The group quickly stood, their gazes mirroring the roses.
The darkness was a deluge, with only the firelight and the redglow of Elco’s eyes illuminating the bases of the nearby rough pines.
A thick, nebulous fog began to weave through the trees, carrying a foul odor that lingered and clung to their clothing. The mist covered the camp, forming a damp layer that made the fire crackle.
Seda heard Suza gasp when a set of yellow eyes formed through the mist. She could feel the fear radiating from Suza, and she ground her teeth, not allowing herself to feel the same tendrils of fear crawl up her own spine. She focused on her will; she focused on her confidence, and her hands began to spark in response.
Elco growled and licked his lips as he approached Seda, forming a shield of red, warm scales around her.
The vibrant purple sparks flickered violently in her palms, and she raised her hands, aiming them at the haunted yellow eyes, waiting for the wolf to emerge.
To the right, a stick cracked sharply, drawing her attention away from the lingering stare. A large canine with rounded ears, roughly the same size as her, with elongated front legs, emerged from between two trees. Its fur was dark gray, and its nose resembled that of a boar.
Its deep snarl revealed darkened, sharp teeth.
More monstrous beasts began to circle the campsite, but Cahir quickly formed a shield around them, preventing the creatures from advancing further.
“These aren’t wolves,” Elco growled from her side.
Seda had never seen a wolf before. All her knowledge told her they were large, fierce, hungry canines that hunted travelers in the darkness of night. But these weren’t dogs.
“We know who you are,” a menacing, feminine voice rasped between the trees.
Seda turned to face the sound as the same glowing, yellow eyes slowly emerged from the fog, revealing a smaller, beastly form that matched the others. “Your friend has harmed one of my own.” Thebeast looked between Elco and Seda. “We demand retribution. We demandbalance.”
Elco’s red eyes deepened as he glared at the monster, a stark contrast to his mouth, which brightened with crimson behind a clenched, snarling maw.
“Give us the Lionne,” the beast demanded.
Chapter 31
Seda
“You can’t have him,” Seda snapped, feeling her anger rising, causing her chest to vibrate and pulse with a fury demanding to be unleashed.
No one could haveherElco.
She watched as the monsters licked their mouths and circled Cahir’s magical shield, one lunging and being thrown back a few feet when its body collided with the transparent, green barrier.
Dark clouds began to swirl in the sky as a blanket of rain pelted the forest floor.
“The Lionne has lost its way and hurt one of mine. The Lionne must pay,” the raspy female voice growled.
Seda narrowed her eyes at the form and raised her palms in the air. “Drop the shield, Cahir,” she said to him. She was ready. She could kill the beast for thinking they could harm her friend.
“No,” Cahir replied.
Roya looked at him sharply and seethed, “Do as she said and drop theshield.”
“No. I won’t,” he yelled in response.
“Give us the Lionne!” the monster snarled once more. The beast turned her gaze to the others and nodded.
They lunged simultaneously, quickly pushed back by the force of Cahir’s magic, but immediately rose and lunged again, repeatedly attacking the barrier.
Electrical shocks churned through the sky, darting across the tops of the trees, ready to strike down at any moment.
The speaking monster growled at their failed attempts and at the lightning sparking through the area.
