“Yes.” He studied my face carefully. “I believe in our cause enough to go to war now, too.”
“So does Yazmin. She’s certain there are Charmers being held captive in Wilheim.”
The tension riddling his frame fled. He placed one hand on my shoulder and looked me directly in the eyes. “You know I have no idea about these captive Charmers, right?”
“Of course, Noc.” I let out a breath. “You wouldn’t do something like that.” We still hadn’t talked about my parents. I wasn’t sure if there was anythingtotalk about. Yazmin had insinuated they were dead, that Noc and his family were responsible. But how could she possibly know that? And if they weren’t, did that mean…did that mean they were captive, too?
I shook my head. I couldn’t grasp at straws. Couldn’t feed the hope that they were alive somehow. They’d died on a beast hunt, and Yazmin was just using their lack of remains to her advantage.
Noc’s voice was low, apologetic. “If I’d known, I—”
“We’ve got a problem,” Kost interrupted, abandoning his conversation with Gaige to rush to our side. Felicks had dug his claws into Kost’s shoulder, and his hackles were standing on end. Clouds brewed in his amethyst orb. “Something’s coming our way. Fast.”
My blood turned to ice. “A beast? Yazmin?”
Calem, Oz, and Gaige joined us, each of them picking apart the woods with tight glares. Kost pressed a finger to his temple, his gaze faraway as he connected with Felicks’s vision, and his lips thinned. “I’m not entirely sure. I didn’t recognize it, but it’s heading right for us. There’s something else, too.” His brows drew together. “Another attack, something small and fast. But I can’t decipher it from the creature.”
Our Asura acted without prompting, settling into the ground and firmly planting their palms against the earth. Glistening domes covered us as we peered into the dark wood. Calem’s jaw was clenched tight, and his gaze bounced frantically from one place to the next. Oz went completely still, save for a few shadows that trailed from his fingertips and curled around his wrist. Grazing the back of his hand, Gaige fingered a small branch on his Charmer’s symbol. No doubt using the last bit of his Femsy’s power to aid Kost and scout the area.
“Anything?” I asked, peering at Gaige.
He swallowed thickly. “My Femsy won’t go near it, which could only mean one thing.”
Monster.
As if answering my fear, a deep, bloodcurdling roar crashed through the air. My stomach plummeted to my feet. Why now? What had we done to attract the attention of a Kitska monster? The trees seemed to shiver in anticipation, pinesco pods dancing above our heads in a frenzy. Beside me, Noc cursed and slit open his palm. Blood dripped down his fingers before hovering about his hand.
“It’s approaching from the north,” Kost said. Beside him, Calem shuddered, and the mercury thread around his eyes widened.
“Gaige,” I murmured, tilting my chin slightly in his direction. “What do we do?”
“Until I know what we’re dealing with, I can’t say. I’m sending my Femsy back and calling on Okean.” He flexed his hand, and citrine light exploded from his symbol. The beast realm door groaned open, and while he sent one beast back to safety, he summoned another to his side. A threatening yowl preceded the Zystream’s entrance as the liquid-blue legendary feline manifested beside his master. His claws sank into the soft earth, and wet mist gathered around him. Dew droplets welled along his slick hide before trailing the length of his body and splashing against the ground. I knew from my research that he was a formidable beast, able to summon and control water to take down his prey.
“What do we do?” Calem asked.
“Kitska monsters can’t be tamed. We’ll have to subdue it.” Gaige glanced around, frowning slightly at our Asura’s domes. “I have no idea if our shields will hold against a creature like this.”
Thrusting out my hand, I channeled power to my symbol and wrenched open the beast realm door. Reine still needed to recover, but her ability to teleport in short bursts would come in handy while maneuvering through the trees. She emerged from the realm, indigo spots glowing and hackles on end as she stalked to Okean’s side. Dominus followed a beat later. Despite the lack of light permeating the dense wood, his crystal-plated chest and the jagged, jewel-like wings along his legs glittered without fail.
On Kost’s shoulder, Felicks’s orb cleared and he peeled back his maw in a menacing growl. Kost eyed his beast before fashioning a rapier out of shadows. In a few minutes’ time, we’d know more, thanks to Felicks. But until then…
“Are they normally this aggressive?” Oz asked while he formed a slew of blades and tucked them between his knuckles.
Gaige’s fingers twitched. “Not typically, but—”
A sharp whistling, followed immediately by a loud crack, rang through the air. As one, we stared at an oily, slick arrow that’d burrowed into Quilla’s dome right in front of where Noc was standing. Beside me, my beast shuddered and closed one of her ten milky-white eyes. A low, murderous hiss escaped Noc’s lips.
My breath caught. “What the hell?”
Noc’s gaze snapped to the treetops. “We’re not alone.”
“Darrien.” Kost’s voice was deadly, and the shadows around his frame spiked in erratic patterns. “That’s the attack I couldn’t place.”
“What the hell is he doing here?” Oz asked. Like Noc, he jerked his head upward and scanned the thick network of branches.
Scales formed and receded along Calem’s skin as his body shook. “I can’t see him.”
“Me neither. But I can sense his shadows.” Noc rotated his wrist, and the blood droplets around his hand formed into blades, each one waiting to do his bidding. “He’s using the forest to his advantage.”
