Sikras turned and caught her in his gaze. “That bastard said you weren’t a person. That you deserved to have your eye ripped out. I held my tongue in his presence at your insistence, but he’s earned whatever fresh fuckery that poltergeist intends to give him.”
Helspira drew in a sharp breath. “You ... You did that for me?”
“Of course.” Sikras flashed a weary smile. “Though, Ididbriefly connect with Mr. Tibbons’s spirit in Enos. He told me that if he had to spend another minute in Theodore’s presence, he’d hunt me down and make me beg for Death’s sweet embrace. I believed him too. Cats don’t make idle threats, living or dead.”
His words were a distant echo to Helspira, as she was too lost in his jade-colored eyes to process them. Stuffing a cat’s corpse with a poltergeist never topped her list of adoring gestures, but somehow it bolstered her heart. Unfortunately, the look of paranoia on Sikras’s face pulled her to reality. Their exit waited within their line of sight. Sikras stepped toward it, but Helspira’s hand on his arm stopped him short.
“Thank you,” she said softly.
He blinked, looked at his arm, then at her. “Do you know the best way you could thank me?”
A burst of nerves rippled through her. “H—how?”
He slid his hand atop hers and grinned. “Resuming that hurried pace we’d set earlier. Theodore may look a bit weak in the arms, but he could probably still kick my ass if he caught me.”
She pulled away her hand with a short, breathy laugh and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Don’t worry. Ben and I wouldn’t let anything happen to you, would we?”
“Not on my life,” Ben said. “And yes, I realize the irony. Let’s face it, if I’m willing to stuff a dead rat in my mouth, there’s not much I won’t do for you.”
“Anundeadrat,” Sikras clarified.
Ben huffed. “You say that like it somehow makes the situation better.”
“Apologies, Benjamin. Let’s hasten our pace so we can clear your jaws of that decaying carcass, shall we?” Sikras took one last look in the direction they’d left Theodore, then dashed out the door, through the bustling streets of Everferd, and into the forest to reforge their path toward Stow’s Peak.
Chapter Thirteen
Helspira
DAYLIGHT VANISHED,along with the sight of Everferd, leaving nothing but the moon’s silver glow as a beacon to guide the trio in the sprawling forest. Winter’s approach left the massive trees nearly leafless, which proved useful in letting in the moon’s light, but occasionally, Helspira startled at the way the shadows twisted along the grassy plain they trudged through. Even with night vision, the towering trunks looked more like faceless giants than aged saplings.
Sikras’s languidness as he recovered from thaumaturgic recoil had slowed them down. Even if it hadn’t, they still had another day’s walk to rendezvous with the Red Sentinel outside Stow’s Peak.
Helspira sighed. Another day to writhe in anxiety over Ben’s fate. Lucky her.
The crunch of boots on frost-covered grass behind her made her spin. Helspira studied the finer details of Sikras’s features. The ill effects appeared to have faded, but his furrowed brows and creased forehead spoke of lingering unease. The way he paced as Ben erected the tent for the night further confirmed his discontent.
