“The girl,” he whispers. “I’ve heard rumors of you. I bet you taste like the Well.”
I’ve never thought of the Well tasting like anything at all. It’s a void that drinks from both realms. But I have heard rumors that it has its own magic, seeping from somewhere other than here.
Do the ravagers feed on it?
The ravager lunges, and I’m ready. I dodge his teeth and claws, dragging my blade through the rotted flesh on his arm. He screams, but not in pain. It’s a wild, merciless laugh.
When he comes for me again, I don’t falter. I duck and weave, dancing as I do in the training ring. My blade gets one slice after another. Bit by bit, I wear him down, circling and fighting. Until my breath heaves from my lungs.
The ravager pounces forward, no more tired than when it started, cornering me against a tree. The bark scratches at the back of my head as the ravager comes in, teeth first. I duck, and just as I do, Greer’s sword cuts through the ravager’s neck.
I barely manage to roll out of the way in time to not get showered in blood.
Greer spins around. “Are you okay?”
“I’m still standing.” I brush the leaves from my sleeve, still gripping my dagger.
“I’ve trained you well.” She smirks, praising herself.
And it’s enough to make me smile.
“Unfortunately…” Her smile falls as shouts continue from the beach. “This isn’t over.”
Whispers mutter through the forest, and I can tell she senses them too. The ravagers drove us too deep. We shouldn’t be this far.
“We need to go.” She starts running, and I’m at her side.
Behind us, the forest begs us to return.
Ahead is nothing but a bloodbath. Guards battle ravagers. Some formed, some not. It’s a mess of clashing metal and destruction. A growing cloud of an incoming wave of them stews at a distance, and when we break the cover of the forest, I finally get a good look at the size of it.
“How many are there?” I ask, out of breath.
“Too many to fight. We need to get to the others.” Greer starts in one direction, but a spit of shadow separates us, veering me toward the beach.
“Run, Elorie!” she yells. “Don’t stop.”
So I don’t.
I run.
Sand kicks up with every step. Shadows swirl in, quickly drinking the light from the moon.
The nasty bite of shadows claws the back of my neck. It stings like something venomous crawling through me, even if it’s just my imagination. They’re catching up; I can’t run fast enough.
The breath of the army of death is at my neck when the shadows start to close in. Pushing me to the sea, until my feet sink into the water. Water that is freezing cold like it is back home.
I suppose this is fitting. To be washed away by the brutal waves that surroundedme my entire life.
Shadows surge from the edge of the forest, and right as I’m about to close my eyes and accept the peace of Sarrow, a crack of lightning slices through the sky, splitting through to the core of the realm as a familiar figure steps through a cloud of dust and smoke. Golden eyes glow as Wilder strides to a stop in front of me, wicked delight in his gaze.
“Sneaking out in the middle of the night?”His eyes brighten as he leans in to whisper in my ear while water laps at our feet. “Gods, the trouble you stir, Starfire.”
Chapter 28
Elorie
“You’re following me.”I tip my chin up at Wilder.
