Bran blinked in surprise, his usual bravado momentarily slipping, then nodded. “I won’t. You can count on it.”
With that, Taren disappeared, leaving Rynna and Bran alone. She glanced at him, then pointed toward the first marker Fenn had left. “Let’s go.”
Chapter twenty-five
“Welldone,oldwoman.”Yata’s thin, birdlike frame cast a long shadow over the crumpled form of her Unit Leader.
Gran Hesta stood stiffly, avoiding Fenn’s prone body. “We struck a bargain.” Her eyes fixed on the ground as if the weight of her guilt would become too heavy if she dared look at him. “I’ve delivered the Hollow-born as promised. Now, honor your word and release my kin. They are all I have left.”
“No!” Bran gasped beside Rynna. His body tensed as if ready to spring into action.
Without hesitation, Rynna grabbed the boy by his collar and yanked him down hard, her knee pressing firmly into his back. She was already masking their presence, including the massive pulse of elemental power swirling around Bran. She knew any sound would give them away.
Wait, she mouthed, holding him steady.
As she kept Bran pinned, one of the other rogues stepped from the shadows and approached Fenn. He bent his knees, checking the man’s pulse with two fingers. Then, he pried one of the eyelids open, scanning the unfocused pupil, his movements methodical. After that, he bent each of Fenn's limbs one by one, watching for any reflexive twitch or resistance.
“He’s definitely under the Veilroot,” the man confirmed, marking something in his notebook.
“As I said.” Gran Hesta crossed her arms. “I’ve upheld my end of the deal.” Her eyes darted briefly to Fenn, but she quickly looked away.
Yata clicked his tongue in disapproval, shaking his head slightly. “Not quite, Granny.”
“What do you mean?” Gran Hesta's voice wavered as she stepped forward, her arms stiff at her sides. “You wanted a Hollow-born. You now have the Crimson Wolf. What more is there?”
Yata turned slowly to face the other man. “Cain, test him. He’s no good to us just sitting there drooling.”
Bran swatted impatiently at Rynna’s leg.
Let me up! he signed.I’ll follow your lead. I promise.
Rynna hesitated, her eyes fixed on Fenn’s unmoving form, her heart sinking. She prayed he wasn’t too far gone. She lifted her knee off Bran’s back with a reluctant nod, but her focus never wavered from the Unit Leader.
Cain stepped forward, raised his hand, and traced a series of arcane symbols in the air, the same ones Rynna had seen him use back at the estate. Then, he pressed two fingers to his forehead with a practiced touch.
Rynna squinted, trying desperately to follow the flow of Source power, searching for any weak points she could exploit, but it moved too quickly, slipping through her mental grasp like water. One moment, Fenn was inert on the ground. The next, he was on his feet, moving with the grace of a predator, bowing slightly to Yata.
The small man clapped his hands together, a gleeful giggle escaping him as his eyes lit with twisted joy. “Oh my. Oh my, my my. That is just perfect. Well done, my friend. You’ve perfected Kaelith’s formula.”
Rynna felt a jolt run through her at the mention of the name. She hadn’t heard it before, but something about it tightened her chest.
It doesn’t matter where they got the formula, she thought, shaking off the strange feeling.
Cain shrugged, examining Fenn with a casual indifference. “He was nearly there already. I can’t imagine why he abandoned his research.”
Gran Hesta, her patience clearly fraying, took another step toward Yata. “There. Well done. Now just give me my family back.”
Frowning at the interruption, he slowly turned toward her. “You’re ready to rejoin your family then?”
“Yes!” Gran Hesta stomped her foot. “Just give me the antidote, and we’ll be on our way. You can keep the village and do whatever you want to the Reaches. I just want my family.”
They’re going to kill her, Bran signed, gesturing toward the scene.
Rynna barely shrugged, her eyes locked on Fenn.
We have to save her. Bran grabbed her sleeve, his expression pleading.
Fuck that, she mouthed back.
