They became one with the shadows of the early dawn as they finally reached the shield. Elric knew at least one of the dangers that lurked in the darkness of the wood. The reapers were terrifying, and he didn’t know what other monsters awaited him. He reached out, then hesitated to touch the shield. He could get lost out there. He could be trapped in the wood, too. Would he know enough to find his way? Did he have the courage to find his sister?
Osmund stepped forward. “Wynn has the heart of a dragon,” Osmund reminded him. “She’s out there somewhere. Let’s go get her back.”
Together they stepped through the shield and into the darkness beyond.
CHAPTER THIRTEENWynn
WYNN WOKE TO A GENTLE tap on her shoulder.
“It’s morning,” Flame said.
It took a minute for Wynn to remember where she was. She rubbed her eyes and blinked up at Flame. It didn’t seem like morning. It was still very dark. Wynn got to her feet. Mildred pecked at one of the bulby fruits near the fire. Wynn motioned for her to follow, and the hen trotted to her heel. As Wynn came to the door, she saw the heavy dark clouds hanging over the trees.
“The air is too cool. You can feel the charge of lightning in the air. A storm is coming,” Flame said as she leaned on her staff. “We have to get you home.”
Flame crept down the path that led out of the ruins. She hunched over low, swinging her long staff in front of her. Shadow joined her with long strides. Flame reached out to grip Shadow’s thick ruff. Together they climbed down the hill. Wynn did her best to follow. Mildred flapped and clucked along. She pecked at several fluttery bugs along the way.
Flame stayed silent, and Wynn did the same. Flame knew these woods, so what she did was probably wise. As they wandered farther from Flame’s home, the woods grew heavy. The forest felt dark and bitterly cold and damp. The trees became twisted and ugly. The bark on the trunks was as black as the crackled husks of old logs that had burned through the night.
There were no more colorful mushrooms here with pretty white spots. The mushrooms that grew here looked like dripping trenchers of moldy stew, sickly and brown. No white flowers shone in the dim light. Wynn didn’t see a single flower at all. The sweet purple fruit was different. Wynn saw the fruit hanging from the trees. It was black and wrinkly, and looked as bitter as it probably tasted.
Whatever beauty she found in the Nightfell Wood faded with every step they took away from the ruins. And yet, as they walked, the forest seemed to be trying to be pretty. Wynn spotted tiny sprouts pushing up through the leaves in Flame’s footsteps. But they wouldn’t last long in the dim light of this part of the Nightfell Wood. The cold, wet air clung to Wynn’s face and neck, chilling her. Every once in a while, a heavy droplet of water would hit her on the top of the head.
Wynn followed Flame as she marched through the woods. Her smoke-and-shadow dress billowed around her, and Shadow stayed close to her side. Mildred hopped up on Shadow’s hindquarters and settled down to roost on the tigereon’s backside, but Shadow turned around and hissed at her. The hen jumped off, flapping her wings in a very insulted sort of way.
Every once in a while, Shadow lifted her head and sniffed, then swung her tail and let out a low growl. Flame dropped down next to the tigereon, and Wynn tucked herself down too. Even Mildred would hunch down over her feet and coo softly. They would wait for a moment or two, before Shadow would twitch the tip of her tail and lead the way forward again.
“What is out there?” Wynn asked.
“There are elves nearby,” Flame whispered. “Stay close and be careful. They are cunning creatures.”
The path twisted through the gnarled trees. Wynn couldn’t see the shield. It blended with the stormy sky through the gaps in the leaves. Mildred came close to her ankle, and pecked at her bare foot. Wynn picked the hen up.
“What is wrong?” Wynn asked the hen. Mildred looked back over Wynn’s shoulder and let out a cautious clucking sound.
Shadow stopped too. The tigereon lifted her head and sniffed the air. Flame prodded the ground with her staff. She took a cautious step, testing the ground before shifting her weight forward. Shadow crouched low and crept up beside her. Her tail slashed through the darkness, the white spot on the end of it looked like a warning flag.
“Flame?” Wynn had a bad feeling. She could feel it crawling on her skin, like an oily slime oozing over her.
“There’s something here,” Flame said, letting go of Shadow and taking a few careful steps forward. “The ground doesn’t feel right.”
Wynn placed Mildred down. Thick, dry leaves crunched beneath her bare feet. They weren’t wet and slimy here like the rest of the trail. She didn’t like this.
Flame jabbed at the ground again with her staff. Something cracked. It sounded like an old branch. The ground beneath Flame gave way, and she sank down several inches. “Wynn, stay back!” Flame shouted.
Shadow snarled and leaped forward to reach Flame.
“Shadow, stay!” Flame called. But the tigereon didn’t listen.
Shadow landed in front of Flame. The ground beneath them buckled. Wynn ran as fast as she could and grabbed Flame’s outstretched arm. She pulled them both backward toward the roots of a thick tree.
Flame landed
