But the face had disappeared, replaced by smooth stone again.
“What have you done?” Jasim whispered.
A yip sounded.
We whirled, Jasim’s blade flashing.
People emerged from the trees. They wore plain clothes made of leather, all earth tones of muted greens and brown. Perfect for blending in with the forest. Their heads and faces were wrapped in thick fabric. In their hands, they held spears so sharp I could practically feel their bite from several feet away. Arrows were aimed directly at our heads.
But more concerning than their weapons were their eyes. They were rimmed in kohl and beamed out of their faces.
Yelloweyes.
One stepped forward. In the gap of the mask where her eyes shone out, I could make out crow’s-feet. Her shoulders were pushed back, confidence radiated out of her. The obvious leader. “You have stolen from the Cirra Tribe.”
Cirra Tribe?I’d never heard of such a people. And a tribe… that implied… “Do you—live in Dead Man’s Forest?” Impossible. People could not survive in Dead Man’s Forest without entirely losingtheir minds or being gobbled up by the nightmarish creatures that dwelled there.
But judging by their Shifter eyes, they were one of those nightmares.
The woman ignored my question. “Cirra grants one request every year.” Cirra must’ve been the name of the jinni. “Only one. And every year we wish forrain. Cirra gives us enough for a single year and returns so we can renew that wish. But you,” she seethed, dipping her chin to glare at me over her nose. “You have stolen it.”
“We did not know of your custom,” Jasim replied. “It was not taken intentionally—”
“It was taken all the same.” Another woman stepped forward, younger than the first. “And we will have it returned to us.”
Darkly, I asked, “How?”
“You will be bled,” she proclaimed. “Just enough to take the wish from your blood. We will right this wrong. Your friend”—her eyes slid to Jasim—“will be left unharmed.”
Fuck that. I reached for my power, intent on dropping the whole of the tribe like flies.
I smacked into a wall. My power was there, just beyond the mental barrier, but… I couldn’t grasp it. I should be able to snap the woman’s neck with a thought. But I could do nothing as she demanded what was rightfully mine. Not for a few more days, at least.
Realization settled, and I felt like screaming. The other shoe hadn’t just dropped; it had walloped me upside the head.
“Ican give you your wish,” I said, strategy pivoting. “In a few days, I will have power. I’ll bring your rain.”
“Amunet,” Jasim hissed.
The woman cocked her head to the side. “Amunet. Khada?” She huffed, as if amazed by her good fortune. “I have changed my mind.” She glanced to the younger woman at her shoulder and then to her people at large. “Kill them.”
In unison, they tore off their face coverings, revealing the blue markings underneath. Tendrils of blue twisted around their mouths, trailed down their necks. Skin contracted and shifted over bone, rearranging itself. And then one by one, their spears and arrows were abandoned as they dropped to all fours, faces elongating, ears sliding up to the tops of their heads, hands becoming paws.
In the next heartbeat, a pack of hyenas glared at us. Too large to be natural.
“Run.” Jasim grabbed my arm and jerked me into motion. “Now!”
We bolted for the second time that night.
Their cackles and yips followed us, their stampede making the ground tremble.
“You should’ve just done what they said!” Jasim shouted.
“It’s my power,” I gasped as I pumped my arms faster.
“Gods-dammit, Amunet!” One of the hyenas got too close. Jasim swung his scimitar. Blood splashed. The Shifter howled in pain and fell back. We ran faster. My lungs burned, my panicked breaths drowned out the howls at our backs.
I darted around a tree—and the earth vanished beneath me.
