Are you certain?Sebastian asked, ignoring the chestnut.
Eva twisted to look up at him, not moving from her crouch. "Are mythologicals likely to claim a red back's paws and fangs as a trophy to remember their kill by?"
Some might,Sebastian admitted.
None whose territory converges with ours,Polaris corrected.
And most of those wouldn't bother with a simple red back. They're more likely to hunt humans,Theo said.
Sebastian crowded Eva as he lowered his nose toward the body. Why does it look so strange?
"Because something ate it."
And not a typical scavenger either.
A sick feeling filled Eva's stomach as she took in the red back's remains. It wasn't like she hadn't dealt with death before. Anyone who spent enough time with animals lost one, eventually.
But this was beyond anything she'd ever seen.
All the meat inside its body had been consumed. The organs too.
All that remained was its flattened skin, still wrapped around its bones. Except for the gaping hole in its torso and the beast’s missing paws, there were no other signs of damage to its coat.
It was like someone had taken a straw and sucked out everything inside, leaving only skin and bone behind.
Eva looked up at Polaris and Sebastian. "Do you have any idea what could have done this?"
Polaris's expression was grim.None.
That pit in Eva's stomach deepened. "I was afraid you'd say that."
She wiped her blade against the snow, doing her best to get any blood from the red back off before sticking it back into her boot.
It would be safest for everyone if we remove the humans from the valley,Theo told Polaris.
"You can't be serious."
Theo's ears flattened against his skull.Look at the red back. Does what was done to it seem right to you?
Eva's gaze landed on the remains. "No."
It was one thing to hunt for food. Another to do so for sport.
Of course, there was a small chance the red back had been killed in defense of their lives, but Eva doubted it. If the perpetrator had been in fear, they wouldn't have stopped for souvenirs.
"You're assuming the Trateri did this, but you don't know for sure."
There aren't a lot of culprits it could be,Theo returned.
Eva darted an uncertain glance at Polaris. "That's not entirely true."
You are grasping at straws. The Trateri camp is only a short distance away.Polaris tilted his chin toward a line of ragged hills. Over that ridge, in fact.
So close.
Eva hadn't expected that after such a short trip. It was confirmation that the Kyren really could use the mist to control their destination.
No wonder it had been so disorienting leaving it. The Kyren likely didn't want her to know the extent of their abilities.
