He staggered.
And then the nightglider sank its fangs into his neck.
Fane’s roar choked off into a gurgle. His body sagged. He dropped to one knee, then toppled forward with a heavy, finalthud.
Rell slowly pushed to his feet, breath ragged.
The nightglider stood atop the fallen bounty hunter, blood dripping from its jaws, wings glowing in the moonlight.
The nightglider’s golden eyes flicked briefly to Rell before locking onto Elora.
She stood frozen a few feet away, her face pale, hands trembling. Her eyes were fixed on the creature with something like disbelief or recognition.
“Viliam.”
Rell’s jaw tightened.So it had a name.And clearly, there was a hell of a lot more going on than Elora had let on.
The air between them all felt stretched thin, taut with something just short of panic. The nightglider growled low in its throat, the sound reverberating through the ground beneath their boots. It wasn’t a snarl. It wasn’t even hostile. But it was a warning.
Symond stepped in closer, blade drawn, posture tight. His gaze didn’t leave the creature. “Did Thorn send it after her?”
Rell didn’t look away from the nightglider, but he couldn’t help the smirk tugging at his mouth. “That’s sweet, Symond. Didn’trealize you were so concerned about Elora’s safety. Warms the heart.”
Symond bristled. “Oh, I’m not. I’ll gladly hand her over to it,” he huffed, though his blade raised slightly.
The nightglider’s golden eyes tracked him as he stepped back, its muscles coiled beneath its fur, wings twitching.
“It’s too dangerous,” Violette said, her crossbow steady, her tone sharp. “We don’t know what it is or what it wants. Could be here for her. Could turn on us the second we let our guard down.”
“It’s not,” Elora said quickly.
She stepped forward before anyone could stop her, her movements tentative but certain. Rell reached out instinctively, but she moved past his grasp and went straight to Violette.
Her hands rested gently on Vye’s arms, guiding the bow downward. “Don’t shoot. Please. It’s not here to hurt us. It helped.”
Violette’s eyes flicked to Rell. She didn’t lower her weapon, but she didn’t fire either.
“It hasn’t hurt us yet,” she muttered. “That doesn’t mean it won’t.”
“We don’t have time to argue,” Rell cut in, turning toward the open field. “North barn. Closest route to the main road.”
“I’m checking Fane,” Symond said, already stalking toward the fallen bounty hunter. “There could be gear. Info. Something worth taking.”
“We don’t have time for that either,” Rell snapped. “Guards are coming. And unless you want to explain what the hell happened here, or get yourself recognized, we move. Now.”
Movement in the distance caught his eye. Torches. A dozen of them at least, bobbing in the dark, headed straight for them. Now that the fighting was done, of course. Coming to clean up the mess.
The nightglider’s growl softened into a low, almost pained sound. Its wings twitched once, then folded tighter against its sides. It looked at Elora—really looked at her.
And something passed between them.
Then, without a sound, the creature launched skyward. Its wings burst open with a force that kicked up a cyclone of dust and dead grass, sending the air into a frenzy. In a single powerful beat, it vanished into the night, just a ripple of aurora light swallowed by the darkness.
“Wait!” Elora shouted, lunging toward the place it had just stood.
Violette’s hand shot out, catching her by the arm. “We don’t have time for this,” she snapped. Her eyes flicked to the fast-approaching line of torches, then back to Rell. “Get her under control. Shadowmeld potions. Now.”
She shoved Elora toward him like she was handing off a problem. “She’s your mess.”
