A statue.

That was how I'd describe Avery. One second he was lecturing me on why I had to do better, and the next he was still--frozen above me. Even though his gaze was on me, the distant look in his eyes told me he was mentally elsewhere.

"Avery," I called firmly, squirming under his grip while watching for any flicker or movement of his pupils.

Nothing.

Seconds passed and he had yet to show any signs of life. It didn't take long for me to realize what was going on.

He's tethered.

Flying over to where I was, Oak peeked her head around his, observing his face while I did the same. Up close, he looked less intimidating. The usual animosity I felt toward him was practically nonexistant, most likely because he wasn't running that insufferable mouth of his.

At the thought of it, my eyes fell to his lips and I swallowed. How long had he been that close?

Purrs pulled me out of my daze, and I felt heat flood my cheeks at the teasing glint in Oak's eyes.

Shut up!

Looking away, I thought about forcefully taking Avery out of his trance so I could get away, but I knew how painful breaking a tether could be. If his bond was anything like mine, he wouldn't want that. But, staying here meant I had to show patience, and I saw no reason he deserved that from me.

Twisting my right wrist slowly, I pressed it into the hardened snow below, repeating the process until I had burrowed a big enough hole for my hand to easily slip out of his grasp. Half way to freedom, I turned toward my other hand, doing the same thing, but something stopped me.

Him.

"Run! NOW!" Avery shouted, his throat tightening as his features contorted into something likened to fear.

His eyes were bigger, wider, but remained coated in absence.

He's still tethered.

It was oddly mesmerizing to see a lynk in this state, and I wondered if I looked similar when I was tethered to Oak. But, my curiosity would have to wait, because the sudden look of dispair forming on the man's face stirred up a sense of worry in my gut.

"Something's wrong," I whispered.

Oak cooed in agreement, stepping behind me as I laid there, unsure of what to do. Still, his expression seemed to dull, like a light was dying inside, and I felt this pull to bring it back. I couldn't explain it.

Nor could I explain why I raised my hand and pressed my palm against his cheek. The moment I did, I gasped, shocked that I could feel a heat burning through my glove.

Can you feel this, Oak?

Lifting my eyes back at her, she tilted her head in confusion before shaking it. She wanted me to explain what I was talking about, but I couldn't quite find the words to describe it. All I knew was that the longer I held his face, the clearer his eyes became--his stone-like hold softening as a heavy breath left his mouth.

"Avery?" I called, rubbing my thumb across his cheek to get some kind of response from him.

His stare held mine, pinning me firmer than his physical hold, but it took him a moment to speak.

"Sparrow," he said, his voice rough and filled with wonder. "How? How did you do that?"

My own mind was in a haze, ignorant to the inner workings that allowed me to break the tether. One thing I knew for sure, however, was that the process was painless, as if he and his shadoe had separated on their own.

"I don't know," I answered breathlessly, so aware of how close we still were. The same realization must have hit him as well, because a second later he rolled off of me and stood to his feet with a new sense of urgency.

"We have to go," he stated, holding his hand out for me to take. 

Despite wanting to talk about what just happened, I could see the sudden shift in his demeanor—a need to move, so I followed, only because the drive possessing him sparked a fear of the unknown within me. He knew something I didn't, and I was afraid of what that was. But, I wouldn't let that fear cripple me. 

"Why? What's going on?" I dared to ask, standing to my own feet as I felt a wave of nervousness consume Oak. 

Reaching down to bring some comfort to her, I froze, my heart tremoring as five words left his lips, wrapping around me like a noose.

"The Forsaken Ones are here," he said, delivering a death blow to my resolve. 

Turning my head toward him, my throat tightened, making it difficult to breathe. The strangled whimpers of Oak did nothing to calm me as I imagined the terror soon to overtake us. I didn't even question his statement. The forsaken were not something we, in Icadia, ever joked about. It was likened to treason, blasphemous in our culture, and reason enough for banishment. There may have been many things about Avery that I did not like, but I was certain that he was not a man of deceit.

"How long do we have?" I managed to inquire, feeling the fraying of my sanity. 

I knew we shouldn't have stayed. 

Now, not only trepidation, but guilt swirled in Oak's soul, but I didn't have the time to coddle her.

"Not long," he answered, his gaze landing on the snowy barn owl beside me. "She needs to take flight. We can't let them find out you're a lynk, and they cannot know that she is your shadoe. It would cost us more than just our lives."

Once again, he was saying things that made me feel like these people knew more about my bond with Oak than we ourselves, which had to be impossible, yet he held a twinkle of knowledge in his eyes whenever he looked at us.

