The Created

Chapter 29: Thalassa's Gift

KYE

I stand at the forest edge alone, staring at the patch of ground where the beast so recently laid. The others head inside, tending to Amber, who's a little more shaken up after having that thing dive at her.

The other animals, who rushed into the forest during all the commotion, now emerge from the trees. They stand in the bushes and hang from the branches and flutter around, all coming back into view. They peer at me but come no further. I lift my head and look around at them. They all look back, as though they understand; like they understand everything. I drop my head again; the creatures stir, turn, and walk away, disappearing into the forest for good.

I hear footsteps behind me, but I don't turn.

"You coming inside?" I hear Cat say. When I don't answer: "Are you okay?"

"We could've lost her," I say quietly. "It dove right for her."

"Amber is fine, Kye."

"She might not have been."

"Kye, you don't need to worry about this." She places a hand on my shoulder.

"I do need to worry about this," I say, turning to her. "I can't keep living like this."

"Living like what?"

"Like a fugitive! Running around trying to find a place to stay, a meal to eat. Trying to not be found, trying to not be killed." I motion to the spot where the creature had just taken its final breath.

"You've only been doing it for a few days," Cat tells me like I don't know.

"It's already driving me insane! Especially when I know that Killoran is still out there torturing innocent people. It eats me up, I can't stop thinking about it."

"I did it for weeks ever since—"

"I know, Cat!" I snap. "You think I don't know? None of that matters anymore."

Cat scoffs in disbelief but doesn't say anything.

It's quiet.

"Well what would you have us do?" Cat asks.

I know what I have to do.

"Help me stop him," I say.

"How?"

I hold up the book in my hands. "We find the Great Books."

There's a pause as Cat walks over and places her hand reassuringly in mine. "We don't even know that those exist."

I pull my hand away. I thought she was my friend, I thought she was going to jump on board right away. I thought I was supported. "Your mom said they do."

"Yeah. She also said it didn't work."

"She said that she knew my mom and that my mother found and hid it. And there's one more out there somewhere."

"Okay, but—"

"We just have to be the first to find it, before Killoran does."

"Kye, that's insane."

"Is it?" I see Connor come stepping out of the back door, making his way across to us at the edge of the woods. "Let's see what Connor thinks."

"Amber'll be fine," he reassures us when he gets close, talking only to me. "She was feeling faint, so we gave her some Red and laid her down. She's obviously just a little shaken up. Paxton is not happy."

"That's good," Cat says.

He looks at Cat for the first time.

"What are you two doing out here?"