It’s not a perfect strike, and doesn’t get the head off in one blow as I’d hoped, but when I withdraw my sword and bring it down a second time the wyvern collapses in a shuddering heap.
I barely waste a second to make sure it’s dead. Dropping my sword, I sprint over to where Kai lies sprawled on the ground, his face a mess of fresh burns layered over the old scar tissue. When I drop to my knees beside him, my hands hover uselessly over his ruined flesh. I’m shocked to find his lips twisted into a grin beneath the blistering skin.
“You alive?” I ask hoarsely, reverting back to out loud speech without realizing I’m doing it.
“‘Course,” he says, still grinning madly.
My shoulders sag as the air rushes from my lungs. “Stay conscious, I don’t want to carry your ass back to camp.”
Kai mumbles something incoherent, but he’s still smiling so I assume he’s going to be fine. I suppose he’s just lucky he didn’t lose his other eye.
I get to my feet, wondering how best to transport him. Despite what I just said, I’m sure we’re going to have to carry him. It might be easier if he shifted.
Before I can decide, Ilona steps up beside me. She’s still carrying the crossbow on her shoulder.
“Good shot,”I say.
“Thank you.”She finally lowers the bow but doesn’t relax her stance.“The other male is still out there,”she says, eyes flicking between me and Kai’s semi-unconscious form.“Do you want us to track the male or get him back to camp?”
A stone drops into my stomach and I let out an involuntary growl.“Ask your alpha. I think he might prefer that we bring him back to camp.”
She frowns, then gives me a pointed look.“It’s your call.”
I look over her shoulder, suddenly realizing that the others have stopped to listen. All six faces are trained on me, as if they are waiting for directions.
Fuck.
I’m so bored, I’m withering.
I swear, this feels like the longest day of my life, which is saying something, because until recently, I spent nearly every day alone in my tower. At least there, I had things to do; painting, reading, magic. Here, there’s nothing to do but count the loose threads hanging from the ceiling and wait for Fox to come back. Even Eugene has abandoned me to go explore the nearby forest, driven away by my bad mood.
I’m lying on my back staring up at the tent ceiling, just like I have been for the last several hours. This is not how I pictured spending my first ever adventure outside of Vernallis.
We’ve barely been here a few days, and with weeks until my birthday stretching out ahead of me, I’m not sure I can last that long. Getting inside that castle is the first step to finding out if Istill have family out there somewhere, but at this rate I’ll never make it. At least, not like this.
Admittedly, though, I’m starting to wonder if I evenwantto see inside the castle. If my mother and sister are there, then in what capacity? Could they have something to do with outlawing magic and treating the wolves so badly that they hate all Fae? Could they be the cause of it? I think I might rather they weren’t there…but if they’re not, I don’t know where to begin looking next. Maybe I can track down the village in Solistine my mother originally came from and try there?
“Ugh,” I groan, then clamp my mouth shut, remembering that anyone around can probably hear me. All this silence definitely isn’t helping my mood.
Abruptly, I sit up, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. I need to get out of the tent. I promised Fox I wouldn’t go wandering around, but surely I’m allowed to go for a walk if I stay close by? As long as I don’t go too far, how would he even know?
Swinging my cloak around my shoulders, I leave the tent and walk down the long row to the edge. There doesn’t seem to be anyone around at the moment, and I don’t think I’m seen as I pass by the last row of tents and walk into the woods that run along the far side of the snow-covered field.
I’m just going to gather some herbs. Even if I can’t actually make any potions, it doesn’t hurt to be prepared, and at least it will give me something to do.
Unfortunately, I soon realize that my idea is pointless.
There’s nothing to gather because a thick layer of snow lays upon the ground, even under the cover of the trees where I thought it might be lighter. Many of the trees are evergreens, but their branches are too high to reach.
Glancing quickly around to make sure no one is watching me, I kneel down and press my palm against the snow, letting atrickle of magic warm my skin until the white crystals dissolve into water. What I see underneath makes me gasp—green shoots, tiny unfurled leaves, even a small purple flower bud. It’s as if it’s not truly winter at all, just a cold blanket thrown over what should be spring.
That’s…strange.
I reach down and pick the purple flower, frowning at it in confusion. The delicate petals feel impossibly soft between my fingertips, like they shouldn’t exist beneath the heavy ice and snow.
Before I can investigate further, a man’s voice cuts through the silence: “They’re back!”
I turn toward the camp as other voices join in, laughing and shouting. Through the trees, I see movement between the tents and hear the distant sound of pounding footsteps.
