His hands fluttered around the space where my blade entrenched in his gut. “Y-yes.”
Wrapping one hand around his neck, I kept him suspended and allowed the blade in his belly to disintegrate into a pool of blood. As it rushed into him, I felt the connection snap into place. An invisible line between us that granted me the power to command him at will. I poked at it with my mind, and he winced. Again, a small part of me cringed for using this power I had always told myself would be the last resort. Objections started to surface in my mind as guilt threaded my gut, but the suffocating red haze was faster. It weighed down those concerns, dragged them somewhere far away, and the only thing that mattered was exacting punishment. A strange sense of surety settled deep in me, and I felt myself smile.
“Good.” I dropped him to the ground. “Don’t move.”
He barely mustered the effort to breathe as my command took hold and gripped him tight.
“Noc.” Kost didn’t bother to smother the fear threading through his voice. He stared at the space where my blade had been before swallowing twice, dragging his gaze back to the snarling mess of beasts where Calem battled Onyx and Dominus. After a moment, he cleared his throat. “What do we do about Calem?”
Leena glanced between me and Brody, her eyes wide. She opened her mouth as if to speak and then pressed her lips together. Shook her head once. Finally, she turned toward Calem. “I’ll subdue him. You call Felicks and tend to Gaige’s wound before he bleeds out.” Leena stepped out of reach as she walked toward the storm of fury.
Kill.
My mind revolted. “Leena, stay away!”
“I’ve got this.” Wincing as she extended her arm, she doused the area in rosewood light and closed her eyes. The beast realm opened again, but instead of the powerhouse I expected, a tiny, shimmering bird appeared. No bigger than a finch, its iridescent rainbow wings beat continuously, and its tail feathers fluctuated like the rudder of a boat. A sharp, needle-shaped beak longer than its body ended in a fine point.
Leena pointed at Calem, and the bird took off. It hummed above his head, pivoting left and right, until suddenly it dove just behind Calem’s ears. Its beak pricked beneath one of the raised scales, and it flew back before he even knew he’d been stung. Calem growled, snapping his head feverishly, until his steps became sluggish. He blinked several times and shook his head from side to side as if to fight off sleep. Dominus and Onyx backed off as he took a few lumbering steps forward. Then he tripped over his own paws and fell to the earth with a heavy thud. His eyes slipped closed.
With Calem subdued, Onyx, Dominus, and the bird returned to their master. Leena crouched before Onyx, inspecting his mauled wing with delicate fingers. He hissed as she assessed the damage, but her soft coos and whispered endearments kept him from pulling back. After a moment, she sighed.
“You’ll be all right. Go on, return to the realm.” Leena flexed her hand, and the beast realm called her creatures back to the safety of their hidden world. Sweat dampened the collar of her tunic, and she shrugged off her jacket. Blood stained the soft blue of her blouse, and she cupped her hand over the wound as she walked back to us.
The red flares of anger battling against my shadows pulsed. I fought to ignore them. “Is Calem okay?”
Her body trembled, and she sank to her knees. “Yes. Kels is a Naughtbird. She produces a powerful sleeping draft with her beak. Calem won’t wake for a while.”
“Is he going to stay like that?” I eyed the scaled hound, unsure if I’d ever see my friend return to normal.
“I don’t know. I’ve never—” The sound of the beast realm door opening cut her off, and her gaze dropped to her hand. Yet, no rosewood glow pulsed from her emblem. Instead, a soft light had bloomed from a pile of shredded clothes a few feet away. A bronze key was just visible beneath Calem’s torn tunic, and suddenly a shrieking streak of mint green was flying through the air toward his slumbering form.
“Effie!” Leena leapt to her feet, wincing slightly as she cupped her shoulder, and took off after Calem’s Effreft. His beast didn’t acknowledge her. Instead, she circled her master and let out a series of concerned birdcalls that tugged at my heart. It was all too reminiscent of her sudden appearance at the battle of Hireath. And while I knew Calem was still alive—albeit not entirely himself—I could only hope Effie wouldn’t wake him. If she did and he hurt her, he’d never forgive himself. Sparing a quick glance at Kost, who was focused on tearing Gaige’s trousers to better assess his wounds, I followed after Leena and Calem’s beast.
Tossing her head to the sun, Effie beat her wings feverishly. Small particles of glistening magic fell from her wings, coating Calem’s tough hide. When she was pleased with her work, she landed beside him and nudged her beak against his snout, soft coos full of worry.
“Effie.” Leena kneeled beside her. “It’ll be all right. He’ll be okay.”
The Effreft rounded her worried pink gaze on Leena for a moment before turning back to Calem.
“Come on, why don’t you stay with me where it’s safe?” She held out her hands just as Calem snarled. Still asleep, but visibility agitated, he shuddered as the magic settled deep into his hide. Effie startled at the sound and took several hops back, a heartbreakingly soft call slipping from her beak. She flapped her wings a few times before settling them against her back and scooting closer to Leena. Her eyes never left her master.
Gently, Leena scooped Effie up and held her close to her chest, ignoring whatever pain may have sparked from her wound. “Shhh. You did fine.”
“Will that help him return to normal?” I asked. I prayed that it would. Hehadto come back to us. For Effie’s sake. For Leena’s. For all of us.
“Maybe? We’re in uncharted territory here. Kaori would know. Possibly Gaige.” Her head pivoted back to the man lying still before Kost. Problems from every direction, it seemed. I placed a gentle hand on her back, and she rolled her lower lip into her mouth. Squeezed Effie a little tighter.
“He’ll be okay too. Let’s see if Kost needs any help.” I led her back to Kost, my hand steady on her back. Would she blame herself for this? How could she? We never could’ve predicted the attack, and yet the way she’d stared at Calem… His predicament wasn’t her fault, either, but guilt had a funny way of ignoring logic when the heart was involved.
We came to a stop before Kost, and Leena sat Effie on the ground by her feet. He had summoned his Poi, Felicks, while we’d inspected Calem, and his fox-like beast was waiting with rapt attention.
“How’s he doing?” Leena asked, voice strained.
Kost never looked up from his work. With Gaige’s pant leg torn clean off, the jagged gash along his thigh was clearly visible. Blood flowed in a slow but steady trickle, and Kost sighed. “The blade should’ve dissipated with Kira’s death, but something is still in there.” With unparalleled precision, he dove two fingers into the wound and extracted a tiny silver needle. Then snapped it in half. “She must have propelled it in with her shadows.”
I scowled at the weapon. “But he’ll be fine?”
“Yes. Felicks, come here.” He never tore his gaze away from Gaige’s leg. Felicks moved instantly to his master’s side. Settling into his haunches, he angled his head down and began licking the length of the wound. Slowly, Gaige’s skin resealed. When the work was done, Felicks glanced around and let out a soft bark. Kost finally relaxed a fraction and turned to meet our gazes, pausing when he noticed Leena’s wound. “Let Felicks patch that up for you.”
