A blast of power rolled over them, making the ground tremble and the shadows thicken. He braced himself against the swell of fear rising in the animal part of his brain that wanted to run. They trained to stand against this. Hours of training at the Academy. Years in the field. And it still affected him down to his soul.
Maybe it was a good thing that Rowan was unconscious for this part. If he wanted her safe, really, truly safe, body, mind and soul, there was one last thing he had to do. He looked at her one more time—pale and still, the medic’s hands moving over her—and then he turned away.
“I need a sword,” he told Emrys. “This won’t wait until morning.”
37
Stars glittered through the breaks in the clouds. A faint glow on the horizon heralded the coming dawn. The witch’s power would begin to wane soon. Clouds scudded above them, unnaturally fast even with the mounting wind. It was like there was a hole above the nest, pulling everything toward it. Toward a place of darkness and death. A place that shouldn’t exist in this world. The tree branches creaked and swayed. Occasionally, there would be a crash as dead wood fell to the earth. Casrian ignored it. Nothing but distraction.
The witch was in her nest.
She’d kill them if she could, escape if she couldn’t. And they couldn’t let this witch escape. She was too strong. The river was right there. If she crossed it, they couldn’t follow. Not only did they not have boats, but they were under orders not to chase anything across the border. It was too dangerous. He didn’t want this evil nested on the other side of the river.
He and Emrys were in agreement. They’d surround the fort. Pick off what familiars they could. Make sure the witch stayed put until dawn. Kill her if she tried to run.
It took only a moment to relay the plan to his men. He looked around him. They were all exhausted, battered and on edge. The witch’s influence was strongest here at the nest.
“We keep her contained until dawn and then we go in. There are at least a dozen familiars at the fort, but there are probably more in the woods. They’ll be drawn here. You’ll need to watch your backs as well as the nest.” He drew a rough map in the dirt. The fort was at the center. He’d marked off the area near the river as Emrys’s. There were three points to cover: the crumbled back wall, the gate, and the riverbank.
“Lew and Daris, you’re here.” He pointed at the map. “Ty and Zac, I want you positioned between the fort and our camp. I’ll take this spot where I’ll be able to see Emrys’s men as well and signal them if there’s a breach.”
Daris shook his head. “You shouldn’t be alone there. Everyone else is paired.”
“We don’t have enough men.”
“Pull Asher. He’s exhausted but not injured. Put a crossbow in his hands. He can at least watch your back. This spot—” he tapped a point between the fort and the camp “—is our strongest position. You could even leave one of the twins there and take the other with you.”
Zac and Ty exchanged a glance. They didn’t like to be separated, but they’d do as they were ordered.
“It’s fine. I can handle myself.”
He didn’t want to pull Asher away from Rowan. She still hadn’t opened her eyes.
Daris opened his mouth to argue but then turned his head at the rustle of leaves behind them. Asher called out a greeting several moments before he stepped into the light cast by the lantern. He had a sword strapped to his waist and a crossbow slung over his shoulder. “Where do you need me?”
“Why aren’t you with Rowan?”
Asher’s brows rose. “Grigor has her. Emrys said you needed me here.”
Emrys was a meddling ass. He couldn’t argue. His men would see that as a weakness and he needed to stay focused.
“Come on then.” He grabbed the signal flare Emrys had given to him and headed toward Kenzi. “You’re with me.”
“She’s all right,”Asher said quietly as they parted with the rest of the company and moved into position. “She’s in pain but awake.”
Casrian shot him a dark look. “And that’s good?”
Asher maneuvered the horse he’d borrowed from Emrys’s medic around some brush. “I don’t like that she’s in pain, but the head wound is more concerning. It’s good that she’s conscious.”
They rode to a spot above the fort, watching the shadows carefully. There was movement in the woods—the wind and the creaking branches, what sounded like small animals scurrying away. They crossed an open space littered with stone. He thought there had once been a building here, a stable or an inn. And then they were beneath the trees again, circling the fort.
They stopped when they came to the top of a hill. Below was the river, a dark band separating them from the Black Woods and the mountains beyond. Emrys’s men would be at the bottom of the hill, blocking the witch’s retreat to the water. To their left was the fort.
She was still in there. He could feel it, that dark pull, repulsive and alluring at the same time. Raw power swirling in the chill air.
“She used a charm,” Asher said.
A chill ran down Casrian’s back. “Rowan?”
