Page 94 of Balance

Brushing aside his discomfort, he moved past me, trailing his hand over the stone’s surface as he walked. “There’s some sort of cave up there,” he said, not elaborating on where ‘up there’ was. “It’ll work.”

“Um…” I began, following along behind him. It seemed almost silly to ask how he’d known, considering—

“You’re not the only one with a few tricks up your sleeve,” he answered. “We just need to trust each other, right? We can do this.”

My breath caught at the unexpected nature of his words—that wasexactlywhat Julian had been saying. What Miles had been avoiding all along.

Did this mean he’d changed his mind about me?

I opened my mouth to ask, but then Miles stopped, pointing ahead to a place I couldn’t see.

“There should be a path near there,” he said, wrapping his fingers around my forearm. “Let’s go. I’ll guide you this time.”

“But—”

I was even more confused than before. If we shared a similar ability, why had he been lost in the forest? There was earth everywhere there.

“The roots,” Miles said suddenly, picking me up by my arms and placing me on a boulder before he followed me up. “You don’t even need to ask.”

“I’m not that predictable,” I muttered, allowing him to guide me around the twisting, earthen path. I had no idea where we were now, and the climb was growing steeper.

“No, not really,” he answered, holding me to him as my foot caught on the edge of a stone. “Over ten thousand years, and I still don’t understand you. You’re always changing. But, despite that, there are aspects that remain consistent.”

“Ten thousand years?” I asked, but he didn’t elaborate—he only turned his focus to the next ledge. Then maybe there was something he would answer, “Roots?”

“Growing things break up the ground,” Miles explained, this time pulling himself up ahead of me and turning on his knees, offering me his hand. “It messes with my senses. How else did you think Wood controls Earth?”

I hesitated, uncertainty filling me as my heart raced with shame. All this time and I’d never even thought about the process at all. Water controlling Fire was obvious, as was the fact that Water nurtured Wood—since plants needed water to grow. But those were the only ones.

I’d just taken everything at face value, but never actually understood the process. This was why I had no ideahowto help Miles, even though I longed to do it.

I placed my hand in Miles’s, letting him pull me up. “Is control not about controlling people?” I asked, hoping it made sense.

He paused, halfway through turning to the next ledge, and shot me a curious look. He must have sensed something in my expression because his brow raised. “Control is about growth.”

I didn’t understand.

“Though it can be used to hinder,” he added. “If it’s not done right. Justpossessinga power doesn’t give anyone the right to abuse it. That’s why, after this, Julian and I need to have a chat. I’ve been ignoring him for too long.”

Julian? “Why?”

“You’ll see.” Miles pulled me once more to his side, bringing us to our destination.

We stood at the mouth of a cave. The opening was not much bigger than Miles’s larger form.

“Do you think anything is living in there?” I asked, pressing my fingers to my lips. I was beyond cold at this point, too weary to shiver—the last thing we needed was to wake a hibernating bear.

“No,” he answered without hesitation, running his hand around the top of the opening. “It’ll work well enough. Come on.”

“Come on?” Did he mean to just walk in there, just straight through the dark?

“Just trust me.” He turned, holding his hand out to me. “Okay?”

My heart raced at the expectant look on his face even as the blackness loomed behind him like a threat. How was he supposed to know I was terrified of small, enclosed spaces? Especially if those small, enclosed spaces also included cave-ins and bats.

Still, how could I expect him to trust me unless I reached out first.

I swallowed, my throat dry and still sore, and placed my hand in his. “Okay.”