She turned back to her friend, but the white unicorn reared up before her. A lashing sound shattered the air, followed by a guttural neigh from the unicorn. Cora lurched back as the creature returned to all fours, but she heard the lashing sound again. This time she saw a flick of something slice the unicorn’s hide. As it withdrew, a red mark welled up in its place.
Erwin, the hunter who had hauled Cora into camp, stood behind the unicorn, lashing out again with his barbed whip. Only now did Cora understand its true purpose.
The barbs were made of iron.
It was a weapon designed for wounding fae creatures.
“Run and I’ll find you,” Erwin said. Although he kept his eyes on the unicorn, Cora was certain he was speaking to her. The angle of his head revealed a mark under his ear, just like James’ brand. This one was shaped intoTR. She tried to recall what crime that stood for.Trepresented treason, but the two letters were too close together to stand for two separate charges. “I won’t hesitate to use this on human hide. You’ve only had a taste so far. With another lash, I could cut through your flesh like a knife through butter.”
Now she recalled what his brand meant.TR. Torture. He slashed at the unicorn again. Again.
The unicorn bared his teeth and tried to dance away, but no matter which direction he tried to flee, the whip found him, sliced him.
Cora jumped with every snap of the whip, but she slowly edged around the fire toward Maiya, trying to put as much distance between herself and Erwin as she could. The hunter continued to pursue the unicorn toward the cages, much like the creature had done with Cora mere minutes ago.
Finally, Cora reached Maiya, who was halfway to standing on her good leg. Cora helped her the rest of the way up, then shifted toward her bow. She paused as Erwin’s eyes locked on hers.
He angled his body to the side so he could keep her in his sights. Watching her from the corner of his eye, he continued to snap his whip at the whinnying creature. “Don’t even think about trying anything clever,” he growled. “This whip can reach you from here.”
She believed it could. The portion he held was still coiled, suggesting its length was far more expansive than it was now.
Without warning, the unicorn charged Erwin. The hunter darted back and lashed out with his whip. The leather circled the unicorn’s neck, its barbs digging into the creature’s skin. The unicorn tried to rear back, but Erwin tugged, tightening the whip’s stranglehold.
Cora lunged for her bow and swiftly nocked an arrow. Her heart pounded a thundering rhythm but she told herself to breathe. Just breathe. She planted her feet firmly beneath her, imagining the soil steadying her, holding her. Then, pulling the fletching to her cheek, she narrowed her focus to Erwin. He continued to struggle with the unicorn, weaving back and forth as he tried to get the creature under control.
The unicorn calmed.
Stood still.
Erwin took a confident step closer.
Cora shot her arrow, felt in her bones that it would hit its mark.
It did. Slamming through the center of his throat, it tore through his flesh.
Erwin’s mouth fell open as he staggered back, clutching at his ruined throat as blood poured from the wound.
Cora’s stomach bottomed out. A ripple of disgust crawled up her spine.
Disgust in what she was seeing.
Disgust in herself.
She already knew the wound was fatal, knew—as Erwin slid down to the earth, still clutching his neck—that he was going to die.
Her first human kill.
And she wasn’t sorry for it.
Disgusted. But not sorry.
She whirled toward Maiya. Her friend’s face had gone pale, her eyes locked on the dying man. “We need to go. Now,” Cora said.
Maiya nodded, the movement erratic, and let Cora guide her toward the edge of the clearing. A face stared back at her, appearing from behind the trees—it was James. He hesitated, gaze shifting from Cora to the camp, landing an extra beat on something behind her. She had no doubt it was his dead companion.
His lips peeled back from his teeth as his eyes locked back on hers. Then he put a curved horn to his lips and blew. The sound fractured the night. Rage coursed through Cora’s blood as James blew the horn again. An echoing blast sounded from not too far away. With a parting, murderous glare, James fled.
Cora cursed, and Maiya let out a cry as she tripped on her injured leg. Maiya’s panic seeped into Cora’s awareness. Or was it her own panic she felt? Gritting her teeth, she tried to bear more of Maiya’s weight to help them quicken their pace.
