“Just run.”
Sean held a hand to his burning neck, forcing his clumsy feet forward. “How long will the coercion last?”
David shrugged, breathing hard. “Definitely not long since I had to spread it so wide.”
Sean fell into step behind Autumn as she retraced their steps toward the sparse forest. The sun had waned to evening, and the lights of the fair blinked to life, though sirens and screams had replaced the joyful cacophony from before.
Past the parking lot, trees loomed.
“Think of home,” Kywyn said. “Let the Great Mother know you want to go home.”
Sean imagined home, and within seconds, tendrils of fog crept through the trees.
“Trippy,” David said, his sarcasm blunted by the weakness in his voice.
Sean assessed him but lost visualization as they plunged into the mist.
On the other side, David lost his footing.
Autumn caught him before he fell. “Let’s get you home, okay?”
It spoke volumes that the man had no witty quip or sharp argument. He merely nodded and followed Autumn with heavy feet.
Sean stayed close behind, his gaze trained on David, his neck burning with frigid fire. A wave of dizziness tilted the world, and he teeteredsideways.
David waved a lazy hand his way. “Somebody fix him before I pass out.”
Isobel spun Sean to face her. Her face wavered in and out of focus, but her gaze landed on the place the fire burned coldest. “Bless the Light,” she muttered, eyes wide. “Is that Shade?”
Ah. Shade.
That made sense, actually.
If he could turn Luster into a weapon against them, of course they could counter with Shade. He wished someone would have told him though.
Burned like a motherfucker. The world darkened, and he was no longer certain he could feel his feet.
Ahead, David and Autumn paused to get a better look.
Kywyn gripped Sean’s shoulder to examine the wound, distress evident in the strained lines of his face. “Great Mother. Shade is poison, Sean. Why didn’t you say anything?”
“I was kind of busy—” The words came out slurred and strange.
Isobel’s lips crashed against his, and the pain mercifully faded. His faculties returned, and it was only then that he realized he’d been disoriented.
When she pulled back, the Shade burn faded from her neck, and he touched her healed skin. “You okay?”
She released a slow breath, still staring at the spot the Shade had poisoned him. “I am now. For the Light’s sake, Sean! You can’t just walk around with lethal wounds on your body.”
He patted her cheek, hating the small part of him that wondered whether she’d been concerned for him or concerned forherself.
“Why the hell do we do that without arming ourselves?” Sean asked, meeting each of their eyes.
Taken aback, Isobel laughed. “We don’t use weapons against humans, Sean. They’re innocent bystanders in all this.”
“Collateral damage,” Sean and David said at the same time.
“Some sacrifices are necessary inwar,” Sean added.
