Raindrops rattling on tin. The last time I'd heard that sound, it had been in Amaranthus, when Wyn and I had fled together. It rained quite often there. Everything was green. A peaceful sort of tranquility that I hadn't ever experienced in my life until then. With him. In that place. And then I left, and never did again. But I had longed for it. Every day since.

My eyelids felt heavy and a dull ache encompassed my whole body as I shifted, slowly becoming aware of myself. The first thing I saw was blood. A crumpled red stained rag sat on the table next to where I lay, alongside a small yellow ceramic bowl with cracks down its sides, filled with red tinged water. Blinking hard, I sat up, too quickly. Grabbing onto the iron bed frame, I squeezed my eyes shut again, willing the world to stop spinning. Once it did, I opened them again.

The barren little one room shack had wooden walls; a small table and chairs sat in one corner near a sink and wood burning stove. A stream of light cast itself across the worn grey floorboards.

Sliding out from under an ancient looking quilt, I let my bare toes touch the cold floor. My legs shook under my weight as I stood and winced. Pain shot up my side and I pulled up my shirt to reveal a large bandage.

A tall dirty mirror was propped up against the wall next to the bed and I stepped in front of it, gingerly pulling the tape back and peeling away the bandage. A long gash ran the length of my ribcage, which was littered with plum colored bruises. It was ugly, but the wound had been stitched up expertly. I replaced the dressing and tugged the shirt down.

Shivering against a cold draft, I wrapped the quilt around my shoulders, stepping closer to the window. Drops of rain rolled down the surface of the dingy window. Outside there were trees as far as I could see. The shack was sitting in a tiny clearing. The door squeaked open behind me and I spun around, grimacing at the pull of the stitches.

"You're awake." Wyn closed the door behind him and set a rusty axe down next to it. "You shouldn't be out of bed. You need to rest."

It was still so surreal, seeing him standing here in front of me; feeling his presence radiating in the room. I blinked and shrugged deeper into the quilt. "I'm fine. Where are we?"

His face grew serious and he crossed the room, bootsteps echoing across the floorboards. Leaning against the wall, he crossed one foot in front of the other, muscular arms folding over his broad chest. "The last reading I got from the plane showed us about a hundred miles inside Abditory."

My heart lept into my throat. "What?" Voice barely a whisper, I shook my head. Izzy. "What about the other plane? Did they make it?"

A muscle ticked in his jaw and he shook he his head slightly, eyes softening. "I don't know."

I drew in a shaky breath and suddenly felt light headed. Izzy could be out there without the protection she needs. I had to get to her. Dropping the quilt I sat down on the bed and grabbed the boots from the floor. A wave of familiarity washed over me and I realized, these were my boots. And these were my clothes. They were from my go-bag that I had left in Amaranthus. Leave it to Wyn to be smart enough and thoughtful enough to bring them.

"What are you doing?"

I gritted my teeth together, pulling on a worn brown boot. "I can't stay here. I have to find Izzy." I hastily tied the laces and tucked in the loose ends, then did the same with the other, ignoring the pain shooting up my side.

"Did you just hear me? We are in Ab-di-to-ry." He enunciated the last word clearly and slowly, obviously annoyed with my defiance.

I stood back up, avoiding eye contact, and looked around, spotted my bag in the corner. I crossed to it and yanked it open, pulled out my green jacket and shoved my arms into it. It still fit like a glove. He was watching me. I could feel it; sense his irritation. But I couldn't care about that right now. All that mattered was getting to Izzy.

"How long have we been here?" I asked, sifting through the bag, reorienting myself with its contents.

"Two days."

"And the others?"

"Gone."

"What happened? Were we shot down?"

"It appears so, yes. I didn't want to stick around the crash site longer than necessary. We're a good distance away from it. And I hid our trail well. They won't find us here."

I scoffed. "Never underestimate Callum."

His jaw lifted and his eyes went stony. "I never do."

His gaze was boring a hole in me and I had to look away, tucking my hair behind an ear. I cinched the bag shut and swung it onto my back. I took a step towards the door and had to stop, due to the mountain of man that stepped in front of me.

"You're not thinking clearly. You need to stay."

"No." I looked up at him, meeting his gaze. "I don't expect you to understand, but I have to go."

"We'll go when you've had more time to heal. And together."

"I can't wait that long. I have to find Izzy." I stepped to the side to go around him but he did the same.

"You have no idea where she is. For all we know, they could have made it and you're risking your life for no reason," he insisted, voice rising slightly.

"It's not for no reason. I can't bet on them making it when I don't know for sure." I sidestepped again and long fingers wrapped around my arm, holding firmly but gently.

"Bex," his voice was softer now. I closed my eyes, trying to will away everything I was feeling. Everything but the need to find Izzy. He didn't understand, couldn't, because he didn't know the whole truth.

I clenched my teeth together and swallowed hard, looking up at him. I had dreaded having to tell him this for so long. But I knew someday I'd have to. And here we were. 

"Callum is her father."

************

A/N: How do you think Wyn is going to take this new info?

Do you think Izzy and Annora's plane made it to Amaranthus?

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