“I’m fine,” Caidrik said. The lie tasted acidic.
Bulwark’s mouth twitched. “You don’t look fine.”
Before Caidrik could respond, Dax made a sharp, irritated sound. “What the hell?”
He doubled over suddenly, one hand braced on his thigh, the other covering his mouth. He gagged once, violently, and vomited into the snow. The sound cut through the quiet yard and sounded painful.
Everyone stopped moving.
Dax straightened halfway, breathing hard. “Shit.” Then he gagged again and dropped fully, retching until his shoulders shook. The sour smell filled the air.
Caidrik’s stomach lurched in answer, hard enough that black spots flashed at the edges of his vision. No. The realization landed with cold certainty. Poison?
Isaac took a step forward. “Dax? What’s wrong with you?”
Bulwark’s expression changed. His jaw tightened. His hand flexed once.
Caidrik tracked the movement. Good. If he were going down, Bulwark needed to be weakened as well. His brother wouldn’t hesitate to take advantage of an unfair situation.
Nadia inhaled sharply. “Dax?”
Dax tried to respond and failed. His arms shook as he pushed himself upright again, only to stagger sideways. His boots slid in the snow. He caught himself and then froze. His body jerked and then started seizing. He dropped flat, shaking wildly.
Caidrik moved without thinking, trying to get closer to him, and nausea roared back inside him with renewed force.
Luca’s voice cut in, controlled but edged. “Is this part of the challenges? Nadia?”
Nadia shook her head. “I don’t know what’s happening.”
Bulwark swore under his breath and staggered a step, his hand flattening on his stomach. His face darkened as he swallowed hard. “What did you do?”
Nadia’s head snapped toward him. “Nothing. I don’t understand this.” She looked up at Caidrik. “Are you all right?”
He couldn’t answer her.
Isaac bent slightly, one hand on his knee, breathing through his nose. “I don’t feel good.”
Caidrik pressed his tongue to the roof of his mouth and tasted bitterness. His head pounded now, and pressure built behind his eyes. The cold air burned his lungs with every breath.
Luca stood tall, looking at them all, his gaze wide. “Somebody explain this.”
Dax’s body arched violently. A shift tore through him on the icy ground. Bones cracked. Clothing ripped. Fur burst across his skin as he collapsed fully into the snow, convulsing as a wolf. His limbs jerked erratically, his claws tearing grooves into the white ground.
Nadia made a sound of pure panic.
Blood appeared at Dax’s ears first, thin and dark, and then spilled from his snout, staining the snow beneath his head. His convulsions weakened, turning into smaller, broken tremors.
Caidrik felt his own knees threaten to give.
Bulwark dropped to one knee suddenly, gagging, and braced a hand in the snow. He vomited once, and then heaved again, wiping his mouth with the back of his wrist before snarling wildly. Growling, he shifted into wolf form, large and black, and leaped into the forest.
Gone.
Isaac gasped seconds later, retching hard, his face ashen. He dropped his gaze to the ground, his breath coming in sharp pulls.
Caidrik clenched his fists and rode out another wave of sickness, trying to lock his jaw so he didn’t puke. His pulse roared in his ears. “Solomon,” he roared.
Nadia turned but the door didn’t open.