Earlier, before he was pulled into his tether, I wanted to ask him what it was about us that he found so special, but I decided against it, not wanting to give him an opportunity to frustrate me with vague answers. However, now I felt no urge to hold back.

"Why do you think we-"

"Later," he interrupted, his face freezing for just a second before he blinked again, his breaths unevenly warming my chilled face. "They're getting closer. I have to warn everyone."

Not wasting another second, he sprinted away from the open field, heading deeper into camp. Not wanting to be alone with such a daunting threat closing in on us, I ran after him, willing Oak to fly above. I may not have understood what Avery's motivations for keeping our bond a secret were, but I knew that disregarding his warning was the equivalent to digging my own grave and, more likely than not, Oak's as well.

As I ran, dodging unawares while straining to keep Avery in sight, I took note to his stature. He was large, menacing in the way he charged through the icy paths of Camp Exodus—he reminded me so much of his bear, their demeanors so similar. Once again, I wondered if I resembled Oak in the way I moved, much like how he seemed to move in the same spirit as his shadoe.

When he disappeared into a tent, one that's build differed from the rest, I paused. In seconds, General Yates stepped out with a fire in his stride that seemed to command attention from everyone within his proximity. His dark hair was disheveled, his eyes wild with a mixture of rage and concern, but a vibe of fearlessness emanated off of him. 

"OUR BATTLE CAME SOONER THAN ANTICIPATED!" He projected, the strength in his voice drawing people closer. "THE FORSAKEN ONES HAVE CROSSED OUR GATES, AND WE ARE NOT GOING TO LET THAT GO WITHOUT A COST! THIS IS A TIME FOR RETRIBUTION! LET'S MAKE THEM FEEL IT!" he growled, raising a hand equipped with a sword that I just now noticed was unsheathed. "SPREAD THE WORD AND GET TO YOUR RESPECTIVE STATIONS! WICKED'S BLOOD WILL BE SPILT, TODAY!"

As the people raced off, following orders with a conviction for vengeance, I stepped closer to the man in charge. His attention had quickly turned to Avery, who stood behind him, but when I got within talking distance, it averted to me. 

"Miss Sparrow. Get her out of here, Avery," he said, his tone soft yet firm with demand. "Protect her with your life, get her to Paxton, but keep her status hidden."

"My status?" I questioned at the same time that Avery replied, "Yes, General."

"Take Heath and his platoon with you, for reinforcement," he added, completely ignoring my inquiry.

Descending from the sky, Oak perched herself on my shoulder as company just as Yates was about to say something else. Her presence didn't go unnoticed, however. In fact, she became the sole focus of the general.

"I never thought I'd live to see one in my lifetime," he whispered, sounding in awe before he shook the daze off his tongue. Clearing his throat, he asserted, "They can't be seen together. Not until the threat has been neutralized. I don't care if it takes days, weeks, or months. If they know the bird is her shadoe, they'll kill them both without a second of hesitation. Don't let that happen."

"I won't, General," Avery assured him, but my mind was stuck on the part where he thought he could keep me away from Oak.

"We are not splitting up," I stated with no hint of compromise in the matter. My eyes were hardened, daring one of them to argue with me. Of course, he would accept the challenge.

"You will if you want both of you to survive this," Avery retorted, his countenance urging me not to make things difficult. But, he didn't understand that what he was asking of me was something I had never done before--something I couldn't fathom doing.

"If they find out the bird is your shadoe," Yates began. "They'll target her first, and they won't stop until her heart is torn from her chest."

That scenario made my mouth go dry, and when I looked at Oak, her eyes were wide in fear. 

That's not going to happen. I promise.

"Okay," I conceded. "We'll stay away from each other...for her sake."

"And for your own," Avery added, his gaze settled on me with his arms crossed. 

Nodding my head, I gathered Oak in my arms, resting my forehead against hers for a few seconds, just feeling her life beat against mine. I wasn't sure when we'd physically be in front of each other again, so I savored the moment I had.

See you soon.

A wet tear trailed down my cheek, and I assumed it sourced from my eyes until I looked into Oak's and saw that it came from hers. She loved me. I could feel it radiating out of her through the bond. She wanted to make sure I knew that as I looked into her face, and then she flew out of my grip without looking back.

Be safe.

