Movement to my left catches my eye, and I spin just as Vel appears, moving fast and silent toward us. She must have followed us. Must have seen us leave the inn.
I open my mouth to scream. To warn her. But a hand clamps over my mouth before any sound escapes. Brennan’s arm wraps around my waist, lifting me off my feet, and hauling me backward. I thrash against his grip, biting at his palm, kicking at his shins, but he’s too strong.
And then an arrow whizzes past my face. And the last thing I see is Vel, with an iron-tipped arrow jutting from her shoulder. Her face is twisted with rage and pain. Then pain explodes through my head, and everything turns black.
FORTY-EIGHT
CAIRN
The menwho came through weren’t random travelers. They might have been dressed in plain clothes, but their bearing gave them away. The way they dismounted, followed the lead of one man, and scanned the entire area before entering the inn.
King’s Guard. I’m certain of it.
They ate, rested their horses, were polite to Sharla and her staff, and left without incident.
So, why can’t I shake the feeling that I’m missing something?
I’ve been turning the same question over in my head for the past half hour.
“—think it was just a patrol passing through.” Kaelith’s voice pulls me back to the present. He’s sitting across from me, one ankle crossed over his knee. “It’s not the first time it’s happened.”
“It was the King’s Guard.”
Kaelith frowns. “Are you certain?”
“I know the king’s colors when I see them, even hidden under wool.”
“King’s Guard don’t patrol random villages.” Therin is leaning against the wall near the door. “They go where they’re sent.”
“Could be a coincidence.” Sorel doesn’t sound like he believes his own words.
“Perhaps.”
The thought has been crawling around in my head since I watched them ride away. The timing is too convenient. Alleria has been here for weeks now, and suddenly the king’s men show up?
But if they knew she was here, they wouldn’t have left. They would have searched, tearing the village apart until they found her.
“We stay cautious. Keep out of sight for a few days. If anything else happens, we reassess.”
Kaelith nods. Therin isn’t satisfied, but doesn’t argue. I look around the room, expecting a response from Vel.
Except … she isn’t here.
Was she here when I came in? I don’t recall seeing her at all.
“Where’s Vel?”
They all look at each other, then at me.
I lurch to my feet. “We need to find her.”
“Why? What’s wrong?” Therin straightens.
But I can’t tell him. All I know is that there’s an itch at the base of my skull that I can’t?—
Pain tears through the Nightwild bond, ripping along the thread that connects me to Vel. My legs buckle, and my hands slam onto the table, the only thing keeping me from hitting the floor. Fire burns through my left shoulder, except it’s not my shoulder, it’s hers, and underneath the pain is something worse.
Iron. Iron buried in flesh.
