Funny how much could change in no time at all.
Brushing back a curtain of thorny vines, I continued aimlessly through the forest. Another eerie call crested in the distance, and I winced. I knew the monsters here were different from the beasts I’d lost, but I couldn’t stop myself from tracing my emblem. Even hidden from sight beneath my leather glove, the image of that lifeless, faded tree was burned into my mind. I’d never escape it.
Gone. They’re all gone.My chest heaved as heat pricked at the backs of my eyes.
I wished he’d never convinced them to raise me. He destroyed something with that decision, something I’m not sure he even realized was there—a possible future. Never mind that Yazmin killed me. Rationally, I knew that we couldn’t have had a future if I’d stayed dead. But logic couldn’t keep the anger, the feeling of betrayal, from festering in my heart. Because now I was trapped in this gods-awful world with too many reminders of what could’ve been. Of the life I was supposed to have with my beasts. Maybe even with him.
The shadows around me spiraled out of control, snaking through trees and severing branches in a violent display of power.
Before, I could’ve loved him. Now…
The darkness around me was suffocating, but I didn’t care. I couldn’t decipher my shadows from the all-consuming suffering of the Kitska Forest. I’d never noticed it before. But as I waded through the thicket of trees and underbrush, there was a hopelessness that tugged at my senses. It beckoned to me, to my shadows, and guided my feet deeper into the heart of the woods.
A shiver raced down my spine as another chilling howl scraped through the air, much closer than before. Coming to a halt, I peered around tree trunks and tried to determine the source of the sound. I knew little about the monsters that inhabited this forest. If the rumors were true, that they were the trapped souls of deceased beasts from the First War, then maybe they weren’t so different from me—undead and lost.
Undead.A dull ringing started in my ears as my breathing hitched, and I straightened my spine.What if…
When nothing revealed itself, I started up again. A strange sense of invigoration filled my limbs, and my pace quickened. There was no telling how many beasts had died that day. The loss was devastating enough for my kind to sequester themselves in Hireath. They never would’ve returned to a mass grave of beasts. They never would’ve thought that death didn’t have to be the end.
Zane.My mind rewound to the time I’d read one of Cruor’s more peculiar tomes,Zane and the Fallen Leaders. He’d become the first guild master of Cruor and established a home within the confines of the Kitska Forest. As the first of his kind, his power was unmatched—and no doubt as equally unsettling. I tracked the chaotic tendrils weaving around me. If he’d made his way through here with the power to raise the dead…
A desperate hope flickered to life in my chest. If the Kitska monsters were undead beasts, and I was an undead Charmer… Could I tame them? Did I want that?
Yes. Undoubtedly so. I wanted—no,needed—some connection to my former life. Some proof that there was a reason for me to endure.
Pulse climbing, I maneuvered around gnarled roots and vines until I came across a clearing. Moonlight bathed the grass in a pale glow, and I cautiously made my way to the center. The scent of moss and decay was heavy in the air. A breeze trickled through the pinesco pods, their unnerving pattern giving the impression of thousands of blinking eyes.
Gaze wary, I turned in place. My shadows furled outward, crawling across the forest floor without my command, and shooting off into the trees. They dispersed entirely after that, leaving me surprisingly vulnerable and bare. Gently, I rubbed my arms.
Following the sudden whoosh of my shadows, the woods fell silent. Minutes dragged by as I waited for, well, I wasn’t entirely sure. But the urge to keep trekking forward had disappeared, and so I stood.
Please.I scanned the forest line, but nothing happened.Please.
My shoulders drooped, and I sank to the ground. With trembling fingers, I pulled off my gloves. A phantom pain, stronger than anything I’d ever experienced in my life, throbbed from my emblem. I wasn’t sure if that ache would ever go away.
Pressing the symbol to my lips, I whispered, “I just need a reason to stay.” All I wanted was a sliver of my life back. And if I couldn’t have my beasts, and I couldn’t bring myself to even look at the man I’d yearned for, then maybe, just maybe, these monsters could save me.
A horrendous roar shook the trees, and suddenly my shadows reappeared. They surrounded me in a brutal maelstrom of darkness, and I snapped my gaze upward. There, on the edge of the forest, was the outline of a beast shrouded by trees. Burning red eyes stared back at me. The creature let out another guttural roar, and the pinesco pods above its head danced in a panicked frenzy.
As if preparing to charge, the creature dipped its head low.
Slowly, I stood. A strange, almost manic smile claimed my lips. I didn’t know if I would survive this encounter. This beast would end my life for the second time or I’d find a way to tame a Kitska monster—and either outcome suited me just fine.
Fourteen
Noc
Without our mounts or gear, we were forced to travel on foot to the port city of Invere, adding countless days to our journey. We had to hunt for food and stick to the shadows at all times. We did everything possible to reduce our tracks and stay out of the capital’s eye. By the time we hit the quiet cobblestone streets, we were beyond exhausted. Constant use of the shadows ate away at our energy, and Calem, Ozias, and I were feeling the lack of rest in our bones. Leena, too, was ragged. We hadn’t slept much. Hadn’t really rested at all. We were too afraid to be caught off guard again.
Night fell over the slumbering town, and the wrought-iron light fixtures along the streets did little to illuminate the paths. Which meant we could use the buildings’ shadows instead of our own, and we let our powers recede. The off-white structures were packed tightly together, and we snuck down alleyways to avoid the main roads. In the distance, a low horn bellowed, signifying a ship’s arrival. Perhaps the very same ship we’d try to gain passage on come morning.
“There,” Oz said as he pointed to a small inn up ahead. Tucked away in a neighborhood full of sleepy cottages, it saw far less traffic than the main lodge just off the port. “I’ve stayed here before while on a job. The owner doesn’t ask questions, so we should be safe for the night.”
With its beige brick, oak accents, and sloping roofline, it looked unassuming enough. A few unopened barrels of ale waited out front, illuminated by a lantern clinging to the building’s wall. A plaque by the door readThe Slumbering Knoll.
“Are you sure about this?” Leena asked. A drunken man swayed on his feet a few houses down, his babbling incoherent. Hardly a threat.
“We need to rest. Get some solid food and new clothes. The ship heading for Kings Isle won’t depart until morning, anyway,” I said.
