Page 49

“I’m not good at this,” he said.

“At what?”

“This.” He gestured between them. “Talking about—whatever this is.”

“That’s not exactly a revelation.”

He almost smiled. “What I’m trying to say is—” A howl tearing through the forest interrupted him. Ria’s eyes grew in surprise, then her expression swiftly turned to alarm.

They moved fast, rushing through the woods to where Nikos and Korinnae had gone ahead. Asterion’s hooves pounded on the soil, and to his surprise, Ria kept up behind him. To his relief, Nikos and Korinnae appeared around the next bend. The satyr had one hand on Korinnae’s shoulder and the other gripping his flashlight, sweeping the beam across the tree line. He let out a breath of relief at the sight of his niece unharmed, but knew that could change.

“Did ye hear that?” Asterion asked.

“It was hard to miss,” Nikos replied. “But it’s probably nothing to worry about. The southern woods have foxes that can sound remarkably like⁠—”

The massive dark blur came from the left, launching out from the undergrowth and slamming into Nikos, sending him sprawling across the trail, the blur hovering above him, his flashlight spinning through the air and cracking against the trunk of a tree.

Korinnae screamed and Asterion’s reflexes kicked in. Reaching out, he grabbed the creature by the scruff and hauled it off the satyr, throwing it sideways into the brush. It hit the ground rolling and was back on its feet in an instant. In the moonlight, he got a proper look at it. Similar creatures roamed the Ridge—lykos or wolves, brought by their ancestors from the Upperworld to help protect the clans. It was similar, but not quite. It was too large and too broad through the chest. Its yellow eyes burned with a keen intelligence no ordinary animal possessed. Its fur was dark gray, matted and coarse, and when it pulled its lips back, the teeth were longer than any lykos he’d ever encountered.

Ria pulled Korinnae behind her and raised her hand, light flickering at her fingertips. “Tell me when.”

“Not yet.” Asterion stepped forward, placing himself between the creature and the others.

The wolf lunged.

He caught it mid-leap, one hand closing around its throat and the other gripping a fistful of fur at its shoulder. It was strong, twisting and snapping, claws raking against his forearms. He gritted his teeth and held on.

Nikos scrambled to his feet, blood trickling from a gash above his eyebrow. He snatched a thick branch off the ground and swung it hard into the creature’s flank. The impact made a sound like a bat hitting a sandbag. The creature yelped and Asterion let go, sending it stumbling back. Asterion and Nikos stood shoulder to shoulder, blocking the path. The creature’s yellow eyes flicked between them, calculating.

“Come on, then,” Asterion growled.

It held their stare for a long moment, then turned and disappeared into the undergrowth. The sound of its retreat faded quickly, swallowed by the forest.

Nikos exhaled and lowered the branch. He touched the cut on his forehead and winced. “Well. That was not a fox.”

“What was it?” Ria asked as she lowered her hand.

“A Lykaon.” Nikos retrieved his flashlight, which miraculously still worked. “Descendants of King Lycaon. Zeus cursed him and his line and they’ve roamed the wilds of Vale Crossing for centuries.” He frowned as he wiped blood from his brow with his sleeve. “But they usually stay in the northern territories. I’ve never seen one this far south.”

“So what’s it doing here?” Asterion asked.

Nikos shook his head. “I don’t know.” He stared into the dark where the creature had vanished. “Something may have driven them from their usual range. I’ll need to report it to the university.”

Korinnae peeked out from behind Ria. “Is it gone?”

“Aye, lass.” Asterion looked her over. “You alright?”

She nodded, her bottom lip trembling just slightly before she clamped down on it. “Nikos got hurt.”

“I’m fine.” Slipping his hand into his pocket, he retrieved a handkerchief and swiped at the blood trickling down his temple. When Ria reached out with her hand, he waved her away. “I’m okay, I don’t need healing. Satyrs are sturdier than we look.” He gave Korinnae a crooked smile. “Besides, your uncle hits harder than that thing did.”

Korinnae managed a small laugh.

Nikos consulted his map again. “If my readings from before were right, the growth site should be about ten minutes north of here.”

“You sure?” Ria asked.

“About eighty percent.” He folded the map. “Which, for a plant everyone says is extinct, is quite good odds, wouldn’t you say?”