I prefer not to think about the possibility that these garments were taken from their dead bodies. Or that the fae may have kept them for the purpose of sending spies into human territory.
Their war is not mine.
I will do what I promised Queen Karasi and try to stay alive through it.
I strip off the black dress right there, conscious of Erik’s glances, and even more conscious of his nearly naked body as he also switches his clothing. He pulls on a weapon harness to carry the hunting knife, as well as the bow and arrows, before he clips a pelt onto the harness as well.
Finally, we’re dressed and my last task is to deposit my toolbox into a satchel, to which I also attach a pelt. I have no doubt the mountain range will get cold.
Then I hand Erik one of the onyx spears and keep the other for myself. They’re a little cumbersome, but we can walk with them like staffs.
At that moment, he tips his head to the side, a gesture I associate with him listening to our surroundings. “We need to move. The guards are coming after us.”
When the fae guards waiting outside my room started to follow us to the armory, I threatened to end them if they took another step. They let us go, but I knew it wouldn’t be long before their fear of their Queen exceeded their fear of me.
Erik earlier described a forest outside this castle and now he leads me through a series of short corridors toward the fresh air and the night birds he says he can hear outside.
Soon enough, I hear them too.
We exit into a cleared area, beyond which is thick forest, but a glance to my left tells me we’re high up on the mountain. The vast, night sky washes across the horizon. It’s a sky filled with stars that gives way to dark, roiling clouds in the east and, now that I peer toward the south, more dark clouds where the cursed wasteland lies.
I wonder if the humans who live there have had to fight any new monsters since I left.
I tell myself it isn’t my problem anymore, but once…if… I succeed in ending Milena, I’ll need to make a decision whether or not to leave that cursed city in my past, once and for all.
“Due west. Like Thaden said,” I murmur before I head into the forest, orienting myself by the moon’s position. It also helps that the encampment’s western border is protected by thunderbirds, whose lightning bursts brightly across the sky. It’s a clear warning to their enemy to stay away.
The ground underfoot is soft and mossy, vastly different from the sharp rocks of the mountain range to the south. It’s a gentle incline for now.
We need to plan our path, but I want to get much farther away from the castle and any potentially listening ears before we stop to talk.
A few minutes later, Erik’s hand presses to my shoulder and he gestures to our right. “Supplies.”
We head in that direction, discovering four satchels containing food, water flasks, some spare clothing, and more pelts. The number of satchels indicates that Gallium thought I would leave with him. I guess he couldn’t be sure what Erik would do.
“Let’s take only one,” I whisper, conscious that Thaden, Gallium, and Tamra need a pack of supplies each. “We can share a water flask—assuming you can find water sources with which to refill it?”
Erik gives me a wolfish grin. “Of course. I can also hunt for food if these supplies run out.”
That’s what I was hoping. “Then one pack will do.”
Erik pulls the pack onto his back, and we set off again.
The air is fresh and the farther we travel from the castle, the quieter our surroundings become, the silence only broken by night birds and the distant cracks of lightning.
Suddenly, Erik halts me again, this time with a quick hand on my shoulder and a finger to his lips.
He points to our left, where the trees are thinner.
A moment later, the sound of quiet footfalls reaches me. I brace for an attack, holding the spear ready, aware of the way Erik’s hand has fallen to his hunting knife.
A dark-haired female becomes visible through the trees.
I recognize Gliss a second later.
She freezes at the sight of my spear, then slowly raises her hands, palms up. It doesn’t look like she’s carrying a weapon, but she’s wearing black armor and I know from experience that there could be blades concealed on it.
“I was hoping to speak with you before you left,” she says, keeping her voice low as she glances around. “But here is better.”
