“Who isn’t here?” Kitten demands, looking at each of us in turn, then at my arm with wide-eyed fear.
“Your arm,” is all Kitten manages.
Ximena shimmers, a pulse of power knocking us all to our knees.
“The Cataclysm isn’t here – but I bet she’s over there,” Seth says, springing to his feet and pointing directly at the border.
The border booms again. Not being drained, not being siphoned. She’s too vicious for that. Eyv’s leaking Destruction into the powerful magic, forcing the border to fight back. She’s figured out how to use it against us.
And with each boom, it’s clear she’s teasing us. Stalking.
Hunting.
Concealers slip to the north and south.
“There’s too many. They’re playing us,” I say.
“Fuck!” Killian barks, Shadows leaking from the whites of his eyes.
“We can’t defend this position anymore, brother; we have to run.”
“Commander,” Killian snaps. “Command.”
“Split them up. Divide their forces, pick them off, retake the advantage – then regroup,” Pax orders.
No one needs to say anything in response – we all agree.
He turns sharply, face to face with me, teeth bared and barely any man left in his glowing eyes.
“Protect her,” he growls. “Run.”
Timing couldn’t have been better, though. Two hours ago and they’d have caught us with our pants down. But now – now we have a chance.
No Bubble
Thane is running, Killian right beside him swathed in Shadows and moving too fast to see details. They’re into the trees and out of sight before I can object.
Roarke turns to the treeline, blood seeping between his fingers as he scans our surroundings – his sword drawn again.
“Quick, Vexy,” Seth says, already running into the cottage.
Get the gear, get it on the horses – I get the picture.
I can’t tie shit onto horses; I have no chuckin’ idea how! So with my heart pounding and my head spinning, I carry, drag, and drop the bags at Seth’s feet. Roarke holds time, his skin growing pale as each second passes, and Seth ties the gear to the saddles. Within moments, they’re ready to go.
The scent of burning forest sits heavily in the air, tainted by blood. Blood has a smell, and apparently, I don’t need to be near the body for the scent to be up my nose anymore.
I dig through Killian’s bag and pull out a rumpled bandage. Used, then washed, then poorly packed away – but still a bandage.
“Let me,” I tell Roarke, brushing his fingers out of the way.
He doesn’t even flick his gaze in my direction, concentrating on our surroundings. I fumble with the wrapping, securing it slower than Killian, or any of them, but I’ve had much less practice. I’m always the practice.
“Is he rideable?” Roarke asks, talking to Seth and not me.
“Put her on Pax’s boy, it’s not worth the risk,” Seth calls back.
“Get on Pax’s horse,” Roarke orders.
“I’d worked that out,” I drone, moving to mount the big stallion.
I struggle, adding riding lessons to the very top of my list of must-learn skills. Bandaging, controlling fire, and horse riding.
“Stay between us,” Roarke says, clicking and kicking his horse forward.
Roarke, with Killian’s horse trailing, rides on my left, and Seth, with my horse trailing, stays close to my right.
But instantly, I see a problem.
“We’re going the wrong way,” I shout. Pax and Killian are behind us.
“They’ll catch up,” Seth shouts.
“Trust us,” Roarke says, his voice soft, but somehow I still hear it over the thunder of five horses.
Trusting them isn’t the problem, fear of losing them is, and I have to fight every instinct in me to just hold on and run away. Up the hill. Through the trees. Then parallel with the border.
Hard and fast, until the Spring and the domain are out of sight behind us, and we can slow to a walk.
“How will they find us?” I finally demand.
The heavy smoke drapes us in darkness. Night slips around us, settling in and muffling the world.
“I Allured our path, so no one else will track us,” Roarke says. “But Pax and Thane will always find their mate.”
“We haven’t gone very far, Vexy. We need to be ready. They would have divided them into smaller groups, drawing them away from each other to pick them off or cut them down. The rest they’ll lead to us. Regaining the advantage. We used a similar tactic on the Eastern Coast fighting the Bidiyan Pirates.” Seth slips from his horse, still offering me a jumbled explanation, and motions for me to do the same.
Roarke dismounts too, favoring his injured arm.
“Is it bad?” I ask him.
He shakes his head. “No, Kitten. Tie the horses over there, concealed in the trees.”
In my usual style I offer him a ‘yes, boss’ salute, fumble trying to take his horse’s reins, then wait for him to pull something from his saddlebags before leading the animals away. All five horses end up in a cluster between two of the larger trees. If they can be quiet, between the trees and the darkness, no one will spot them. They’re tied secure, as ordered, with Seth double checking everything before turning his attention to me.
“Vexy, straight up,” Seth says, pointing into the trees.
“Why?”
“So you’re safe when Killian and Pax come rushing in with arrows on their asses,” he says, cupping his hands and motioning for me to put my foot in them.
“What are you –” I begin, but get cut off by a sudden lift and thrust as my whole body moves straight up.
“Grab a hold of something,” he calls out.
My arms wrap around a limb, and I force the rest of me to follow, kind of safe, hugging on for my dear-racing-heart life, and looking down at the horses and the ground. Way, way down on the ground. I’m up about as high as Eydis’ attic, and there’s no hope I’m getting down without help. Seth disappears up a tree to the left, and Roarke crouches low behind the tangle of a
