Gnewt's Arc

Chapter 9 of 14

Stryker left at first light, carrying Guidry's boat and a weathered rope she'd borrowed from one of the fishermen. Gnewt watched her disappear into the marsh mist, then turned back to the lagoon where the creature still circled. The village had scattered after the elder's promise, but Gnewt knew they were watching from behind shuttered windows and half-closed doors. She coiled near the birdhouse marker Stryker had planted, calculating how long the journey would take. The ruins lay deep in the marsh—at least three hours by boat if the water stayed calm. Another hour to dive into the flooded chamber and retrieve the gem. Three more to return. Seven hours minimum, and that assumed nothing went wrong. Four hours passed before Gnewt noticed the silence. The creature had stopped circling. She lifted her head and tasted the air, catching something wrong in the wind—smoke from the direction Stryker had gone, and voices that didn't belong to villagers. Gnewt moved fast, following the scent trail through the abandoned eastern neighborhood until she found them: Croaker and Guidry seated on a weathered bench, surrounded by five figures in dark cloaks. One held a scroll marked with Stryker's grandmother's seal. "The debt comes due today," the figure said. "Forty years we waited. The girl has the gem, and we will have it before the beast reaches the village." Croaker started to stand, but a cloaked hand pressed him back down. Gnewt calculated her options—she couldn't fight five of them, and calling the village would take too long. But she could give Stryker what she needed most: time. She slithered forward into the open, drawing every eye toward her. "The gem isn't coming back," Gnewt said clearly. "Stryker dropped it in the chamber. You'll have to take that up with the creature." The lie landed exactly as she'd planned—the cloaked figures turned from the bench toward her, and Croaker met her eyes with understanding. He knew she was buying Stryker hours to finish what she'd started, even if it meant Gnewt would face the consequences alone. The lead figure stepped closer, close enough that Gnewt could see the ancient symbols stitched into the cloak's edge. "You're lying," the figure said. "The contract binds Stryker's bloodline. She cannot drop what she's sworn to deliver." Gnewt held steady, calculating how much truth she could give without betraying Stryker's position. "Then wait for her return and ask her yourself," she said. "But the creature won't wait that long." Behind the cloaked figures, the lagoon water began to churn. The beast had started moving toward the village. The figures turned to look, and in that moment Guidry stood from the bench. "She's stalling you," he said loudly. "Stryker's bringing the gem straight here. She'll arrive from the western dock within the hour." Gnewt's calculations shattered—Guidry had just told them exactly where to intercept Stryker. But then she saw his hand signal, the one he'd used back at the containment gate to mark false trails. He was lying too, sending them to the wrong location. The cloaked figures moved as one, three heading toward the western dock while two remained to watch the bench. Gnewt had wanted to buy Stryker time alone, but Guidry had joined the deception without being asked. Twenty minutes later, Stryker emerged from the eastern marsh carrying a moss-covered leather satchel that glowed faintly through the fabric. She stopped when she saw Gnewt and the two remaining cloaked figures, her hand tightening on the bag. The figures moved to block her path, but Gnewt was faster. She lunged forward and knocked the satchel from Stryker's grip, sending it tumbling toward the lagoon. One figure dove after it while the other grabbed for Gnewt, giving Stryker the opening she needed. She ran past them toward