Every sound put me on alert. The whistle of the wind. Snow settling and shifting on groaning branches. My gaze scanned our surroundings, searching, seeking anything that shouldn’t be.
Anything that didn’t look part of the landscape.
I remembered the huldra that had very nearly put an end to Fell and his warriors. Could there be more of those creatures in the Crags? I already knew of harpies. They did not sound like a foe I wanted to meet. Unlike solitary huldras, they lived in small packs, increasing their threat. They’d been described to me as some manner of winged demon, smaller in scale than dragons but quick and vicious, with long, razor-sharp claws for hands and pale faces that were almost human except for the multiple rows of fangs in their mouths.
Kerstin reached out and grabbed my wrist, yanking me into a cluster of trees.
“Wh—”
She motioned with her hand for me to quiet and then pointed skyward. I looked up but could see nothing beyond the trees’ thick, snow-dappled limbs.
Suddenly I caught sight of movement. A f lash of bodies winging through the vast expanse of blue sky. I craned my neck to better see between the gaps in the branches.
The birds nesting in the trees went wild, f lapping their wings and sending up excited calls and squawks at what they perceived to be predators above them.
Dragons. At least six in number soared above us, all varying colors, but Vetr was unmistakable. His great big body led the group, his dragon hide winking in the air, iridescent as a pearl caught in sunlight. I glimpsed three other onyxes with him, the bronze hide of an earth dragon, and the bright yellow of a clarion.
I covered my mouth with both hands, not making a sound, knowing how keen their hearing was. I released not even a breath until they passed well out of sight.
“They’re gone,” Kerstin whispered on an exhale beside me.
Still, we waited under the canopy of trees for several more moments before continuing, listening to the birds settle back down and the wind moving through the trees.
“I’m glad you heard them in time,” I said.
She preened, proud of herself. “Told you I would be good to have around.”
“That didn’t take them very long.” I worried my lip between my teeth. Of all the directions they could have gone, they’d headed directly on the path we’d taken.
“Did you think they wouldn’t search for us the moment they realized we’d left? Foryou?”
I shrugged. “I’d hoped they wouldn’t come so close to finding us.” Another moment and we would have been spotted.
“Don’t worry. They’ll search by sky. They won’t be able to track us on the ground, thanks to the squall. We just need tolisten for the beat of wings … and stay as close to the trees as possible so we can hide if needed.”
I nodded. No easy feat. There weren’t always trees and undergrowth around. A great portion of the Crags were simply … rocky crags.
For now, at least, we were in a mostly forested area, so we pressed on beneath the cover of foliage. I led the way, sending frequent glances to the sky as we snaked a path, the pulsing ache in my palm still serving as a guide, but the thought of the six of them we’d glimpsed, like birds of prey taking measure of the world below, never strayed far from my mind.
“Who do you think that was? Orm or Aksel?” I asked Kerstin, thinking about the yellow clarion. From such a distance, there was no way to know for certain.
“I would guess it was Orm. He’s the stronger of the two … and has much better control of his talent.”
I stopped hard with sudden alarm, staring at her. “You don’t think he can use his talent to find us, do you?” Clarions, with their ability to foresee things to come, were very valuable to the pride. Orm could pose a great threat to me. “What if he can see where we will be, and they’re there waiting for us?”
I trembled at the prospect of rounding a bend to find Vetr and the others ready for us.
“It doesn’t work like that,” Kerstin assured me. “Magic is not so perfectly wielded. Orm can’t seeeverything. And he can’t choose the things he does see—or when he sees them. There’s no forcing it. I heard Aksel say once that they don’t possess a view into the future. Half the time it’s just a feeling. A mood … a general sense of what’s coming.” We walked a few more moments before she added, “Our talents don’t always show up for us when we need them to.” Her voice dropped to a disgruntled rasp at this last bit and color stained her cheeks, and I knew she wasn’t just talking about Orm anymore.
Of all the earth dragons in the pride, she was the weakest. Theyoungest, yes, but still the weakest, and she didn’t pardon herself for what she viewed as a deficiency. It was a struggle for her to bend and manipulate earth at all.
I repeated the reassurances I’d heard others give her. “You’re young yet. Your talent will grow. Don’t be so hard on yourself.”
She shrugged as though it didn’t make any difference, but I knew that it mattered to her.
We walked for hours, taking only brief rests, even when the sun dipped behind the mountains and the shadows grew long over the snow. Winter was here now, and the days were shorter, the sun fleeting in the sky, so we relied on our sharpening vision and pushed on even when the land was one great shadow, the air purple as a bruise between us.
“You still feel him?” Kerstin asked over the crunch of our steps.
