Chapter Twenty

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Chapter Twenty

Clueless’ ears were ringing.

Lights danced in front of her eyes and for a moment, all thought abruptly stopped. Ember had hit her. Ember had hit her! She teetered, her brain feeling like a hive full of little buzzing bees, and she would have fallen into the water again if the fox-walker hadn't caught her.

"You think this is funny?" Ember demanded, yanking Clueless back to her feet. "You think I'm not good enough, you bitch?"

Before Clueless could react, Ember slapped her again, and this time she did fall into the water. Pushing herself to her hands and knees, Clueless struggled to gather her scattered thoughts.

"I am trying my best here!" Ember ranted. Raising a foot, she delivered a savage kick to Clueless' stomach, and the dog-walker crumpled into the water again. "And you keep screwing everything up!"

Clueless' head went under the water. She knew she couldn't stay here or she'd drown, but the buzzing in her head and the throbbing in her stomach kept her from moving—until Ember hauled her out a second time.

"This is the farthest from home I've ever been!" she screamed, slapping Clueless a third time. "I don't know where my alpha is!" Slap! "I'm scared!" Slap! "And it's my responsibility to keep Norrin alive!" Slap!

With that last slap, something inside Clueless finally broke. With a beastial snarl, she shoved Ember with all her strength, throwing her into the stream. She kept her human form, but she was anything but human when she pounced on Ember's prone form, lashing out with both hands to rake her fingernails across the other woman's face. Ember screamed, either in rage of pain, and kicked upwards, her foot connecting with the bruise that was already forming on Clueless' gut. She pushed, sending Clueless rolling and sliding away.

"Every time you disobey me, something goes wrong!' Ember shrieked, scrambling to her feet and charging at Clueless. "You're trying to get us all killed! I'll tear your face off, you stupid—"

Norrin moved faster than she had thought the towering giant could, throwing himself in front of Ember and wrapping his arms around her.

"Norrin, let me go!" she screamed, trying to pry herself out of his grasp. When that didn't work, she resorted to pounding her fists against him, but she may as well have been pelting him with paper balls. "I'm ordering you to let me go! I'm in charge! I…I have to…keep you…safe!"

The last of her rage ebbed away and, leaning her head against Norrin's chest, she began to cry.

"I- I'm trying so hard!' she sobbed. "Why does nobody ever listen?"

Wordlessly, Norrin picked her up out of the stream and, cradling her like a child, carried her to shore.

"You would listen to Fey!' Ember cried into his chest.

Still feeling dizzy, her stomach a storm of pain and stiffness, Clueless stood up and limped her way to the banks as well. Now that the fight was over, she didn't feel even a trace of the rage from before. She had been ready to kill Ember. Just thinking about it made her shiver with horror. She'd only ever felt anger like that once before, and it had resulted in her biting Fey's throat open.

Maybe, her conscience said, you're still more of an animal than you thought.

Norrin sat down farther up the bank, still cradling Ember while she cried. Clueless eyed them for a moment, but it was clear even to her that she wasn't welcome over there. Instead, she sat down forty feet away, hugging her knees to her chest while she thought about what she had just done.

"Hey ho, friendos!"

Clueless' head jerked upright, and she let out a gasp when she saw Gil standing on the other end of the stream.

"Son of a bitch!" Ember exclaimed, leaping out of Norrin's arms like he'd been electrified. "How did he find us?"

The twerpy hunter started across the stream. "I'm glad you guys changed your minds about hunting the thunderbird with me, but you—whoops!"

Stepping on the same patch of moss that had tripped Norrin, Gil went splashing into the stream as well. He came back up, spluttering but still grinning.

Clueless paused. Something wasn't right.

"But you were so excited that you went and left me at camp!" he laughed, scrabbling up onto the shore with them.

Everyone stared at him.

"What do you mean," Ember asked slowly, "we changed our minds?"

He looked at her, surprised. "You did, didn't you? Why else would you be coming this way?"

"What way?" Ember demanded. Her eyes were still red and puffy, but she was proud enough not to let Gil know she had been crying.

"Well, to the mountain! The one I told you it makes its nest in, remember? I followed your trail here, and you've been making an almost perfect shot toward it this whole time."

Ember's mouth fell open as horrified realization slammed into her. After everything she'd said about being in charge, about how they needed to obey her every word, she had led them straight toward the very danger she'd been trying to get them away from.

Not Clueless. Her.

"I see you decided to take a swim, Angel," Gil said with a smile. "I'd ask how the water was, but, well…"

Clueless was still staring at him. Something was wrong, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

"Well, let's get on with it!" he said, marching off into the woods. "We’re only about halfway there, but we can still make it by sunset if we hurry!"

There were no words. The three skinwalkers just looked at each other, and then Ember, looking thoroughly defeated, silently followed him. Norrin went after her.

Clueless watched them go, and shivered. The thought of hiking the rest of the day in these cold, wet clothes—

Clueless gasped when it suddenly occurred to her. Gil had taken a spill into the stream just like the rest of them had.

But when he came out, he'd been completely dry!

NEXT CHAPTER: 3/26/2025