be happy about my solution.

The trees and bushes, animals and birds blurred as I ran. I tapped into the strength of the earth and used it to boost my speed and agility. The power allowed me to cover the distance between the blasted fields and Griffin’s home in no time.

As a wolf shifter, he was not allowed to live within the Rim with us. But he was welcome to the edge, which was where he stayed. I wasn’t sure if I could call him a friend, but he had helped me more than once.

Skidding to a stop at his door, I didn’t hesitate, but let myself into the rounded hut that was his abode. “Griffin, I’m sorry to barge in on you.” I spoke swiftly, recalling all too clearly his method of teaching someone a lesson.

My eyes adjusted to the dim light; I was alone. Maybe this was better. I strode to the center of the room and went to my knees. At my urging, the hard dirt floor opened a hole big enough for the leather bag that held the two diamonds. I paused, thinking about what Peta had said. If she was right, and I needed the extra help but left the smoky diamond behind, I would be furious with myself. And if I didn’t need it, the stone was as safe with me as anywhere else.

I reached into the leather bag and pulled the smoky diamond out. One quick knot on the bag and I dropped it into the hole. Fifteen feet deep and in the middle of Griffin’s home . . . that had to be safe enough. “Mother goddess, keep it safe.”

Smoothing the dirt over, I took a moment and let my curiosity lead me through the room.

Griffin led a sparse life, with little in the way of knickknacks or personal items. The table held a few clay dishes, leftovers of his last meal. A shirt hung over the single chair. What caught my attention, though, was a single book on the bed. The rumpled bed sheets camouflaged it so I almost missed it. The cover was black with no title, no author’s name. Using one finger, I flipped it open.

Images stared up at me, startling me. I stepped back, then forward again.

These were what the humans called . . . photos . . . I’d heard of them, but never seen them. Like a painting, only clearer and crisper. Crouching, I flipped through the book. Some of the pictures were black and white, others were in color. The ones that stopped me were those of Griffin with his arms around a petite blonde woman, a young boy sitting in front of them. The child was maybe ten or so, and was Griffin’s son without a doubt. They could have been duplicates of one another. A child then . . . perhaps he’d lost his family . . . maybe that was why he hid in the woods.

Feeling like I’d seen something intimate I shouldn’t have, I backed away and slipped out the door. Drawing on the power of the earth once more, I raced to the center of the Rim. I wove my way, deliberately backtracking and changing direction several times.

Just in case more than one person was watching me.

I reached the Enders Barracks when the sun hung mid-sky, beating down on my head as it burned off the last of the morning fog.

Stepping inside the building that had so quickly and naturally become my refuge, I took a deep breath. The smell of leather, oil, and sweat permeated the air. My room was through the main exercise area, and near the far end of the sleeping quarters. I hurried there, wanting nothing more than the quiet of my own space. Once inside my room, I leaned against the door and finally let the task ahead of me crash down.