The wind hisses, sending flurries of leaves through the air.
“Sorin!” Sam calls from inside. “Are you almost ready? There’s a storm coming in, we’ll want to get a move on.”
“Be right there,” I say over my shoulder, but Ruse doesn’t let my cloak go and that feeling of dread only intensifies.
She tugs again, making me take a clumsy step toward the woods. Then again, and again.
“Okay, girl.” I pet her snout and when she doesn’t balk away at my touch that feeling of dread is confirmed.
Something’s wrong.
“I’ll check it out if you take care of those rascals first.” I point to the puppies, and she finally drops my cloak, barking softly at the four pups wrestling. They straighten themselves and follow their mother. When they’re safely inside the keep, I pick up my bow and quiver and head straight for the woods.
Sam’s voice fades behind me. My name traveling on the wind, spiraling through the trees. But I follow my gut and trudge forward.
At first, there’s nothing out of the ordinary about the woods. Droplets of water hang from the pine branches. Muddied puddles that more so resemble tiny lakes force me to weave my way through the forest. I trace the horizon, waiting for any sign of movement. But there’s none. No birds. No sway of the wind despite having just felt it moments ago.
The eerie quiet of the forest raises the hair on my arms and back of my neck, but when I spot two sets of boot prints in the mud, my shoulders unclench. My fingers tighten around my bow while I pick up my pace.
Deep in the woods now, I follow what I believe to be Jarek and Elora’s steps. They twist and turn, carving a path along the mud-soaked forest. When their tracks disappear, I perch against a tree to catch my breath. Wishing I had Elora’s ability to speak with the wolves. If I could reach out to Alaric then?—
I stop at the sudden burst of noise. Screaming and shouting, all coming from over the hill a few miles away. I don’t think twice before I bolt in that direction, somehow knowing Elora and Jarek must be there, too.
I should get Sam and Tallulah.
The thought comes and goes quickly. I trudge on and up a small hill, running blindly through the thick forest until I slam directly into something hard. I stumble backward and catch my balance.
“Sorin?” Roman stands before me, his eyes blown wide as he watches me regain composure from my sprint.
“What are you doing here?” I ask through short, strained breaths.
He takes a step backward but I follow him until his back is pinned to a nearby tree.
“Why are you here?” I grit through my teeth, my nocked arrow aimed directly at his chest.
His eyes dart between me and my bow.
“Is Galen with you?”
“No,” he says. “I came to warn you to leave.”
I lower my bow and he takes a thick swallow.
“You’re a little late for that.” I clench my fingers tighter around my bow. “Tell me where Galen is.”
Roman half smiles, straightening himself from the tree. “Why, so you can kill him?” As he asks the question his smile fades and his green eyes drift to the ground. Rain drips from the trees, coating his dark hair and thick lashes.
“Do you want me to kill him?”
His eyes snap to mine but he doesn’t say anything as he pushes off the tree and starts toward the hill.
“Galen will end, Roman. Either by my hand, or yours.”
“You have some nerve,” he says over his shoulder. He takes two more steps when the silence of the forest snaps and an erupt of sound sends both of us jolting backward. Screaming and metal fill the air.
My heart races. I place the unused arrow back in my quiver and push past Roman, determined to follow the sound and find Elora until I’m forcefully tugged backward.
“You’re going to take them all down with a single bow and a few arrows?” Roman chuckles from behind me. His hand slides from my arm when I turn to look at him. A purple stone hangs from his neck, sparkling in the tiny bits of daylight that have managed to break through the storm clouds and trees. Roman must notice my gaze because he reaches up and clutches the stone, tucking it beneath his shirt.
