Read Online The Tragedy of Knowledge by Rachael Wade - Free Book Online Page A

my eyes. Her arms and legs were suddenly flickering as they worked in slow motion. “How do you not see her? She’s right there!” As she faded in and out, I darted toward her, afraid I might lose sight of her.
    As I moved forward, I tried to shake my head from the spell, from the ensnaring trap of her beauty. If I wasn’t careful, I’d let her lead us deep into the bayou, where who knew what awaited us. If we lifted off into flight, if we flew out of the bayou to escape, other troubles would ensue. What kind of troubles, I hadn’t a clue. But my gut told me to steer clear of the skies above this part of the Teche.
    It struck me then that this could be a trick, that it could be Gérard luring us into danger somehow. Unconvinced of that theory, though, I continued to trudge forward into the brush, my gaze still glued to Scarlet’s faint form.
    Gavin’s voice echoed distantly from behind, and he lassoed me backward against him. When I turned with wild eyes to question him, his were just as wild. “Cam,” he blinked and exchanged glances with me and the woods before us. His voice was clearer now. “No one is there, baby. There’s … nothing there.”
    Frantic, determined to prove my sanity, I whipped my head back in the other direction and broke free from his hold, making a dash for the final glimpse of the luscious red of her dress. “This way, Gav. I have to follow her.”
    “Camille, stop it!” He was hot on my trail. “You’re seeing things! Even if she was here, following her is a bad idea, now stop!” Reaching once more for my elbow, he latched on but I lurched forward, yanking him with me, surprised by my own strength. He must’ve been surprised too, because he nicked my forearm with his blade, with just the tip: just enough to provoke a hiss from my teeth and a small cloud of smoke to radiate from the scorched piece of skin. The effect threw me into whiplash and I swung around to face him, shocked that he’d cut me.
    “What the hell are you doing?” I jerked my arm away, near feral at the idea of losing Scarlet’s trail.
    “No, what are you doing? We’re going back and we’re getting the hell out of here, Camille. Right the hell now . I don’t know what’s happening to you, but these visions … they’re getting worse. And we don’t need to be out here alone any longer than we have to.” He shot me a fierce glare and held out his hand.
    “But the boat—”
    “There is no damn boat! And if there is, we’re not going to bury ourselves deep in the swamp to find it when Gérard could be anywhere. Now let’s go. And we’re flying out of here, because none of this feels right.” Grabbing my hand, he wrapped me against him and prepared to launch us into flight, but something foreign possessed me to take hold of my knife and nick him back. His eyes flew wide in shock when the silver sliced the skin of his forearm.
    The next few seconds were downright terrifying, because I didn’t know what came over me. I began to fight him.
    My arms shot up and he quickly chopped at my wrist to break the dagger from my hand, letting out a whoosh of air when I planted my boot-clad foot into his midsection.
    “Camille!” he barked through gritted teeth, his reflexes fast. His grip locked onto my calf and he spun me up off the ground and into midair, at the same time knocking the knife from my hand with ease. My mind screamed to stop, to quit resisting him, but my body was in charge. He needed to let me go after Scarlet. I needed him to back off—no matter what it took to show him that.
    A bug being spun into a spider’s web, I twirled in the air at rapid speed, yielding to his direction.
    Until his hand left my calf for a split second.
    Flipping backward and landing on two feet, I lurched backward and ricocheted off the side of a tree trunk to give myself leverage to charge him. Once again, he was too fast, ducking and darting to the left when I shot toward him like a cannon. He cursed under his breath