Wildwood

15. All In

All InVanessa lies on the river bank, my flashlight in her hand, which illuminates her golden hair spilling across the sand.

“Vanessa!” I run to her. Her eyes are open and fixed, and her breaths come in little gasps. “Can you hear me? What happened?”

“It’s okay. It’s a vision,” Maris says, taking a hold of my arm.

Vanessa blinks, then licks her lips, coming to.

“You scared me, Vanessa,” I say, sinking down beside her. “What did you see?”

“We have to run,” she rasps. She looks up at Maris, her green eyes wide and wild. “She really is Spera, isn’t she?”

“Yes,” Maris hisses.

“Something’s coming for her,” Vanessa gasps. With a start, I realize I don’t hear the river. Adrenaline shoots through me. The water is still as glass. On the other side, a crackling shadow distorts the dark. Maris shoves something in Vanessa’s bag, before grabbing me by the arm, and hauling us both to our feet.

“Go. You have to go now. Your Tenix is in the bag. Run!” Maris orders.

Vanessa shoves me ahead of her, and we take off up the hill. The sound of footsteps and snapping twigs echo all around me. I don’t know if I’m hearing us or someone else. Even though I’m running, I swear I hear Harbor’s breathing roaring in my ears; her pulse pounding in the night, driving me faster. I could surge past Vanessa if I want to, but I don’t know my way back to her car.

A flash of light catches my eye in the trees ahead.

“There’s something there!” I shout up to Vanessa, but I’m too late. A solid form takes shape in the dark. Vanessa crashes into it. Huge, gray hands grip her by the shoulders and sling her to the ground. She yelps and rolls over, grunting as air leaves her lungs. She crawls forward on her elbows and covers her satchel with her body. The burly form steps over her. A staff with a bladed end is slung across its back. The creature reaches for it, keeping its gaze trained on Vanessa.

“I’m what you’re after!” I scream. The thing turns. It has a man’s face, although it’s charcoal gray in color. His frame is similar to Lucas and Asher. I shift my weight to the balls of my feet, preparing to run. I’m smaller, but I know without a doubt I’m faster. Size isn’t an advantage when maneuvering through close trees. The Unseen narrows his eyes, assessing me. Vanessa shifts. The bottle of Tenix rolls out of her satchel. The Unseen samples the air, and his attention returns to Vanessa. His fingers grip the middle of the staff, sliding it out of position.

“I’m Tanzy! I’m what Asher wants!” I scream but he doesn’t respond. He raises his staff. He’s going to kill Vanessa. Terror races through me, igniting every nerve ending.

“Stop!” I shout. “Help! Maris!” My screams echo through the trees. The Unseen doesn’t turn, and Maris doesn’t appear. I charge forward, and throw myself between the Unseen and Vanessa.

He stares down at me. The flicker of surprise on his face turns to a crush of anger. He snatches the front of my coat and lifts me off the ground. I slap and claw at his hands, kicking uselessly at his body. He clasps my throat with his other hand and begins to squeeze, staring me straight in the face as he tightens his grip. He’s just watching, waiting for me to die.

I wheeze, gasping in a breath. My brain quiets. The world around me slows down. Something clicks inside my head, blocking out hesitation. I let go of his arms, gather my knees to my chest and then push off his torso with my toes. He leans forward, caught off guard just as I crank one arm back and send a fist through his teeth. His head snaps back. A second swell of strength drives my left hand through his jaw. He releases me, grabbing his face in pain. I sink my weight back of one foot and send a kick on a diagonal through his diaphragm. The force of the blow sends him reeling backward. He crashes against the thick trunk of a tree and slumps in a heap on the ground. I stand stone still, panting and dizzy.

“Finish him Tanzy,” Vanessa moans, clutching her side. “Or if he comes to, we’re as good as dead.”

“I… I can’t do that.,” I stammer.

“Yes, you can! You have to!” Vanessa pleads, pulling herself up to standing. “I can’t… I don’t think I can run yet.”

“I can carry you,” I say, moving for her. A rustle sound draws my ear. The Unseen rises to his feet. He flexes his hands and shakes his head, and then he trains his sight on me. I freeze for half a second.

“Run, Tanzy!” Vanessa shouts. I pedal backward. My heel catches a root, and I fall flat on my back. My head strikes a rock, sending a white starburst across my vision. My eyes squeeze shut, and then fly open as I suck in a hard breath. The Unseen steps over me. I push off with my hands, trying to propel myself away, but I back into a tree.

“Tanzy!” Vanessa shouts. She holds up the staff. She throws it to me. I catch it with trembling hands, and as the Unseen reaches for my throat, I shove the bladed end into his chest. He staggers back, shock on his features.

