The visual worked surprisingly well for him. He’d been tutored in several languages, but he was only fluent in three. The rest he understood in fits and starts. His eyes fell to her hands. She’d begun brushing them through Valorre’s mane, revealing the dark ink decorating her palms and forearms. The designs formed esoteric symbols like moon phases and geometric configurations unlike anything he’d seen before. In fact, he’d seen very few women with tattoos at all. He had to admit they were stunning. “Do your tattoos have anything to do with magic?”
“They are a tradition amongst the—” She paused and shook her head as if she were about to say something she didn’t want to. Slower, she said, “Amongst my coven. They are symbolic of a witch’s experience with magic. Some think they also help us channel our magic’s flow.”
“Somethink?” He quirked a brow. “Do you not believe? Are you a skeptic when it comes to your own magic?”
“No, I believe,” she said but there was certainly doubt in her tone. “It’s just…sometimes I wish magic were more obvious. The most common feats of magic can be explained away by coincidence, imagination, or science. I’ve only ever seen one kind that couldn’t.” Her eyes took on a distant quality that reminded him of how she’d looked after her nightmare.
“Why are you on your own now?” he asked, mostly to guide her away from what was clearly a distressing subject. “Where is your coven?”
“I lived with them until recently. I left them after I met Valorre. I knew I needed to save his brethren, and my people…well, they couldn’t help me.”
“Why not?”
She stiffened, and Teryn could tell he was approaching yet another prickly topic. “I don’t know how witches are treated where you’re from, but here they aren’t exactly considered upstanding members of society. They can’t go gallivanting around the woods on crusades against fae creature injustice. Remember how you told me you’ve never met a witch before? That’s because society doesn’t treat us kindly. We stay hidden because it isn’t safe for us to be found.”
Teryn felt a weight in his chest, one that made him second-guess if he was doing the right thing. What if he was wrong about her? She couldn’t have been very old when she killed Queen Linette and Princess Aveline. What if the crimes had been accidental? An unfortunate side effect of her growing clairsentience?
Both murders were deemed the work of poison, he reminded himself.It doesn’t get more intentional than that.
He’d been tempted a few times now to simply ask her. But even if he did, what did he expect her to say? If she was guilty, she’d lie, which meant he couldn’t trust her even if she denied the allegations. And if shewasguilty, she’d be onto him. She’d know thatheknew and would flee. Or try to kill him outright.
Besides, it was too late. The evidence was in the letter that was now tucked into his vest pocket.It is done, the note said. That was his father’s response to the letter he’d sent Berol with. There was a chance this plan wouldn’t work, of course. That the King of Khero wouldn’t take Arlous’ correspondence seriously. That the timing was terrible and nothing would come of Teryn’s efforts.
The thought almost gave him relief.
Cora’s voice drew him from his internal musings. “I can’t imagine you think any better after what you saw me do to those hunters,” she said, eying him warily.
He met her gaze, once again painfully aware of his own emotions and the fact that she might be reading them right now. With a sigh, he steeled his composure. “They were bad men and you were alone. You did what you had to do.”
She seemed to relax a little at that, but her expression was cold. “I still can’t fathom why you’re helping me.”
“I told you why.”
She stopped brushing Valorre’s mane. There was no jest in her tone when she said, “I don’t entirely trust you.”
He straightened, held her stare. “The feeling is mutual.” He meant it. But for some unfathomable reason, his lips began to quirk up with a smile.
She lifted her chin and smiled back. “Good. Then we at least understand one another.” She strode away from the tree and began heading in the direction of camp, Valorre following in her wake. Her back was turned to him as she paused. “Goodnight, Teryn.”
His lungs felt tight at the sound of his name on her lips.Fear, he tried to label the sensation.Revulsion. Hatred. Guilt. The only one that held even the slightest truth was the last. In reality, the constricting sensation in his chest was something else entirely. It was…pleasant. Not to mention new and terrifying and highly inconvenient. “Goodnight, Cora,” he replied and watched her swaying form disappear between the trees.
30
The next day, they followed the hunters’ tracks until it was clear they’d entered their hunting radius. Which meant today was the day they’d spy on the camp itself. The prospect tied Cora’s stomach in knots, but she tried to focus more on the fact that they were going to get another chance to free the unicorns. So far, she’d only saved two. Unless Valorre counted, which in that case it was three. But the three the Beast had slaughtered…
Cora steeled her resolve as she, Teryn, and Lex tethered their horses in a secluded grove at the far west of the Cambron Pass. Based on the sounds of hunting horns, the group was scouting west today. And if these hunters had similar habits to the previous group, the main party wouldn’t be back until just after sundown. They only had about six hours to find the camp before it would be fully occupied.
They finished securing their horses. Cora could feel the tension radiating from Teryn and Lex, even with her shields in place. Valorre too had grown skittish since gaining so close in proximity to the new camp. He stood stiffly behind the horses, ears twitching back and forth. Even Berol seemed wary. She hadn’t left Teryn’s shoulder for the last hour.
“All right,” she said, her own nerves creeping into her voice to give it a slight tremble, “I’ll leave now and seek out the camp. Valorre will come with me, but he’ll remain out of range once I think I’m close. If I find a decent vantage point to spy on the hunters, I’ll stay. If I don’t, I’ll simply take in the lay of everything—”
“In what world did you think you were going to spy on their camp alone?” Teryn said.
His tone had her bristling. “In what world did you think I’d seek your permission?”
He shook his head. “We’re coming with you.”
Lex raised his hands, palms forward. “I’d rather stay and watch the horses, thanks.”
