“Herbs,” Cora said, then held out her palm to Teryn.
He stood at her side and handed her the cloth. By the time she was done wrapping his arm, Lex looked as pale as a ghost. His throat bobbed as he cradled his arm against his chest. “Do you have more tea?”
Cora didn’t hide her smirk as she poured him another mug.
Teryn expected Lex to thank her as he accepted the offering, but instead he said, “You must be a witch.”
Cora simply stared back at him.
Teryn stiffened. “Oh,” he said, looking at her in a new light. “You are a witch.” It made sense now. Her knowledge of healing and poison. The fact that she lived in the woods. Except… “I didn’t know witches were real.”
She faced him with a quirked brow. “I didn’t know idiot princes were real, and yet here you both are.”
Teryn bristled. “What did we ever do to you?”
“Do you honestly have to ask?” She stood and planted her hands on her hips. “You tried to kill Valorre?—”
“Yes, remind me why the two of you seem to know each other,” Lex interjected.
“—then you lied to me about who you work for?—”
“I told you,” Teryn said, “I didn’t lie.”
“—then you lied to me when you promised never to come near a unicorn again.”
She had a point about that last part. “I’m…I’m sorry about that. About all of it. It was important that I try…” He ran a hand over his face, his fatigue bone deep. “I’dthoughtit was important to complete our mission. I’d thought…” He shook his head and returned to his seat on the other side of the fire.
Her brow furrowed as she studied him, her head cocked slightly to the side. After a few moments of silence, her shoulders fell, as if she too were overcome by the same exhaustion Teryn felt. She returned to sitting. “Tell me the truth then. Tell me why you came to hunt unicorns.”
“Or else…” He expected a threat. Why else should he tell her anything? Why else should they do anything but part ways now, knowing not a single thing more about one another? She hated hunters. He was one. Perhaps his intentions weren’t as dark as that of the men she’d poisoned, but she was right. He’d almost tried to kill her unicorn companion. He’d broken his promise—a promise he’d made without any intention of fulfilling it—and targeted another unicorn right after. Had James not planted suspicion in his mind, Teryn might not have been prepared to stop Helios in time. If Helios had taken the unicorn’s horn, Teryn would have shared the responsibility.
His stomach turned at that.All this time, Helios knew. He knew I’d be too soft for the truth. Teryn wasn’t sure if he should feel ashamed about that. It wasn’t like he’d thought they could remove a unicorn’s pelt without killing it. While it had never occurred to him that the horn would need to be taken while the unicorn was alive, he’d always known the creature would have to die. Was that where Teryn drew the line? He could kill, but not make an animal needlessly suffer?
He remembered his hesitation at the stream, how his body had seized up when he’d prepared to throw his spear at Valorre. He’d felt revulsion at the thought of killing the unicorn, a thousand times stronger than any distaste he’d felt during a normal hunt. Something inside him, whether he’d recognized it or not, had known a unicorn was not just another animal. That killing them to appease a spoiled princess’ vanity was wrong.
Which meant Helios had been right. Teryn had always been too soft, right from the start.
Teryn realized Cora was still watching him. There was something discomfiting about her gaze. It was too probing. Too penetrating. He felt as if his heart were made bare, laid across his face in stunning detail like one of the illustrations in Larylis’ books.
“I just…I want to know.” Cora’s voice was softer now. “I came here to rescue the unicorns from the hunters. To keep them from being captured. Now that I know the Beast is involved…” She shook her head. “I need to know more. Do more. And I have a feeling you know more about it than I do.”
Teryn huffed a dark laugh. “You’d be surprised, then. Helios kept us in the dark about almost everything.”
Cora leaned forward. Her expression took on a hint of pleading. It was the first time he’d seen anything close to vulnerability in her eyes. “Please.”
Rubbing his brow, he released a heavy sigh. “It’s called the Heart’s Hunt.”
Teryn toldher everything he found pertinent. He kept any information regarding his kingdom’s debt to himself, telling her only that he was engaged to Princess Mareleau Harvallis, but had been slighted at Beltane when she invited other suitors to compete for her hand. She listened with rapt attention as he went on to explain his alliance with Helios and Lex. He told her what little information Helios had shared—how Helios had first come to learn of unicorns, how he’d made a treaty with Vinias to hunt their lands until unicorns could no longer be found north of Khero, how Duke Morkai had taken control over the hunt. He told her of their plan to steal a unicorn from the hunters, how they’d tracked them to the camp.
By the time Teryn was done with his tale, Lex had already retired to his bedroll and was fast asleep.
Cora, however, seemed more energized than ever. She paced before the fire. “Prince Helios said there are more hunting parties.”
Teryn nodded. “I got the impression there were several more. When we arrived at the hunters’ camp tonight, Helios knew exactly which name and location to say.”
She stopped her pacing and faced him. “He showed them a writ as well. I want to see it.”
Teryn’s gaze went to Helios’ horse. It was tethered next to his own, eyes closed. He hadn’t had the heart to leave it at the site of a bloodbath, so he’d brought the mare with them when they’d followed Cora here. Besides, the horse was laden with Helios’ bags, which could be full of any number of useful items for the ride home. But…did his saddlebag contain the writ? Or had he had it on him when the Beast attacked?
