Oh boy, I could go in so many directions with this one, “Sounds like you get ridden often?”
His body vibrated beneath me in what sounded like a chuckle. “Not as often as I’d like,” he quipped, making me warm to him even more. “Hold tight. Head down.”
I barely had time to comply before Drayven lunged forward and we were in motion. Faster and faster, until the world was a blur. I closed my eyes, my heart beating in sync with the rhythm of his stride and the impact of his huge paws on the earth. Long minutes passed, but not nearly as many as expected, before a low-grade hum filled the air and my scalp prickled.
His stride slowed. “We’re in a safe zone.”
I slowly raised my head to the star-speckled sky peeking down at me from behind the violet haze of the wards.
The path was wider here, smooth flagstones bordered by lush woodland that echoed with the sounds of nighttime fauna. It led to a magnificent stone arch, so high it seemed to reach for the moon, the glowing runes decorating its surface winking like fallen stars. Beyond the impressive structure rose a red and gray tower, riddled with windows that watched us like a multitude of curious eyes.
“Is that the Border House?”
“Yes.”
“Is that where radio messages from the tram go?”
He was silent for a beat before replying. “They do.”
“Right.”
Drayven’s sigh vibrated through me. “I know what happened. Talbot overheard the operative on the com and questioned him, and when he realized what was happening, he alerted the on-call Hunter teams.”
“And if he hadn’t overheard, then I’d be dead.” Saying the words out loud released a wave of horror, because now that I was safe, the enormity of what had happened, whatcouldhave happened, hit me. I gripped Drayven’s fur tighter, waiting for the dread to pass. As much as I hated life most of the time, I hated death more and wouldneverwillingly embrace it.
“Are you all right?” Drayven asked softly.
I was safe. I was alive. I had hope. “I’m fine. What were those mimicking things that attacked me?”
Silence stretched for several beats. Was he going to push me on my state of mind or answer my question?
“Echoes,” he said finally. “That’s what attacked you. They have no identity of their own, and so they crave it. They would have stolen yours, leaving you faceless and forgotten. But their acquisitions never last, and they’re soon back, craving more. But…I’ve never seen them attack in a pack like that before.”
“Where are they from?”
“No one knows. The forest here is alive with Horrors and Echoes. A hot zone of monstrous things drawn to this land.”
“Do you knowwhythey’re drawn here?”
“Unfortunately, no. But it makes it easier to contain and cull them, keeping the outside world safe.” We continued in silence for a few seconds. “You were lucky today.”
“Yeah, I’m beginning to realize just how lucky.”
“I’ll make sure your wound is tended to before you’re sent to Bramble Tower, where you’re to be housed…ifthey let you stay.”
If. That was the big question. “Does everyone know about thePerculiari Petitione?”
He chuffed. “News is currency at Nightsbridge, and this particular snippet has been traded often the past few days.”
Great. Everyone would know who I was, which meant I’d have to watch my back—just like in the old days before I’d taken on the name Denton. Mother had argued against it, of course. She’d been a proud woman, like the women before her, stubborn too. Determined to live with our name and show no shame. But pride didn’t put food on the table. It didn’t stop your house from being vandalized, and it certainly didn’t encourage friendship. And I could be just as stubborn as her when I wanted to.
As we grew closer to the arch, I spotted several ravens flying around the top of the tower. They wove in and out of windows before vanishing into the night.
“I heard about your mother’s passing. I’m sorry for your loss.”
My throat tightened. “Yeah. Well, she was sick for a long time. It was a mercy.”
“Maybe for her, but for you… You must miss her terribly.”
