Fallon and I wove through the cluster of trees, our movements a rhythmic clash of steel and footwork—a violent dance where neither of us yielded. The night air bit at my skin, but the heat from our sparring burned hotter; sweat slipped down my spine. My hair clung to my neck, my pulse thrummed with every strike and parry. Each movement was deliberate—pushing, testing, daring the other to falter.
This week had been brutal, but the moment Fallon tossed a short sword into my hands, I knew.
There was a raw, intoxicating weight to the blade—a promise of finality in every swing. Holding something that could end a life in a single breath made me feel untouchable, more powerful than any element I could summon. The short sword was still too heavy in my grip, but each day it felt a little less like a stranger.
I’ve already planned my first stop when we return to the Hollow—the blacksmith. If I’m lucky, I’ll have the daggers Rhodes made me earn, assuming I can track them down in Mageia. Then I’ll have a longsword made to match.
Today was our last day on the road. Nash mentioned a small, tucked-away village ahead where we could rest without drawing attention. Tonight, we would sleep at an inn. In an actual bed.
After a week of war with the unforgiving ground, my body ached for something soft. I even missed my hut back in the Hollow. I would have enjoyed sleeping next to Rhodes every night much more if I hadn’t been so exhausted that I drifted off the second my head hit the thin bedroll.
I lunged from behind the tree, swiping my sword up to block hers.
Our weapons pressed together. My sister grinned. “Not bad.”
I shoved her weight off, angling my sword up for another parry. “I’d say I’ve had a good teacher, but I don’t want to make your head any bigger than it already is.”
Fallon spun and arced her blade, knocking me off balance for only a second. I sidestepped, put her back to a wide trunk, and penned her in. Our blades clashed as we continued our dance among the trees, and I think I heard a form of a laugh coming from my sister.
But her laugh immediately halted, and her eyes widened. Fallon’s focus shifted to her left.
“What?”
She put her finger to her lips to shush me.
Lakota informed me that River had sensed intruders. He and Noemi weren’t supposed to stay too close to us, lest their presence reveal our location, so every night they found somewhere hidden to fly off to, but not too far that they couldn’t swoop in within minutes.
“You can communicate with wolves, too?” My curiosity peaked.
“Don’t insultme.”
Before I could roll my eyes, River’s snarling growl echoed through the trees. The sound of crunching bones and a deep yell followed, and Fallon took off in her direction.
I ran after her, weaving through the thick trees with only the moon’s glow to guide me. My heart stopped once I made it to our camp, where Rhodes and Nash were surrounded by men I'd never seen before, but who wore similar leathers to the ones we ran from at the market.
“There she is,” called a man as he slowly stepped out of the dark forest. His attention locked on Fallon, who stood before me with her sword raised. “We have been looking for you, lass. I’ve been dreaming of those hazel eyes.”
“Nice to know you’ve been dreaming of me. It’s funny, I haven’t thought of you at all,” she said, teasing.
What. The. Fuck.
What in the elements was she playing at?
He clicked his tongue. “Oh, you will. Once I’m done with you, you’ll never forget my face.”
The men closed on Rhodes. Nash stepped forward. I raised my sword. That snagged the leader’s attention.
“Oh, look, boys! Two-for-one special tonight. Each of us will have seconds.”
More men appeared from the dark woods as the sound of wings thundered in the sky. All the men looked up briefly before focusing back on our camp.
“The forest is too thick. I can’t intervene without starting a forest fire, and the other humans and her pup are not fireproof,”Lakota roared in anger.“You all can either runor fight.”
My heart was fighting to escape my chest.
What do we do? What do we do?What do wedo?
“How about we play a game?” Fallon spoke.