“Finish him, Tanzy!” Vanessa screams. I pull myself up and run after him. Grabbing the end of the staff, I push as hard as I can. He wraps his fingers around the staff, still fighting to reach me, when the light leaves his eyes and he sinks to the earth. I catch myself reaching down for him, wondering if he’s in pain.

“Is he dead?” Vanessa asks, hobbling closer.

“I… I think so,” I whisper, shaking with exhaustion and fear. “How did I do that?” I whisper.

“I don’t know,” Vanessa answers. “But whatever it is… you saved my life.” She stops in her tracks. “Tanzy, Unseens are incredibly strong. There’s no way you should’ve been able to fight him off. I think we have found your gift.”

“Fighting?” I ask, my hands shaking.

“Strength,” Vanessa says, leveling her stare at me. A noise comes from the Unseen, making us jump. His lines blur and then his form becomes grainy, as if turning to sand.

“Let’s get out of here,” Vanessa says in a hushed voice. I can’t take my eyes off of the disintegrating Unseen. Could I do that again? What if it was Asher? Would I if I was given the opportunity? They’re monsters, aren’t they? Even if they’re wearing human faces? Uncertainty wriggles inside me.

“Tanzy…” Vanessa’s voice reaches me. She’s staring at my chest, motionless. “Look,” she says. My coat has pulled open and my sweater torn, revealing the skin below my collar bone and the three circles burned into my chest by the lightning. At the top of the first circle, a bright black spot appears, and traces the ring, leaving a shimmering black trail. Once it returns to the top the ring begins to throb, glowing in time with my pulse. I stagger backward, covering my chest with my hand.

“What’s happening to me?” I gasp. “It really burns,” I press my palm against it.

“Let me help,” Vanessa says as she grabs her bottle of Tenix.

“No,” I wave her off. “Something died for that Tenix. Save it for when we really need it.” I push harder against my skin. The pain lessens and then all but vanishes, leaving behind the sensation of a sunburn. The mark fades back to red, the first circle only a touch brighter than the other two.

“This has to mean something.” I say, staring down at the burn.

“I’ll ask Maris first thing tomorrow. I just don’t think it’s a good idea to go back down there,” she says, staring down the hill.

“No. I don’t think I have another fight in me,” I say.

“So Maris told you how Tenix is collected then?” she says, her shoulders slumping.

“Yes,” I say with a firm nod.

“I only buy it from Maris, and she’s very selective about sources,” Vanessa explains. “I only use it for good, Tanzy. I swear I’m not careless with it. I respect where it comes from.”

“You don’t have to justify anything to me,” I reply. “Just don’t use it on me unless it’s a matter of life and death, okay?”

“Okay,” she says and stows the bottle in her bag before we turn up the hill.

“What was that thing?” I croak. My feet ache beneath me, and only now do I remember I’ve been effectively barefoot since leaving the hospital, the flimsy shoe protectors hanging in tatters on my feet. I reach down to gingerly peel them off of my raw, sore soles. How had I just fought off someone nearly twice my size when I can barely take a step now?

“I don’t know. I’ve seen Unseens before, but never that color, or that… feral. Usually when they come across, they enjoy pretending to be a person, the manipulation aspect,” she explains.

“Maris is right. I have to see if I can go back as soon as possible. Asher and the Unseen world are coming after me full force. I can’t sit around and wait. We need answers now. She said I needed to wait for the black moon.”

“She probably means a night with no moon.” She checks the warming sky, where the sliver of crescent moon is still visible in the coming dawn. “That’s probably tomorrow night. If you want to go back this soon, we have a lot to do. Well, I have a lot to do. I’m going to take you to my house so you can rest. I told my husband I’d take care of you. If we were to take your vitals now they’d probably be off the charts. I haven’t even fed you since we left.”

“I’m okay. I can do this.”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea. Not with what just happened.” Vanessa limps ahead. “There’s nothing wrong with waiting until next month. Or even a couple extra days. I think there are two or three dark nights in a row.”

“What happened to you wanting me to do this? Are you trying to talk me out of it?” I ask.

“It’s not that. You know how bad I want these answers and to find a way to get ahead of Asher. But this kind of magic isn’t always foolproof and it isn’t always rooted in good. Maris… Maris is operating from her own playbook. Sometimes it works in my favor. Sometimes…” But her voice drifts for a moment. She tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear. “An Unseen is an Unseen, end of story. No matter how human they try to be, or how long they live on this side, they will always put themselves first. She may be encouraging you to do this time travel thing knowing full well you might not come back. And then what?”

“She said she knew my mom,” I whisper. “It sounded personal. I don’t think she’d risk my safety. Honestly, I’m not safe anywhere. Tonight just proves it.”

“Good point,” she says with a sigh. She settles against the back of her seat and stares at the place where the road meets the horizon. I follow her gaze, watching the sun rise, wondering if my mom is somewhere doing the same. I don’t know what’s coming, but I have a feeling it’s going to take everything I’ve got.