I hesitate. “I thought you wouldn’t want me to—”
“Vaelen carried us all day,” she cuts in, her voice tight with irritation. “He needs his rest.”
Vaelen chuffs and nudges me toward her, insistent.
“Just sleep over here,” she adds.
My mouth drifts open but I quickly snap it shut, grab my pillow, and push to my feet, because I’m not foolish enough to argue with that.
As I lie down beside her, I stare up into the darkness of the tent roof while the sounds of the camp settle gradually into silence around us. Vivienne’s breathing evens out after some time as she drifts off to sleep. I know the rhythm of it well enough by now to recognize the moment when it claims her.
Vaelen walks over to me and nuzzles my arm. Through the bond he shows me an image of him keeping watch. “Thank you,my friend,” I whisper before he turns and exits the tent, settling on the ground just outside the entrance.
Try as I might, I cannot fall asleep. The weight in my chest won’t allow it. A spark of hope burns deep within, however, that she’s allowing me to sleep next to her… even if she says it’s for Vaelen’s sake.
I lie there listening to the crackle of the fire outside, creatures scurrying through the thick brush, and the wind threading its way through the mountain pines. And slowly, almost imperceptibly, the woods begin to fall quiet.
Even the air grows unnaturally still as the nocturnal sounds of the forest disappear. The kind of silence that comes when every creature in the woods suddenly holds its breath, as if alert for danger.
I sit up slowly and push open the tent flap. Vaelen lies near the tent entrance, his massive body curled against the ground. Normally the faintest movement from me would bring his ears twitching, his golden eyes opening. But he doesn’t move at all.
A knot of unease tightens in my stomach as I reach out and place my hand on his neck. “Vaelen,” I whisper, but he doesn’t stir. Not even a flick of his tail.
Cold understanding begins to spread through my chest as I notice the other wolves lying amidst the camp.
This isn’t sleep. Something has been done to them.
“Dain,” I call out to him as he approaches, and then drop my voice low. “Check the wolves. Something’s wrong.”
He and a few of the soldiers crouch beside the Dire wolves, their expressions grim as they try to rouse their companions without success.
“They won’t wake,” one of them murmurs.
The air smells faintly of something bitter. Ice fills my veins as I turn to Dain and two of my guards. “It’s dark magic.”
“With the wolves down, we’re compromised,” one of the warriors murmurs.
“Alert the others,” I command, my voice low and urgent. “We need everyone awake. Now.”
We move quickly through the camp, shaking each warrior awake with a hand on the shoulder, keeping our voices low and controlled.
“Get up,” I whisper to one of my men. “Quietly.”
Steel glints as swords are drawn from their sheaths, the firelight catching along the edges of the blades.
“We should send our families to the cave near the pass,” Dain says as he scans the woods. “It’s not far from here. They’ll be safer there while we deal with whatever is out here.”
I nod, and he moves to give the orders.
His advice is sound. Whatever magic has neutralized the wolves is powerful. Any number of our enemies are able to wield such magic, and we have no way of knowing if this is the work of only a few or several.
Worry snakes down my spine as I wonder if they are watching us even now, ready to attack, or if this is a trap, ready to activate at any moment and alert the ones who set it.
Either way, it’s best to get our families to safety. It will be easier to take down an enemy knowing our loved ones are out of harm’s way.
My heart pounds as I start back to my tent to wake Vivienne. I kneel beside her and touch her shoulder. “Vivienne.”
Her eyes snap open immediately. “What is it?”
