“Get it off me,” I croak.
He immediately peels each finger off my arm, revealing the imprinted burn marks. My magic comes flooding back to me in a rush, and I want to drop to my knees in relief.
“What the fuck was that?” I ask, my voice low.
“What did it say to you?”
I shake my head, trying to remember. He forces me to look at him again, one hand under my chin.
“Mae, this is important. Think. What did it say to you?”
I swallow. “It said my High King was waiting for me.”
“Fuck,” he swears, running a hand through his hair and looking around.
I turn, glancing around the forest, but don’t see anything other than the trees surrounding us. “What does that mean? Asmo, what’s going on?”
“Marik’s missing. That must be what it meant.”
“It was trying to take me into the woods. Do you think he’s in there?” I freeze. “What about Koa?”
“What?” he asks, his brow furrowed. “What are you talking about?”
“I left Koa in the library. We have to go back,” I say, my voice coming out panicked.
He waves his hand in dismissal. “He can take care of himself. I have to find my brother.” He glances around again, his fingers twitching on the knife he’s holding. “Listen to me. Go back into the castle. Go into your wing, and do not open the door for anyone. I’ll come get you when it’s safe.”
I stare at him. “What are you talking about? I’m coming with you to get Marik.”
“Damnit, Mae. No. You’re the High Queen. I can’t put you in danger like that.”
I’ll be damned if he thinks I’m leaving his side and walking back to the castle by myself. How is that any safer than staying with him?
“Shut up, Asmo. I’m coming. Tell me what I need to know,” I say, forcing steel into my voice even though I’m fucking terrified.
He shakes his head but then says, “Fine. Listen to me closely. That thing was a cambion. They’re designed to lure you into a dangerous location before they torture you. They feed on fear. Do not trust what you see. Trust me, and stay by me. Do not let any of those things touch you. They mute your magic. Do whatever you need to do to kill it or incapacitate it to keep it from touching you.”
That explains that.
He hands me the knife and says, “Use your magic first. Use this as a last resort. They usually travel alone, but if Marik was taken, I’m assuming there’s more of them.”
I nod. “How did you kill that one from so far away?”
“Magic,” he says simply.
“Oh, duh,” I say, rolling my eyes.
“Come on.” He takes off down the path at a brisk pace, scanning the path as we walk. Dawn is far off, the moon’s crescent form providing almost no light to guide us.
Asmo stops suddenly and asks, “What do you hear?” I look at him, confused. “You’re a deer. I’m a snake. Your hearing is better than mine. Do you hear Marik? Do you hear anything?”
I focus my senses, tilting my head a bit. I hear something—voices—further down the path. I motion for us to keep going. “I hear voices, but I can’t tell what they’re saying.”
He nods and says, “Probably more than one, then.”
My pulse quickens as adrenaline floods through me, fear running rampant through every cell in my body.
He takes the lead again, quickly but lightly navigating the path. I stop him when I hear a groan, but it’s not coming from further down the path. Instead, it’s coming from the forest to our left.
