Another growl sounds, again from Erik, but this time, it turns into words. “Asha, stand up, but do it slowly.”
It’s the same voice he would use when he commanded me to do his bidding back in the city.
My instinct… is to disobey.
It’s a liberating sensation. But possibly not the best time to experience it.
When I hesitate, his tension grows, but his voice is softer than before. “Asha, I need you to stand up. I need you to show dominance.”
Slowly, I allow the fur to slide off my back so I can rise upward unhindered by the material.
I keep my hands together, ready to tear off the silver medallion if I need to.
The black wolf has stopped snarling and now it watches me with bright-blue eyes.
The animal at my back has also quietened, although that only makes me more nervous. I preferred it when I could hear it.
Erik edges toward me, still facing the black wolf, while giving another growl.
The wolf’s ears lift, it tilts its head, and then it gives a loudyip!
There’s a flurry of movement. My hand is on my medallion. I’m ready for anything, but in the next moment, the wolves disappear, fading quickly into our surroundings.
In the next second, they’re gone.
I’m left staring at the dark shadows between the trees.
I resume breathing. “What was that?”
Erik turns back to me. For a second, I’m certain I catch a flash of black around his left hand, but then he too is in shadow, the moonlight behind him.
“Wolves,” he says.
I let out a soft laugh and then stop, worried I’ll draw the creatures back to us. “I got that. How did you make them leave?”
“I told them to fuck off.” He studies our surroundings for a second. “They won’t go far. They’ll watch us now.”
“Watchoverus like friends? Or watch us like enemies?”
He grimaces. Shrugs. Makes a non-committal sound. But his focus falls to my left hand.
I haven’t stopped gripping it.
Probably because I’ve been avoiding the conversation I know we need to have. I can’t put it off any longer. I certainly can’t go back to sleep after what just happened.
“We’re only a day from reaching the outpost,” I say. “Tomorrow, I need to take off my grandmother’s medallion so I can sense Milena’s presence when she’s nearby.”
Like sensing a rising monster in the wasteland, I can press my hand to the ground and detect the flow of energy from any Blacksmith who’s wearing their medallions. I’m not sure, exactly, from how great a distance it will work, but I need to start trying.
I swallow. “I probably should have done it already, but… I didn’t want to.”
Over the last four days, I’ve experienced a peace I never have before. Taking off the silver medallion will mark an end to what feels like a dream.
At my words, Erik’s smile fades, and it’s like a little of the moonlight fades with it.
“Who’s to say we’ll get anywhere near the outpost tomorrow?” he says. “Maybe it’ll take another week.”
“Another week?” I ask gently.
