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Everyone’s eyes narrowed on Zubir.
“Who?” Killian demanded. “Who was the man?”
Dread curdled in his core. He feared he already knew the answer, but he needed to hear it.
“I don’t know his name,” Zubir pondered aloud, holding his chin in his hand. “But he had mismatched eyes. One blue, one a sort of silver.” He shook his head. “Very off-putting.”
Killian swallowed. This is a good thing, he reminded himself. If Ymaritis had the angel’s blood, it meant they could find him. The thought was little comfort, though. Hearing their suspicions confirmed aloud only made Killian’s blood icy. Some part of him had been hoping Ymaritis wanted the eternal rose for a different reason—that he wasn’t their ultimate foe. But that had been too much to ask for.
Elyse was ashen, Jaime glowering, but Zubir didn’t seem to notice the change in their countenances.
“But I told him same as I told you,” he continued. “It’s the real thing, straight from—”
“I’m sorry, Zubir,” Elyse interrupted, “but we really are in a hurry. We need to be going right away.”
Zubir stared at Elyse, his head tilted curiously. “That’s not possible.”
Killian tensed, his hand moving to the hilt of his knife tucked securely in his belt. He could sense Manny doing the same as the tension in the room thickened.
“What do you mean?” Sera asked tentatively.
“Well, you’ll never make it to the dock in time,” Zubir stated plainly. “Sunset is only an hour from now, and the hike is much longer than that. You’ll have to stay here for the night, until it’s safe to leave.”
Killian and Manny exchanged another glance.
“Why isn’t it safe?” Manny asked.
“Because there is a creature that lurks in the dark—a nalusa falaya.”
Killian had no idea what the creature was, but Elyse swore, and he knew it couldn’t be good.
“You’re joking, right?” she asked, eyes dark with anger.
“How on earth is there a nalusa falaya here?” Jaime asked with a haughty amount of disbelief. “They can’t possibly be native.”
Zubir shook his head. “I would never joke about something so lethal. And no, they’re not native. I had one brought in.”
“You had one brought in?” Sera asked incredulously.
Manny took a step toward the center of the group. “What is this thing—this nalala faloogie.”
“Nalusa falaya,” Sera corrected. “But you were very close.”
“It’s a being that haunts the dark,” Jaime explained, his agitation plain. “Most people know them as shadow walkers.”
Elyse, Jaime, and Sera had all gone pale. Killian watched them, their sudden fear unsettling, but he kept his voice strong as he asked, “What does it do?”
“No one really knows,” Elyse answered, her voice chilling. “It drags its victims into the heart of the forest, and no one ever sees them again.”
Sera shuddered and stepped closer to Manny. Killian had to repress his own shudder.
“You’ll need to stay here until dawn,” Zubir said. “I surround my property with enchanted fire before sunset, so it’s impossible for the creature to enter the premises. I have a tent you can put up, and several blankets—”
“Absolutely not,” Elyse cut him off sharply. “I’m grateful for the offer, but we can’t waste any time. We’ll take our chances with the walker.”
Manny gaped at her, and though nobody else showed their concern as drastically as him, it was clear that no one liked that idea.
Killian understood where Elyse was coming from. They were running short on time, and it would be another ten hours until dawn—at least. But they had no magic, no weapons aside from a few small knives. Leaving was a terrible idea.
