As usual, Spring didn’t even know Leathen was there, leaving an empty hole to fill with whatever pushed the hardest.
Daric glanced at the cloudless sky. The wind whistled a dismal song through the leafless branches. “Do you remember that darkness? That void where Leathen should have been?”
“Vaguely,” Rain said, hunching inward. “I don’t know why Braylian let it happen. She’s there, all-knowing. The seasons… We couldn’t confer with one another or compare knowledge of the continent. I didn’t have a voice, or even know words, until I decided to speak to you, and while one daughter is active, the other three are dormant.”
Daric fell silent, an unpleasant twinge stabbing at him. Itwas guilt, but not regret, exactly. The combination chafed. He couldn’t be happy he’d altered Rain’s existence so drastically, but he also wouldn’t change what had happened.
Now, he might lose her anyway. The thought hollowed him out and left him empty.
Daric leaned over and gripped Arjun’s reins when a gust of wind upset the horse. “Should we stop and find shelter?” he asked, having to raisehis voice above the gale that was only worsening.
Rain nodded, and Daric dismounted. He led both horses toward a rocky outcropping that would at least block the wind that was howling down the path straight at them.
That howling?Daric frowned.Was it only the wind?
Rain’s head snapped up. “Hallerhounds!” Her eyes widened.
Daric started to jog, leading them faster toward the minimal shelterhe’d spotted. At least they’d have one less side to protect from wild animals.
The howling grew louder, as did the sound of heavy paws crashing through the forest.
“Hurry, Daric!” Still astride Arjun, Rain drew her bow and nocked an arrow.
Daric raced through the undergrowth with Rain and the two horses. He swung their mounts around at the rock formation, crowding the frightened animals againstit. “How many? Can you see?” he asked as Rain dismounted.
“Nine. Maybe ten.” Her bow in hand, she placed herself in front of Arjun and Wylar. Daric did the same, drawing his sword and dagger.
The outcropping blocked the worst of the wind, but it still whipped and tore at them. They stood together, Rain already narrowing her eyes down the length of an arrow. Daric didn’t do anything asinine suchas demand that Rain get behind him. They were days beyond that. He was glad Rain was done pretending to be less than she could be.
The pack of huge, dog-like creatures approached and surrounded them on three sides, their razor-sharp claws clicking on the roots and rocks of the forest. The animals inched nearer, their ruffs rising. Rain released an arrow, bringing down the one closest to her,and chaos erupted.
A hallerhound leaped at them. Daric swung hard enough to nearly cleave the beast in half, his every instinct sharpening into one fierce thought: protect the woman next to him. With a twang of her bow, Rain felled another. Daric swung again, severing a jugular. Blood sprayed, its coppery tang a bitter perfume in the air around them. Whimpers, snarls, and growls mixed with hisown grunts, pounding breath, and hammering heartbeat. Utterly calm and silent beside him, Rain loosed another arrow. In this storm, she was the eye and he was the maelstrom. With a snarl to rival the hallerhounds’ growls, Daric focused on the next threat, his sword arm a blur and his knife at the ready.
The animal onslaught was brutal and continuous, but they fought back with equal ferocity.Rain lashed out with a vine, knocking a massive creature off balance. Daric lunged forward and skewered it with his dagger. Rain let fly another arrow. Shoulder to shoulder, they guarded their horses—and each other.
At last, only two hounds remained, crouched low and baring their teeth, but now hesitant. Rain incapacitated one with a rope of greenery that tied its legs together. It collapsed,jerking and twisting in a violent effort to break free. It was no use and the animal surrendered, its flanks heaving.
That left a single adversary. Daric sliced his bloody sword through the air with whistling menace. The final beast’s ears flattened. It hugged the ground, cowering.
With a beckoning yip toward its immobilized companion, the last hound ran away. Rain slowly unraveled the vinefrom the hallerhound on the ground, her expression so hard and deadly that the animal knew exactly who ruled the forest.
The creature scrambled upright and bounded after its fleeing packmate, disappearing into the woods in near silence.