With the rest of his instructions given, General Yates ran off to prioritize the safety of his camp while Avery led me to where he said Heath would most likely be waiting once he heard the news. As predicted, the curly headed brunette stood at the eastern gates of the settlement. The entrance was hidden by overgrown trees, leading into a thick forest, but the pathway was still clear. Heath was surrounded by a group of men dressed in similar attire to his, although his snowsuit was all black where as theirs were a dark grey, and each man carried either a bow and arrows, a sword, or a spear. Their suits clearly weren't meant to camouflage, but the style and build of them catered to the elasticity they'd need to comfortably defend and attack in a second's notice.

As we got closer, Heath's gaze lifted from the petite auburn beauty in front of him. I almost didn't see her with my mind as heavily distracted as it was.

"Look, they're here now, Lyd," he said, placing his hands on her arms. "I have to go."

Looking over her shoulder, Lydia faked a smile, trying to conceal the distress she felt on the inside. Her doe-like hazel eyes were puffy, and remnants of tears stained the skin under them, showing that she had been crying. 

"Avery. Sparrow," she greeted solemnly before turning back to Heath. "Just...don't do anything stupid. I know that will be hard for you, but I swear, Heath, if you don't-"

"Aw, I love you, too," he laughed, ruffling her hair playfully before hugging her tightly against his chest. At first, she rolled her eyes and tried to push him away, but eventually she gave in, wrapping her arms around him until he let go.

"Good luck," she said, making eye contact with all of us, letting it be known that the message was meant for all.

"You, too," I replied, holding her stare for a second longer than the others did. 

This time, her smile seemed genuine, even though it was small. Nodding her head, she looked back at Heath one more time before jogging back to camp in the direction of her tent. I hoped she'd be okay. It was odd because I'd never wished this for anyone other than my mother, but in Lydia's case, I did—I wished I'd see her again.

Just as soon as her pixie-like form disappeared behind a tent, screams and shouts that could only come from someone in agony filled the air. The hairs on my arms stood on edge as I looked between Heath and Avery for some sort of direction. Heath made eye contact with me, but Avery's eyes stayed trained on the camp, like he was looking for something.

Following his gaze, I could hear his sigh of relief when the ivory bear charged out and into the opening for all of us to see. I was tempted to smile, but when a group of people appeared behind him, all urges of that nature dissipated. And, even though I couldn't see her, I felt Oak's stress-levels soar as she quickly looked through my eyes in a flashed tether.

"We've got to go," Heath stated, gesturing for his team to take off and I quickly followed. 

As he ran next to me, I realized Avery wasn't. In fact, he stayed were he was, watching as the legendary threat neared.

"What are you waiting for?!" I questioned, anger in my tone that I hadn't expected.

The blonde man simply looked at me, a hint of amusement in his face before it turned stoic. I had to look ahead to keep from stumbling, but when I looked back, expecting to see him in trouble, I scoffed at the sight of him riding on his shadoe. I should have known.

With ease, the duo caught up to those of us running on two feet, and we maintained our fast pace, eager to avoid the pursuit of the forsaken behind us. Now, more than ever, I coveted anyone who could be confident in their ability to protect themselves. I should have taken Avery's lessons more seriously, instead of for granted. 

It felt like nearly twenty minutes of nonstop sprinting had passed before something happened—something I hadn't expected.

"Take care of him for me," Heath whispered, a smile on his face as he winked before suddenly stopping. I opened my mouth to voice my confusion, but someone beat me to it.

"Heath!" Avery shouted, when he glanced back and saw that his friend, along with his platoon of armed followers, was willingly fallimg behind. "What the hell are you doing?!" 

Cupping a hand around his mouth, Heath yelled back. "I'm giving you the time you'll need to escape! So don't screw it up!" he grinned, tossing his spear lightly in his hand before turning around and throwing it through the air at lightning speed. 

There was no doubt in my mind that he hit his intended target, but I worried that his team wouldn't be as skilled as him. If he couldn't manage to stop them all, what would happen to him?

I didn't even realize I was still running until I bumped into a bulk of furry muscle. Facing ahead, I drifted to the side so I wasn't as close to Beau as I followed them through the forest, avoiding any debris that could trip me up while trying not to think the worst of Heath's situation. Oak was lending me as much nimbleness as she could, but the rest was up to me, and keeping up with a four-legged giant was not a simple feat when I still felt all the soreness I acquired from my earlier exercises with his lynk.

"Are we seriously just going to leave him?" I asked, surprised at how solid my voice emitted. 

"He made his choice. There's nothing we can do, now," Avery grumbled, looking down at me before up again. 

Shaking my head, I mumbled, "I've got to know what's going on."

What do you see up there, girl?

