Levon instantly knew what he was talking about. “I’m not the one you should speak to about the killings. I’m not responsible for your dead men, and I hold no leash.” He stood, his horned shadow spilling across the ice-crusted earth like a devil. “Still, it would be in your best interest to get out of the Outlands while you can. Your packs haven’t even seen the beginning of it. Besides, if you make it back by tomorrow night, you should be able to catch the Wraith before he leaves for Hilsian.”
Kit’s eyebrows pulled together. “The Wraith left days ago.”
“On the contrary. The king ordered another search of the catacombs, still believing that lousy lie the Wraith told him—about killing Avalon and Hadrian.” Kit started at his words. How could he possibly know that? “Unless you have plans to travel to Hilsian yourself, give him the Moonstone.”
A gust of wind swept through the area, forcing Kit to close his eyes against the shards of ice it carried. “How did you—” When he opened his eyes again, Levon was already halfway through the shimmering entrance. It was instinct alone that caused the general’s fingers to flutter toward the hilt of his sword. Nine Hells, he moved fast.
“I have more than one doorway, General,” was all Levon said. “I’ll see you again.” And then he was gone.
And it wasn’t until several minutes passed that Kit realized he’d misunderstood what Levon had been trying to say—about he and Sable being different from one another.
Levon had meant that Sable was the lion, and he the lamb.
~
Nocturne was thankful to be heading back. Kit had caught up to them before they could climb much farther north, insisting they make their way to the House of Ice immediately. She wished she knew why his eyes suddenly glowed, why there was a tinge of hope in his voice that hadn’t been there before.
More than that, she wished she could relive the moment when he’d held her by that cliff. The thought made her feel guilty, though she couldn’t help but wonder if maybe…maybe he wasn’t the monster he so carefully painted himself to be.
They took a shortcut through a gorge, the rocky walls on either side of the passage steep enough to cause Nocturne a great deal of stress. Too loud a noise in these parts would cause one serious avalanche. Thecrunchof boots breaking through snow was enough to make her flinch. The snow was deeper here; it made walking a challenge, and she found herself falling behind.
What else is new?she thought with disdain.
As she walked, her mind began to wander to the small black wolf. This was the first day she hadn’t spotted the beast, though she occasionally looked over her shoulder to check if she was there. The last thing she wanted was to develop feelings for the hairy thing, especially if it was intended to become her Skin. But a part of her worried it had grown too tired and hungry to continue. No animal deserved to die.
Not even the one that was meant to become her Skin.
The soldiers were nearly out of the gorge when the earth beneath their feet gave a great, rolling shudder. There was a sound like boulders crashing together, and someone shouted to run. Nocturne felt like her feet had frozen in place as thousands of pounds of snow began to tumble down the mountainsides on either side of them.
She willed her legs to obey her command as she broke into a stiff sprint. The cold had made her entire body numb, and her feet seemed heavy as anchors.
The snow was moving fast. If she didn’t hurry, it would swallow her whole.
The other soldiers made it to safer ground within minutes. The members of the packs shouted what she thought were perhaps words of encouragement, but she couldn’t be sure. She was the runt, and if she died here, then perhaps it was best for everyone.
It was hard to look at them. Hard to look at the hateful faces of Zenaide and Ailish. She scanned the crowds for Twyla as she ran, but she couldn’t find her, so she looked for the general.
Kit had shoved his way to the front of the army, his expression one of sheer horror. He called something to her as he jumped back into the gorge and hit the ground running. She tried to shout to him, to warn him that it wasn’t safe, but her voice was hoarse from the cold and disuse, and she barely croaked.
Every step was a challenge. The knee-deep snow was enough to cause the general trouble as well, and Nocturne wondered why he didn’t simply shift into his Skin, why he didn’t ride the mist. Perhaps it wouldn’t have made a difference. Perhaps he was tired, too.
We all bleed, General,she’d said to him, once upon a time.You’re no more immune to Death than the rest of us.
She was about a dozen feet away from Kit when something gave her pause. She slowed her clumsy pace, and when she glanced over her shoulder, she saw the black wolf running after her, traveling at a speed that was surprisingly swift, considering how scrawny she was.
But the snow was faster. It was going to suffocate her.
Unsure what had gotten into her, Nocturne spun on her heel and ran the opposite way. The general shouted a series of what sounded like curse words, but Nocturne paid him no mind. She slipped several times as she ran, but every time she fell, she got right back up.
She hoped the legends about animal bonds were true. If she reached the wolf when the snow hit, they would become suspended in time—suspended between worlds—long enough to hopefully survive the rush of snow and ice.
And the general had better be out of here when that happens.
Nocturne wasn’t sure if Kit had chosen wisely and turned around, but a numbing cloud began to settle over her thoughts. Suddenly, the only thing she cared about was reaching this animal.Heranimal—her Skin. They were two halves of each other.
The earth beneath her feet, beneath the snow, whispered something gentle yet encouraging. It felt like the stroke of a feather against her very soul. For a moment, it sounded like her mother’s voice, but in the next it sounded like her sister’s. And then her father’s. Then the voice became no one and nothing and ancient. The words of Mother Nature, maybe; a god or goddess, probably.
There was a flash of light just as the girl and the wolf reached each other. The two were swallowed up by an avalanche of snow, but Nocturne no longer felt the cold.
