Tabi flexed her arms over her head. “Let’s get through the night before we start discussing Lory’s glorious future.”
Opening her mouth to retort something smart, Lory almost choked on a breath as she spotted an enormous shadow behind the trees. It had to be double her height, and distorted shapes stuck out from it at odd angles.
“What is that?”
All heads turned in the direction she was looking, but the shadow disappeared before she finished her words.
“Damn mountains,” was all Thal said in response, while Aiden kept quiet, gnawing on his lower lip, a glum expression on his face.
“I’m glad you have Falcrest,” he whispered more to himself when everyone busied themselves with their food once more.
Lory was about to ask him what he meant when something long and thorny whipped through the middle of their small group, almost hitting Lory in the head. In unison, they ducked out of the way, Lory reaching for Nyla’s sword at her hip and rolling to her knees, blade raised in front of her chest.
“Who’s there?” she called into the darkness, cursing the clouds to choose that exact moment to draw a curtain over the stars and moon.
A cold, female laugh was all the answer they got, but it was enough to recognize the elegant little ashling with the chin-length brown hair and dark green eyes.
“Ricca—” Lory hissed, earning a nod from Aiden and a curse from Tabi, while Thal fumbled with the two daggers on his belt.
They had all been issued more weapons than they’d ever been allowed at the academy. Apparently, killing Lory was top priority—or did the Triad want them to protect Lory?
After everything she’d learned, Lory was no longer sure what to believe.
It’s almost like they are leaving it up to fate rather than killing you themselves. Almost like your survival or death mightprove something.Aiden’s words swirled in her head as she searched the darkness for any sign of the ashling whom she should not have shown mercy. Yes, that had been Ricca’s laugh, but the thorny whip had been of Nyla’s making. What were the odds two nature wielders of the same kind occurred in the same year at the academy?
“Duck,” Aiden’s shout rang out just in time to make Lory leap aside when another branch shot through the narrow space, almost hitting her shoulder.
Thal caught her by the arm, dragging her out of the wooden finger’s path as it slithered across the ground in search of anything to sling itself around.
“Didn’t expect to see you in one piece again, Bellmont.” Ricca’s voice was nowhere and everywhere all at once, forming a web of echoes that seemed to trap Lory’s limbs and spine as effectively as the roots would have.
“Damn it. What magic is that?” Thal voiced the question that had been running through Lory’s head, but Ricca was still laughing.
“And Vednis, too. Must be my lucky day.”
“More like night,” Lory hissed under her breath, covering her ears with sluggish hands as she scanned her surroundings. “Where the fuck is she?”
Aiden didn’t seem to have an answer either, but his magic flickered into clusters of ice crystals at his fingertips, ready to blast an opponent out of his path. “We need to get out of here.”
“Couldn’t agree more.” On Lory’s other side, Thal reached for his sword—as did Lory, sacrificing the protection of her ear with her hand for that of her blade.
“Come out, little fire-spitter,” Ricca’s voice purred fromeverywhere.
“Don’t even think about it,” Tabi grumbled through the array of fading echoes. “As long as we stay together, we’re strong.”
“Stronger than whatever unholy shit she’s pulling out there?” Thal gestured into the darkness without picking any specific direction. “I mean, she could have multiplied for all that I know. We have no idea what her power is.”
Next to him, cowering against one of the rocks, Tabi was already weaving her fingers through the air, doing what, Lory could only guess.
“There are at least two out there,” Lory noted. “Nyla, because of the root that attacked us, and Ricca, obviously. I wouldn’t be surprised if she brought reinforcements, though.”
“Shut up, I’m trying to focus.” Tabi had closed her eyes, making the impression of someone ready to fall asleep in a very uncomfortable position. Her fingers were still grasping for invisible strings in front of her. “If there are more than them out there, I’ll sense them. I just need a moment to figure it out—so far, I’ve only done it once and in training.”
Lory wasn’t sure whether to be relieved Tabi was capable of such a thing or to be alarmed that there was no guarantee she would be accurate with her assessment. Under her breath, she uttered to Aiden, “You know these mountains best. If there are too many to fight, where should we run?” Not that the idea of running away from anything intrigued her, but the idea of staying alive if they were outmatched did.
“There,” Tabi hissed between remains of Ricca’s echoes, finger pointing north, where a narrow path wound around a sharp edge of rocks. “One of them is over there.”
Lory marked the direction, remembering the steep cliff they’d passed on their way up and the tall trees lining the path.
