I stumbled, and my friends stopped me from falling. With labored breath I said, “It's hard to do that with all of you. I don’t want to leave Pyrite behind.”
“Of course not,” Sharp asserted, supporting me, “but we’ll have to be smart about this. Are you unable to use you power now?”
I took a few more deep breaths, which did little to subdue the dizziness. “I don’t know. If I have to take the three of you, I’m going to pass out.”
She looked over her shoulder, considering this. A bead of sweat dripped down her forehead. “Don’t pull that move unless there’s no other choice. The three of us can distract them and save Pyrite, while you get the horses so we can make a hasty getaway. Got it?”
It took some effort to swallow my fear, but I agreed with her plan of action. By myself, the strain in the Unseen was barely noticeable, and I was the least capable fighter anyway.
The house was just in sight when I realized the Sapphire Clan had a different plan. The unmistakable sound of galloping hooves headed our way, but I couldn’t see their riders. My instincts forced me back to my friends, and I wrapped my arms around their necks with enough momentum to knock them backwards, disappearing a second time.
To our luck, we weren’t seen, but to our dismay, Pyrite’s patchwork soul was slumped over the back of one of the horses, unconscious. All we could do was watch. There was no way we could catch up now.
Willow tried to wriggle free of my grip. “We can’t just let them go! I can catch up to them!”
“And then what?” growled Piranha. “Are you going to capture two powerful adults by yourself?”
Willow didn’t argue, because he saw the look on my face, pale as death. “B-Badger? You should really stop.” He shook me. “Come on, we need to get out of this creepy place before you collapse.”
This request made no difference. My body would not allow us to stay another second. When we left the Unseen, it was like taking a big breath after being underwater.
“Badger?” My friends didn’t take their hands off me as I started to cough and convulse.
“P-Pyrite!” I gagged, pointing into the forest. “We have to save him.”
But it wasn’t enough. Blackness closed in around my eyes, until it was the only thing left to see.
I woke up in a house with a ceiling the texture of driftwood, a wet rag draped over my forehead. The image of dark blue souls on black horses came to mind, and I bolted upright.
“He’s up!” exclaimed Sharp, seated next to me on a fat red cushion by the wall. She had removed the plates of armor from her arms, revealing purple leather underneath. The bags under her eyes were profound.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” I rubbed my pounding head. “Did my power knock me out again?”
“Unfortunately.”
“What…where are we?” I tried to stand, but she pushed me back down.
“Don’t be foolish, you need to rest. We’re in Pyrite’s house.”
I had no intention of staying idle and stood up anyway. “How long have I been unconscious?”
“Look, you really ought to lie back down.” She wrapped a gentle hand around my wrist and attempted to pull me back. “I’ll go get you some food and water and–”
I yanked my arm away. “Sharp.”
She sighed and raised her hand in surrender. “Fine. It’s been three hours.”
“What!” I stumbled towards the door. “We have to go after them now!”
The door was blocked by Willow, holding a wooden tray stacked with dry bread and clay mugs of water. He had removed his scarf and jewelry and looked ready to turn in for the night. “Whoa there, Wild Boy! Alive at last! You're going to need to drink and rest before running headlong into the forest.”
“I’ve been resting for three hours! I can’t believe you just let them take Pyrite like that! What were you–?”
Without breaking his calmness, not even a little, he took a cup from the tray and poured the entire thing over my head.
“Agh! Damn!” I sputtered, hair dripping all over the plush carpet. “What the deep hell is your problem?”
“Hm?” He set the food down and acted as if he didn’t know what I was talking about. “Just wanted to snap you to reality, Valley-punk.”
I narrowed my eyes and flicked some of the dripping water into his face.
He wiped it off. “What did you expect us to do, huh? Leave your unconscious body behind as we limped after two galloping horses headed to the Deep Dark? Give me a break.”
I opened my mouth, then closed it. The water dribbled down my chin.
“That’s not all.” Sharp said, offering me a piece of raisin bread. “Just because we had no chance of catching them doesn’t mean we didn’t try. Willow had to help me take you inside, so Piranha was the only one fast enough to keep up. They couldn’t catch the horses, but they did make it to the border. We know which part of the Dark they entered in.”
The bread was like flavorless gum. I forced it down. “Where is Piranha now?”
“Asleep downstairs. Here, please sit.” This time it was Willow who grabbed me by the arm, and I sat back down. The inside of this room was circular like the tree it was made from and painted a color much like the daytime sky.
“Badger.” He dried my hair with a dishcloth. “You know we aren’t just going to run off right? Pyrite is in danger. But it happens to be four o’clock in the morning, and some of us have been up for over twenty-four hours.”
“Wha–,” I mumbled, after choking down another mouthful of bread. “That can’t be right. We weren’t riding that long.”
Sharp touched the face of her timepiece ring. “Time doesn’t move the same in a place with no sun. Last time my dad was here, he went two days without sleep. From now on, we need to pay closer attention to the time of day, or else we’re in for a hard time.”
