Free Kin (Annabelle's Story Part Two) by Leigh Michael

cast from the mountain stretched far into the water, leaving me with a sense of dread in the pit of my stomach for the amount I still had to climb. Along the edge of the shadow, I barely made out his dark hair bobbing in the water. It felt good to know he kept a close eye on me. Shifting my gaze, Maddox was nowhere in sight. His job consisted of patrolling beneath the surface for any signs of the Trackers.
    Regret instantly consumed me as I dropped my eyes over the edge of the rock toward the sand. A tingling sensation crept into my hands, feet, and stomach as my body acknowledged the great distance I’d fall from this height. And, still, at least another fifty yards were left to climb.
    Before I knew it, rest time was over and Shamus helped me back to my feet. Although sweat dripped down his face, and gathered as a triangle of wetness at the top of his shirt, he still looked like he had a reserve of energy ready to go.
    “You got this,” he encouraged me.
    I smiled weakly back before leaving another dirtied streak across my face, and then reached to grab the next notch in the rocks.
    I sure hoped so.
    The thought bounced around in my head as I willed myself to “not look down.” My muscles strained to pull my body weight off the ledge, the tips of my toes the last to leave the hard rock surface.
    As a distraction to my body’s protests, I forced my mind to concentrate on something else, anything else. The friendly banter of Clemente and Shamus fit the bill.
    They had a playful way in which they related to one another. Funny, I hadn’t noticed this underwater; I guess because it was more verbal than anything. Shamus jokingly referred to him as an “old man.” Clemente shot back how things got better with age and how he was a fine wine. They had a kinship that worked for them and made my head lightheartedly shake from side to side. It even brought a smile to my face amidst the pain that radiated through my body.
    The pain continued until rays of sunlight bombarded my face as I dragged my torso onto the crest of the mountain. Flopping over onto my back, I didn't want to move for days. Oddly enough, the throbbing sensation in my arms felt good. Proof that I had just accomplished a great feat.
    The side of the mountain was rocky and lacked vegetation. On top, the view changed drastically. It was green and lush. Trees in all shapes and size, vines, bushes, and smaller plants created a blanket across the earth. The flora formed somewhat of a barrier to enter into the forest.
    Clemente and Shamus were already on their feet and scoured in all directions to determine our next move. While waiting, I pushed to my feet and retreated to the shade of the trees, pushing aside a mass of branches to steal some of its shadow. Even though my muscles ached with the movement, the heat and humidity was too much to bear in direct sunlight. Besides, my skin tended to burn in a matter of minutes. I sighed as a few drops of water slipped off a leaf, landing on my forehead.
    Just a few moments later, Clemente was on the move again. He wiped his brow as he formed his words, nodding his head toward the lush undergrowth. “This way..."
    “How far is the flower?” I asked.
    “We’ll soon find out. Queen Miriam’s dream depicted that the pattern of Arethusa and her dolphins would lead us to the flower.”
    “There!” Shamus shouted, pointing.
    Off in the distance a large tree with an exposed trunk marked the way. The trunk disappeared into a higher level of branches. Surrounding it, four smaller shrubs created a circle. Otherwise, the immediate area around the tree remained bare—an oddity in the forest that awaited us. I barely saw the formation through the wall of green. Shamus apparently had the eyes of a hawk.
    “It’s gotta be it,” I chimed in. “All the other trees are swarming with vegetation.”
    Nodding, Clemente lengthened his strides toward the Arethusa-like formation. I had to jog to keep up, igniting the soreness that had