He smiles, but there’s pain in his eyes. “We’ll find her. I promise. I won’t give up until we do.”
The tears that threatened earlier return. With them comes a steely certainty that settles deep into my bones.
He’s right. One way or another—whether through Killian’s power, my bond with Anassa, or with the strength of my own blood-soaked hands—I’mgoingto bring my sister home.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
The next morning, Egith meets us at the Strategos training field. She waits until we’ve all lined up beside our wolves. Anassa pads over to me, her silver-white fur shining in the winter sunlight, but she doesn’t spare a look at me.
“Good morning to you, too,” I direct at her. Nothing.
“Congratulations, Rawbonds,” Egith announces. “You have reached a crucial new phase of your training.”
There’s a murmur from the others and Izabel shoots me an excited glance. Not sure why she’s so happy,
A new phase means tougher challenges. More opportunities to fail.
“Now that you’ve passed the Voice Trial, we must begin training to access the deeper abilities unique to each pack,” Egith continues. “As you well know, every pack has its own powers. Among the Strategos, our wolves can share their enhanced strategic abilities, which are heightened by pack unity.”
Here Egith pauses, her sharp gaze swinging over us to ensure we’re all paying attention.
“In battle,” she says, “these skills are absolutely indispensable. They manifest in several key ways. One: analmost prescient understanding of troop movements. Two: the ability to spot weaknesses in enemy formations. Three: to calculate odds and outcomes with supernatural precision. However,” she turns to look directly at me, raising one eyebrow, “accessing this power requires complete synchronization between wolf and rider.”
I sigh.Great, thanks for the vote of confidence, Egith.
“When I say your connection with your wolf must be complete, I mean it,” Egith adds, pacing down the first row of Rawbonds, passing Perielle, who stands haughtily next to her wolf. They probably have a perfect connection.
“You must think as one mind, share the same purpose. Only when you can all achieve that kind of unity with your wolves will you be able to link mentally as a pack—a skill that heightens your powers in times of great need. So trust your wolves and let them guide you into the pack unity. They know what to do.”
Again, Egith glances at me.
“Make no mistake, Rawbonds—this will not be easy. Some of you will fail. And if you can’t overcome that failure, it will end in your elimination from the pack.”
Really loving the pep talk.
With that, she gives the ‘go ahead’ gesture and waits for us to… I don’t know what.
I look around at the other Rawbonds to find them all closing their eyes and breathing deeply as though in meditation. A few of them gasp, jolting visibly as something passes between them and their wolves.
Oh. Right. Guess we’re doing the thing.
To my left, Izabel releases a long, shuddering breath. “I see… a battlefield.”
“Me, too,” says another Rawbond near the front of the group. “It’s so clear—like I’m watching it happen with my own eyes!”
“Good,” says Egith. “Focus in. Let the visions unfold. What are your wolves trying to show you?”
I glance at Anassa while the others begin describing their visions of battles and the strategies that won—or lost—them.
“So… should we try it?”I ask her.
No answer. She doesn’t even look at me. When I reach out to her through the bond, my heart drops.
The iron wall is back, just as impenetrable as before.
“Dammit, I thought we were past this crap!”I think at her, knowing she can sense my feelings even if she won’t hear my words.
No response.
