Sleepwalker

Chapter Thirty: In the Wood

“So you worry that you will wind up working at your father’s inn wed to man who cares nothing for you or the reverse for the rest of your life? That does sound a bit bleak.” He inched closer to me. He held his hand under my chin. “Jenny, your father would never bind you to someone without your consent. He cares too much for you.”

I met his gaze as he gently tilted my chin up. My lips tingled while he brushed his thumb over them. My eyes fluttered closed. “Dill,” I breathed against his skin.

“Hmm?” He cupped my chin, but I barely felt it there as my heartbeat thundered through my entire body. His touch removed all numbness from my body. All thoughts of murder, scars, curses, and mothers were gone. There was only him and me.

At the sound of heavy footsteps, our eyes flew open. My cheeks burned; Armadillo’s were no paler. “What was that?” He asked, his eyes darting around.

“The innkeeper said a redheaded girl and a kid with glasses were headed east for the day. What’d she call them again?” The voice of gravel made my gut drop.

“She named them as Genevieve and Armadillo. I can finally imagine why they chose Natalie and Felix,” A deep bellowing voice replied, chuckling.

Instinctively, I ducked behind a sturdy and thick tree; Dill dove beside me. “They must have been tailing us since we left Dunver,” I remarked, watching them walk.

Fiercely, Dill shushed me. He peeked his head around the tree. “Damn.”

“They’re idiots,” I mumbled, deepening my voice and circling my hands around my eyes like glasses. “They couldn’t catch our trail if I pissed it for them.”

Dill smacked my shoulder, resounding in the woods. “Would you be quiet? I understand; I underestimated them. You can gloat later,” he whispered fiercely.

“Wait, Ace, did you hear that?” Goliath asked, turning toward the tree. “Hey!” His eyes met mine. “Ace! I found them!” He lumbered toward where we were frozen.

“Shit, shit, shit!” Dill grabbed my wrist and dragged me deeper into the trees. We ducked beneath the branches while we let others whip at our arms. The snow crunched under our feet, our boots revealing our every move. “Keep running. Come on!”

“Dill, this is not getting us anywhere,” I panted. “You go ahead and follow my lead.” I grabbed the top of a sapling and bent it to the forest floor. When Ace came close, I released it. As he stumbled back blindly, I balled up a wad of ice and threw it at him.

“Argh!” He scrubbed at his eyes, squeezing them shut. “That could get infected you know!” Another snowball zoomed past my head and hit him again. He tumbled.

Dill watched the spectacle, admiring his handiwork. He raised an eyebrow at me. “You are insane.” When I grabbed his wrist and offered an urgent glare, he snapped out of his trance. We weaved through the woods until we collapsed into a clearing.

I coughed, the short sprints compressing my lungs. When I could control my breathing, I studied the area around us. The river burbled in my ear. “We have two options. We either go across the river or we can go backwards. I do not—” Meaty hands lifted me by my waist into the air. My body went rigid, unable to even scream.

“Or we have option number three,” Goliath rumbled in my ear. “What do you say, Armadillo? Do you walk to your fate civilly or do I drag your unconscious body?” He smirked when Dill put his hands up willingly. “Atta boy. Varick will be pleased.”

I squirmed at his hands tightly groping my ribcage. “Do I have those same options?” I asked as he threw me over his shoulder. My hair fell downward.