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She flicked her sights to her jacket where she’d dropped it just behind the carriage.

She whistled.

The specter charged at her.

The cart exploded into splinters at the same time Lily took her final shot, hitting the bulge of a pocket containing the blasting stones. The explosion built as each stone ignited, rocking the ground and igniting the dark in volatile energy. Lily was thrust backwards, and her abdomen sent shocks of pain through her middle.

She cowered, covering her head until her muscles tired. Fire crackled in her ears, and light faded from her vision.

Chapter Thirty-Six

Jarek manifested inside the lodge on unsteady feet. Adrenaline coursed through his body as he tore through the first and second story of the lodge, looking for Lilith first and Kyer second, but finding not a soul. He searched through the rest of the camp until he came upon a small group of soldiers huddled by firelight. One of whom was Silas, a bandage wrapped around his midsection.

Three other Rogian soldiers drew their weapons in his direction.

Jarek lifted his hand, curling his pointer and middle finger then dragging it towards himself, signing Silas’ greeting whenever he crossed Jarek. Snake.

Silas followed the movement, rigid posture loosening. He sat up on his cot, signing a message Jarek didn’t recognize.

“Mia is dead,” another soldier said, gesturing to a sheet resting over a body at the edge of the firelight. “And the incarnation was taken.”

Jarek’s stomach dropped. Sterling’s speculation that Markoth was the place the ethae took Lilith was looking to be correct. This couldn’t be a coincidence. “Who killed her?”

“They looked like Mia,” a second man said. “But after it was over, we found her in the lodge. Whoever it was did it quickly. Silently. Until they came for the boy.”

Silas motioned to his own knife, then his back.

Stalkers. A possibility Jarek and Kyer considered, but how could they have known where they were?

“Where is Kyer?” Jarek asked.

“Taking the bulk of the battalion to Markoth. They left after the attack this morning. Should be there by now.”

Jarek thanked the men, then asked the Serpent to bring him to the southern edge of the orchard. His soul obliged, but it responded slowly—heavy. He stumbled into his new surroundings, vision returning in splotches.

The wound on his arm ached.

I may not have much of that left in me…

Shadow-walking required more energy since Lilith resurrected his arm, but now that it was healing at a mortal pace from a serious wound, it was outright exhausting. Doing it back-to-back left him about ready to collapse.

Behind, he could hear the gentle murmurs from a mass of battle-ready soldiers. He steadied himself then wove into the midst of the horde. He passed through the curious stares, finding Kyer at the head, whose gaze landed on Jarek and for once, looked surprised.

“What are you doing here?”

“Lilith is missing. Vanished from the plantation,” Jarek said.

Kyer glanced toward the wall surrounding the innards of the town beyond the river. “A Stalker found her,” he speculated.

Jarek shook his head. “There’s no evidence one took her. It was something else. Something only the Wraith can connect to.”

Curious concern sparked in Kyer’s aura. “And you think she’s in Markoth?”

“Sterling and I suspect so.” Jarek frowned. “Silas told me what happened. I don’t think it’s a coincidence.”

“I fear you’re right,” he whispered. Wispy grays filled Kyer’s aura. Mia was his friend. To lose her must’ve been a blow not only on a professional level, but a personal one. Markoth was now without a leader.

Jarek couldn’t focus on that now. He was here for one soul. “I need to find her.”