"Someone used a lot of magick," I say, taking another careful breath through my mouth rather than my nose. My wolf prowls beneath my skin, agitated by both the unnatural decay and our extended separation from Astrid. "Earth's tainted magick."
Cormac nods grimly. "Drained the very life force from this place." He crouches, touching the gray soil with careful fingers.
According to Maven's intel, GUIDE is dispatching a team, Astrid’s team, to investigate unexplained deaths in this area.
"We should have found her sooner," I mutter, crushing the empty flask in my fist. The metal groans under the pressure before I shove it into my pocket. I'm being an ass and I know it, but three days without seeing her has driven both me and my wolf to the edge of reason.
"Maven hacked three government agencies and rerouted satellite surveillance to find her," Cormac reminds me with infuriating patience. "We got here before her team. She will be here soon."
"What are those?" I ask, pointing toward a weird bird-like shadow in the twisted branches of a dead cypress. I've encountered countless magickal creatures, but these seem unfamiliar.
"Maven calls those Harbingers," Cormac explains. "They're unique to Earth—a product of the tainted magick here. They appear when large amounts of corrupted energy are used, attracted to the devastation like vultures to a carcass. They're deadly. If they bite you, you'll die. Whatever you do, don't antagonize them."
I glance at the shadows in the tree again. Perfect. Deadly fucking birds.
The closest one watches us with gleaming red eyes. Its form wavers between solidity and smoke, black feathers occasionally dissolving into wispy tendrils before reforming. As if sensing my attention, it emits a low, discordant croak that sends a chill down my spine. Predator recognizes predator, and these creatures radiate a hungry patience that makes even my beast uneasy.
My eyes track more of the spectral birds among the dead trees. Five, ten, fifteen—too many to count easily. All watching, waiting.
"They can kill you?"
"Not in that spectral form," Cormac says. "They're observers now, but if provoked..." He trails off, shaking his head. "Their bite is like being eaten from the inside out with fire."
"Does GUIDE know what they are?"
"They’re rare, but GUIDE is resourceful. I would assume they do."
The crunch of tires on gravel in the distance catches my attention. My wolf's hearing picks up the sound of car doors slamming, followed by voices—one of which sends a flutter across the surface of my skin.
The warm sensation of magick beneath my skin hums and trills with excitement like a hummingbird. The tension that's been building in my muscles for three days suddenly releases, replaced by an entirely different kind of tension.
Astrid.
"They're here," I say unnecessarily. Cormac has already begun weaving his glamour around us, the subtle Fae magick settling like a fine mist over our forms.
"Remember," he warns as we move deeper into the dead forest, "my glamour won't hide you from her. Only from the others."
I nod, thinking of how her eyes found mine in the restaurant despite Cormac's magick. Another confirmation that she carries my soul shard, though she doesn't yet understand what that means. Soon, I'll need to tell her the truth about the soul shards and our mate connection.
But not today. Today, we have more immediate concerns.
We position ourselves within earshot of the small clearing where GUIDE vehicles have parked. Astrid emerges from behind the vehicles first, dressed in tactical gear rather than the civilian clothes she wore at the restaurant. Her dark hair is pulled back in a severe ponytail, and her expression is all business as she surveys the dead forest. Even from this distance, I can see her nose wrinkle at the smell.
Two rookies follow her. The same ones from the restaurant incident. The male, Sutter, moves with the stiff posture of someone trying too hard to project authority. The female, Mendez, seems more cautious, her gaze methodically scanning their surroundings with practiced precision.
"Jesus," Sutter says, coughing slightly. "What died out here? Smells like something crawled up something else's ass and they both rotted."
"Everything died out here." Astrid’s tone is professional but with an edge of judgement. "People died and that's why we're here."
“Yes, ma’am. Sorry,” Sutter says quickly.
We listen as she begins briefing them on the situation—three local hunters found dead two days ago after venturing into this section of forest. Symptoms included rapid tissue degeneration, accelerated aging, and total system failure within hours of exposure to... something. Local authorities are baffled and GUIDE was called in to investigate possible magickal influence.
"Look at the trees." Mendez points at the blackened trunks. "It's like they were burned, but there's no ash, no fire damage."
"Not fire," Astrid confirms. "Something drained the life force from this entire ecosystem. I need you both to collect samples but do not—I repeat, do not—touch anything with your bare skin. Full hazard protocols."
She's good at this, I realize. Authoritative without being overbearing, clear in her instructions, projecting confidence while still acknowledging the danger.
