An army of fae warriors camps down there.
Immediately in front of us and to our right is a forest that must stretch across the mountain on either side of the castle.
In the west—the direction we’re currently facing—the sky is lit up with lightning, but it isn’t because of a storm.
The fae ride creatures calledthunderbirds,whose wings can make a cracking sound like thunder and whose bodies light up with magic that appears like lightning in the sky. The thunderbirds can also dull their magic until they disappear into the night sky, becoming nearly imperceptible.
Their lightning now is a warning to the humans who live in the west to stay clear of the fae camp.
As I step out into the night, I’m unsettled by the fact that none of the fae intercepted us on our way out of the castle, let alone here at the exit. Granted, we were careful to creep through the maze of corridors and halls without drawing attention, but it felt too easy.
Gallium seems to think so, too, quietly voicing the same question that I have. “Where are the guards?”
Thaden shakes his head, the bronze scales that extend up the right side of his neck catching the moonlight. “I agree. That was too simple.” Then he inhales audibly, his head tilted as he points. “Asha and the Vandawolf came this way. Maybe she threatened the guards to stay out of her way.”
I don’t question Thaden’s ability to track my sister with his dragon’s senses.
If I were to touch my tools, I could sense another Blacksmith—provided they’re also using their tools.
But without our tools, we may as well be human. Unless I reach for my hammer, I won’t know where Asha is.
I give a huff. The exhalation helps me calm myself while my instincts continue prickling. “Of course she would use threats to make her path easier.”
Gallium presses his hand to my shoulder. “Well, if there’s one good thing to come of it,ourpath should be easier.” Then he turns to Thaden to ask, “Which way did they go?”
“West,” Thaden says.
“Good. That’s where I hid the packs,” Gallium replies. “We should collect whatever packs they didn’t take with them.”
Thaden nods before he gestures in the other direction. “To get toMyrkur Fjall, we will need to head east—the opposite direction to Asha—and then south. But it shouldn’t take us long to double back after we collect the packs.”
He hurries in the direction Gallium pointed, and I follow closely, but my brow has creased. “I thought you said your village was in the north?”
“It was,” he replies, throwing a soft smile back across his shoulder. “When we were in the south, it was north.” He points past the encampment. “But from here, it’s to the east and then south.”
A worry settles at the base of my stomach, and it isn’t because of Thaden Kane.
The land in the east is dangerous.
A shudder passes through me as I glance back in that direction.
Even from here, I can see the dark clouds that obscure the sky in the east. I can almost smell the scent of blood that I’m certain will fill the air there…
Thaden Kane promised to take us to safety, but I’m certain it will be a lie.
He will take us into danger.
Chapter 3
Within minutes, we locate the remaining satchels that Gallium hid in the forest.
He left four packs here, and only one is missing. Assuming Asha and the Vandawolf were the ones who took it, I’m concerned that they didn’t take two, but I can only hope they had good reasons.
The satchels contain food, water flasks, some spare clothing, and fur pelts, which we’ll need to stay warm. Gallium deposits his toolbox into the pack he chooses, and I do the same, aware of the glance he throws me since his hammer is in my box.
“We have a choice now,” Thaden says, slipping the straps of one of the packs over his head and surprising me by not immediately commanding us to plow ahead. “We can evade the fae encampment by heading east, back along the mountain, and then turning south once we’ve cleared the location of their army. Or we can pass directly through the encampment—that is, go south first and then east along the mountain range there. That’s the quicker but more dangerous route.”
“More dangerous because of the fae?” I ask. “Because of passing through their encampment?”
