The blood spatter was consistent until approximately two days’ ride north of Athusia. There they found an area with a larger pool of blood, and the first findings of an actual camp with a fire pit and scattered footprints. Zane picked out four distinct prints, one being much smaller than the others and barefoot. It had to be Iyana. He’d never met anyone else so adamant about not wearing shoes before. The fact he could see her footprints meant she was up and walking, so she must have found a way to be healed. Whether through her Aztia magic, her healer magic, or some other way was uncertain. It also wasn’t clear if she was fully healed, or still dealing with some injuries. Two sets of prints belonged to Talon and Emmeric, then, and the fourth set belonged to the mystery man he’d seen riding out with Iyana.
A nearby spring provided the three men and their horses with fresh water. Zane was stroking Ryunn’s side, contemplating staying there for the night or continuing on, when he noticed something lying in the roots of a tree on the edge of the water. It was a cloak—tattered beyond repair and filthy, but still an obvious Holygazer green. This was part of the mandated uniform of the royal guard. Zane brought it to his nose, then yanked it away with a grimace. The stink of blood, sweat, urine, and general despair was strong within the folds of the fabric. Along with the footprints, it further solidified that they were on the right track. He guessed it belonged to Emmeric, as he was the one visiting her in the dungeons, although it could have belonged to Talon as well. A very faint lemony scent was still present despite all the other layers of odor on top of it, which wasn’t what he remembered Talon smelling of. From their brief stay together in the same room in Huton, he recalled more ofan intoxicating spiced rum scent. Zane decided they would stay the night there after all. Once a fire was roaring, he burned the cloak to ashes, and the next morning he removed all other traces anyone had been there.
After another couple of days, they came upon the scene of an altercation of some kind. Iyana’s footprints wandered away from camp into the surrounding woods, and then prints which must have belonged to a large cat were near hers. There was no blood, no body, and the cat prints disappeared. The strange thing was a new set of small, barefoot prints arrived and walked back to the camp with them. Zane couldn’t discern where the new person had come from, or where the cat had gone. The cat’s prints were massive, bigger than any he’d seen before; it had to be at least five feet tall at the shoulder. A shapeshifter was the only explanation that made any sort of sense, but he was under the impression they’d gone extinct. There had been books in the Athusia castle library about shapeshifting, and if Zane remembered correctly, they mostly congregated in Nyr. The kingdom stayed extremely isolated, and shifters might still hide within its borders. There was no way for him to confirm his suspicions until they caught up. As he did at the last site, he and the twins cleared the ground of any prints.
Days later, as they approached a clearing, the smell of death wafted towards them. Zane’s stomach flipped.Oh gods, no.He hoped it was only a deer carcass.
Geoff covered his mouth and nose with the bottom of his shirt. “Gods, I hate that smell.” He gagged.
Gordan laughed at him. “Come on, little brother, you’re tougher than this.”
“Just because you’re two minutes older than me doesn’t mean you can call me little brother.”
“I think it’s exactly what that means,” Gordon said, still laughing at his brother’s expense.
“Guys,” Zane said, keeping his voice low, “we may want to be on the lookout for trouble.”
“Yeah, right,” Geoff said at the same time Gordon said, “Of course.”
Tying their horses to a tree to avoid the clip-clopping sound of their hooves on the ground, the three men crept through the trees, approaching the clearing with caution. The stench of rotting bodies grew stronger, making even Zane want to gag, bile rising in his throat. This was more than a deer carcass. It had to be more thanone body.Please, Zane prayed. He didn’t know which god he was praying to, or what he was praying for.
Peering through the branches, Zane counted seven bodies—all men, all wearing black. Whatever had happened seemed to be long over, but he cautiously eased out of the trees, tense and with his hand on his sword. Gordon toed one of the dead men so that the body flopped onto its back. Vacant, glassy eyes stared up at the sky. Flies buzzed around an open wound; half his throat had been torn away. Geoff gagged again. Zane continued to peruse the clearing. All the bodies appeared to be men they didn’t know—bounty hunters or bandits, based on their appearance and choice of clothing. Zane knew his father had put a large reward for Iyana to be returned alive; he hoped not many would be searching. It would make his life that much more difficult.
“The cat’s prints are here too,” Gordon said, still near the man missing most of his neck.
“Did they pick up a pet?” Geoff asked.
Zane shook his head, noticing a dead man further away than the others. “I think it’s a shifter.”
“No shit,” Geoff said.
There was a faint blast pattern on that side of the clearing, the grasses bent backwards at an unnatural angle. The body lay at the edge of the blast zone, but the cause of death appeared to be a sword through the chest. Interesting. The other five had also been killed by sword-inflicted injuries.
“Talon was here,” Gordon called from the opposite side of the clearing.
“How do you know?” Zane asked. His heart skipped a beat.
“There’s vomit in the bushes.”
“Classic Tal,” Geoff chuckled.
“What?” Zane was definitely missing some context.
“Talon can’t stand the sight of blood,” Geoff said, still walking the clearing. “He vomits after any altercation when he has to kill someone.” That was…oddly endearing.
“Emmeric took out these two,” Geoff added. “They were killed by twin blades.”
Zane gestured towards the man at his feet. “It appears this one was forced back this way by some type of blast or explosion. Although I don’t see any scorch marks.”
“Magic?” Gordon asked.
“Possibly…” Zane mused. “Here. There’s a man’s prints walking backwards, pulling along a woman with bare feet. It’s got to be Iyana.”
“So the blast came from Iyana?” Geoff asked.
“It must have,” said Zane. “She’s the only person I know with magic.” After taking another look around to see if there was anything he’d missed, he dragged the body back towards the others. “We need to burn the bodies.”
The twins immediately jumped in to help, depositing all seven men in a haphazard pile. Geoff complained the entire time, his shirt raised to cover his nose.
