I nibbled on my lip as the darkness around us grew. I would have to be smart and prepared if the seekerill led methere. My wards wouldn’t fully protect me, even if I managed to keep them over me while also flying on a carpet, which meant I would have to come up with a different plan.
An intersection loomed in the darkness ahead, and Kole slowed the carpet. The moons had begun to rise, and twilight had set in.
When we reached the intersecting roads, Kole stopped the carpet entirely. “Which way?”
I started. It was the first time he’d spoken in hours, but at least he sounded calm. Normal. His fury and terror had vanished entirely.
My eyebrows rose. “You’re going to let me decide?”
“I thought that was obvious.” He gestured toward the seekerill in my pocket.
Frowning, I cocked my head. “What about your job? Aren’t you here as a warrior on patrol? Don’t you have to be in a specific location?”
“My orders are to stay on patrol. I’ve been on patrol all day.”
I realized he was right. Kole was indeed traveling the Wood of Stonewild. We’d encountered more fae since leaving the body parts along the road hours ago, but other than one hunting party also searching for the Stone—who was traveling south and away from where I believed it waited—the rest had been locals. And even though I’d kept an eye out for Jessip, Nym, and Felix, we hadn’t seen them since departing Inisville. And thankfully, none of thosethingsthat had escaped from Silventine Wood had made an appearance either.
I smiled tentatively and pulled the seekerill from my pocket, holding it on my palm. The needle spun.
The sign at the intersection’s center showed four directions we could follow. East led to the port city of Wagsworth, southeast to Jaggedston, northwest to the Bay of Rocksmund, and directly north ventured to Silventine Wood.
The needle’s spinning stopped and pointed in one direction.North. It clearly pointed toward the road leading to Silventine Wood.
“Shite,” I whispered beneath my breath.
Kole also eyed the seekerill. “North it is.”
He whispered a command to the carpet, and we sailed through the intersection. I knew I could have been imagining it, but it felt as though we were being watched in the Wood, as if the deadly animals that roamed Silventine Wood had all broken free and were just waiting to pounce on us when our backs turned.
I knew I was imagining it, but I still shuddered.
“Everything okay?” Kole asked, his tone guarded, and it struck me that he was initiating a conversation again.
I smiled encouragingly. “Yeah, I was just thinking about what lies ahead. My imagination is starting to run away with me.”
His lips curved. “You’re not a believer in wildesnare or treefang, are you?”
I laughed. “No, not since I was a wee child and actually believed my aunt’s bedtime stories.”
He laughed too, and my heart warmed to hear that easy sound. “Me neither, but we should stop soon. It’s growing dark, and even though none of those mythical creatures have ever actually been proven real, this part of the Wood is best left alone at night.”
“Why’s that?”
“Larpanoonsare said to roam here, and those areveryreal.”
My eyes widened. Larpanoons were some of the deadliest animals in the land, and it wouldn’t matter how strong of a ward I placed around myself on the Wood’s floor. Their claws could shred through magic. “Stars Above, I nearly forgot about those.”
“Exactly. It would be best if we found a cave or a rocky enclosure that we can brace with not only magic but stone too. Thankfully, even those beasts can’t gouge their way through a mountain.”
“Do you know this terrain well enough to find such a place?”
He shook his head, and he eyed the mountainous landscape. “No, but keep your eyes peeled. I imagine we’re not the first fae to be searching for a place to rest around here. There’s bound to be somewhere.”
“What about another village? We could stay at an inn.” I pulled my map from my sack.
“I don’t think there are any nearby.”
“I’ll take a look.” Forehead furrowing, I spread my map out in front of me, scanning the parchment until I found the intersection we’d just passed. When I saw that Kole was right—the nearest village was over fifty miles east and would have required taking the road to Wagsworth—my hope withered. North of us, there was only one more small village, and it was over a hundred miles away from where I’d asked for my carpet to be delivered. “You’re right. Shite, shite, shite.”
