“I want to know what you’re getting us into.”
“You already know that.” He turned.
Gabriel was gone. No one followed him, let alone spoke to him. Rhyn looked around uneasily, wondering who – or what – he’d been speaking to. He started back to the spot where they’d stopped for water. A few minutes later, Gabriel reappeared.
“Follow the stream. We should reach the fortress in the morning. It looks like she’s there,” Gabe reported.
Rhyn stared at him, looking for any sign the death-dealer wasn’t his friend.
“What, Rhyn?” Gabe asked.
“I just had a five minute talk with you. But you weren’t here.”
Gabe frowned.
“Something about this place is fucked up.”
“It wasn’t just my voice? You saw me?” Gabe asked.
“Like I do now.”
A troubled look crossed the death-dealer’s features.
“What is it?” Rhyn asked, suspicion rising.
“Katie said something similar about seeing someone who wasn’t there. From now on, we don’t separate.”
“Agreed. Let’s walk.” Rhyn sensed there was more to Gabriel’s thought, but he wasn’t about to stand around talking when Katie was out there somewhere, being stalked by Death.
“What did the other me ask you?”
“If I’d kill Death to get Katie back.”
“And you said?”
“I turned around to look at you, and you were gone,” Rhyn said.
“That’s probably a good thing. The last thing you want is Death’s spies telling her you’re coming to kill her.”
Gabe sounded more relieved than Rhyn thought the encounter warranted. He looked closely at his friend, wondering what might be bothering him.
“Let’s get going,” Gabe said, avoiding his gaze.
“Lead on.”