Reaching out to establish a tether, I relaxed into it, feeling our minds become one. We may have been apart physically, but our souls would always be bonded. Already sensing what I wanted to see, Oak circled back a bit and glided over the treetops, being sure not to draw attention to herself. Through the frigid leaves and pine needles, I spotted him. He was almost unrecognizable as the same, warmhearted and young playful man I'd known him to be. When he was in his element, there was only one word to describe Heath. Deadly.

There was so much I didn't know about the forsaken ones, mostly due to my lack of human relations, but I knew the most important thing—they were gifted, and not in the way Lydia was. No, they were endowed with abilities that were unrivaled amongst the people of Icadia. 

I watched as one man lifted his hand, his fingers curling like he was grasping at air, but the wicked grin on his face exposed that the action wasn't all there was to it. Looking a few feet in front of him, I felt my heart sputter at the sight of a man I'd recognized from Camp Exodus levitating as he reached for his own throat. His feet kicked frantically, the snow on his boots flicking off in every direction, but the most unsettling detail was the color flooding his face—the blue tint increasingly getting bolder and deeper as the seconds passed. Eventually, his legs stilled, slightly swaying from the lingering momentum, and his arms fell, his hands acting as dead weights, making his chest lean forward until the sick bastard that killed him let his limp body fall into the snow below. 

Heath didn't notice yet, too busy defending others as he outmaneuvered the forsaken around him. Using the tree trunks as barriers, he avoided their line of sight, which seemed to be working effectively for him. It was a tremendous help that he rarely seemed to miss whenever he got a hold of a spear. I could also tell that his skill acted as a source of confidence in his allies as they courageously took on the bane of our existence—the cursed that tormented us every chance they got.

"Sparrow."

The sound of my name being called startled me, and I looked toward the ground, surveying the faces of the gifted below, looking to see if somehow someone knew I was there. I didn't notice any attention being given our way, so I calmed down, although I was still very much on edge; especially when my name was called again.

"Sparrow!"

Do you hear that?

Just as the mental question left my mind, I realized I recognized the voice. His voice. But, how was that possible while I was in a tether?

Starting to untether us and make my way back to my own body, my eyes locked on to someone else's, and I stopped. Her electric blue irises turned white right in front of me, the change terrifying me even more so when they turned garnet, like lakes of blood drained from those unfortunate enough to fall under their stare. Something about her made my insides twist, knotting up in an crippling terror. I had to get out of there. Rushing to leave Oak's body, my vision blurred—the forsaken woman's face being the last thing in focus, adorned with cream hued hair cascading over it, before everything turned dark...

...and then I was seeing through my own eyes again.

"SPARROW!" Avery shouted, his face strained as I tried reorienting myself to my body. "GRAB MY HAND!"

It was then that my senses seemed to kick in. The snow beneath me was no longer caving into my footsteps, creating a friction that made running easy. Now, it was slick, glacial, and dangerously uneven. The wind was sharper than before, like a steady current whipping across my face along with a layer of fresh falling snow. The sound of laughter likened to hyenas from behind told me that Heath and his crew weren't able to stop every forsaken one in pursuit of us. But, the most daunting truth that filled my ears was the heavy sound of rushing water. 

I became aware of these details in a matter of seconds—seconds I wished I could have used to grab Avery's extended hand, but that time was gone, and so was the likelihood that I could stop before I met the raging river just a meter ahead of me. 

"COME ON!" Avery bellowed, his veins popping against his skin as I reached out to him just as we had to jump over the deleterious torrent. Our fingertips brushed, sending a spark of heat through my body before I was stripped of it all. 

His shouts mixed with Oak's screech in the distance before I was fully submerged in the river, my ears flooding with the gelid water.

My body seized on impact, an insurmountable weight crashing against my bones while the cold wrenched at my limbs until I couldn't feel them. Just when I thought I'd gone numb, a scream erupted from inside me, burning my lungs as the feel of a thousand icy daggers impaled my nerves, burdening me with an agony I had never known—and one I'd never forget. 

I didn't think death had a flavor, until  the darkness swallowed me whole and I tasted its grip for a second time.

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Author's Note:

Sorry for the wait. This chapter was by far the longest at 3800+ words, but I needed it to be. With that being said, please let me know what you thought of this chapter. I'm not that confident about it. Idk, I feel like the quality of my writing is going downhill in this book for some reason...😕

Are there any places in this chapter that you felt were weird or bad? BE HONEST. I CAN TAKE IT, I SWEAR.

If you actually liked it, then you can tell me I'm crazy and I'll happily accept that as the reason for my insecurities. 😅

-Mac