Page 69 of Wraithwound

But it only cocked its head, large ears twitching, and hopped back up onto the stone above. It was such a mysterious animal, and yet she could rest easy knowing the eleuth would keep watch and no doubt signal if there was danger nearby. Knife in hand and stomach full, Lena settled in and began her watch.

Chapter

Forty-Four

By the time dawn came, Lena was as stiff as the very stone she sat on. She stretched her sore muscles in a failed attempt to ward away the pain, but when that didn’t work, she shifted her attention to packing her belongings. The day was already shaping up to be warmer than the day before, so she packed her cloak, rolled up her sleeves, and tied her hair back.

After checking that the needleworms had indeed returned beneath the sands, she loaded up her mare and checked for the eleuth. It was perched atop the stones waiting. She mounted her horse and nodded at it. In response, it launched itself into the sky and Lena set off after it.

Hope coursed through her as she realized that by nightfall, she’d be in The Whispers, uncovering its secrets. She rode as long as she could manage before stopping, both to find some solace from the sun and to rest her mare.

The terrain had changed once more, going from sweeping sands to craggy rock with scattered trees. She found a shaded area, only a couple of trees standing close together near a stream, but it was enough. She tugged off her shirt and discarded it on the ground, the heat making each movement a struggle. Lena inhaled through her nose and out through her mouth, willing her heart rate to slow and her body to cool, and tried to ignore what it might mean about her that she kept overheating in the winter. But it was hard to do. Her body had been changing for weeks now, culminating with the turn at MontTier. First, it was the change in her eyesight, then her nails had fallen out to make room for the claws that could extend at will from her fingertips, and then the shift in temperature tolerance. Finally, she’d developed enhanced strength now that the wraith was at full power inside her. She was terrified of the day when she could no longer consider herself human. The only way she managed to keep going was by putting her focus on Henry and pushing the doubt and fear away. She’d always been good at shutting things out, and while lately it’d been harder to do, this was no different.

Lena had just caught her breath when the eleuth screeched, the sound sharp and clipped. A warning cry. She picked her discarded shirt off the ground, threw it in her bag, and surveyed the area. Unwilling to stick around to find out why the eleuth had alerted her, she mounted her horse and followed the eleuth, who veered north.

North? Why would it be turning north?

She realized then that something must be coming from the east. Heading north would keep her from backtracking. Just then, her wraithwound began to prickle. The eleuth screeched again, but this time the warning was cut short. She glanced upward to see the creature falling out of the sky.

“NO!” she screamed. Lena urged her horse on faster as the eleuth plummeted toward the earth, wings mangled. She looked around frantically trying to figure out what could have caused it to fall from the sky when an explosion went off in the distance, followed by two others. Colored smoke billowed into the air trailing crimson, black, and a shimmering yellow. More importantly, she finally spotted the danger the eleuth had warned her about.

Six figures on horseback raced toward her, or was it the eleuth they wanted? Behind them, the colored smoke drifted together, triggering a memory. The combination of colors resembled something she had seen many times before.

A banner.

Lena’s blood ran cold as she realized those were the Commander’s men, and the smoke was meant to signal their allegiance, cause, and sworn mission. It wasn’t the eleuth they were after then. Pushing the mare to its breaking point, Lena looked between the eleuth and the ground trying to calculate the time it would take for her to reach it.

She was too far. She wasn’t going to make it in time.

Lena watched helplessly as the eleuth neared the stone scattered earth and knew she would never recover from this loss.

Just as the eleuth was about to make contact with the earth, a blast of power intercepted it. Cushioned from the impact, the eleuth bounced off the ground, the sudden force causing it to be thrown farther still from Lena’s position. The blast of power dissipated, and behind it was a night-dark horse, its coat gleaming both brown and black, and a familiar rider who wore a furious expression.

Lena almost wept in relief at Cross’s arrival. Her relief was short lived though as three more explosions blasted colored smoke into the air, and five more riders appeared behind him.

Lena reached the eleuth first, dismounting her mare and running over to it. Its fur was slick with blood, a bolt protruding from its shoulder. The creature’s wings were crumpled beneath it, but it was breathing. Its little chest rose and fell steadily. That was a good sign. A very good sign.

Lena swallowed her desperation as Cross neared and dismounted his horse.

“Is it alive?” he demanded.

“Yes,” she breathed.

“You need to trust me. Can you do that?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said immediately.

Cross turned his back to her and asked her to do the same. They were quickly surrounded by the Commander’s men. Cross reached for her hand, his callouses scraping against her skin. He lifted her hand behind their backs and then moved his wrist down. Something smooth and cool met her fingertips. Lena had never fully recovered feeling in her hands, and it took her a moment to understand what it was.

His gauntlet, or bracil, as Row had called it. She pushed on one of the vials that popped out into her hand.

The group that had ridden in from the east approached them first, weapons drawn. Despite their travel-worn faces, and ragged uniforms, they exuded volatile energy. The man in the center of the group, clearly the leader among them, addressed the others first.

“Oh, that’s her. Look at her.” He smirked, eyes landing on Lena’s chest and shoulder. It was only now she realized she wasn’t wearing a proper shirt.

“I am Officer Wesher from the Commander’s force, and we ride here to retrieve a wraith that evaded capture in the Overgrown Wood, soulbound,” he said.

“That can’t be her, she’s still—well, she still looks human,” interjected the man standing next to him, “and what is that?” He poked his sword at the eleuth. “I thought you said it was her falcon.”