Page 105 of Vervain

Olivia tosses the chains into the boat when we hit the wet sand. I find it easier to push it now, but with every step, my boots sink. When the boat finally hits the water, my tight muscles relax.

“Get in,” Olivia demands.

“Serun…”

“Now,” she snaps. This is a side of her I haven’t seen before.

Getting back into the boat as Olivia pushes it further out, I position myself to face the shore. Serun is outside now, floating high above the beach, wisps of smoke and shadow falling from him. He aims his sword downward, his neon red eyes the only light coming from him.

Olivia grunts as she hops into the boat. She tosses the paddle at me and says, “Move it!”

Grabbing the paddle, my heart stutters at the creatures ignoring Serun and jumping into the water to reach us. I swear under my breath, lean to one side of the boat, and start paddling. But it’s not working. The fucking boat rotates, spinning in a circle.

“Lady Consort, do you know how to fucking paddle?” Olivia says incredulously.

“No!” I snap at her. “Why would I know that?”

“By the Mother of Light, we are going to die!”

Gritting my teeth, I stand, and when an echo reaches the boat, I slam the flat side of the paddle against the eye on one shoulder. The creature falls back with a howl, long claws reaching out in a desperate attempt to hold on when something draws it under. Obsidian scales shimmer, and the boat rocks as this creature swims away with the echo in its mouth.

The first experiment is helping us?

Another echo reaches for the boat before my mind can process what is happening. I raise the paddle again, only to remember I have a damn sword. Dropping the paddles and reaching for my hilt, the darkness that is Serun plummets to the ground. A gust of wind and sand bursts from the shore. Waves push into the ocean, and the boat floats further out and towards the river.

Fuck! I slip on the wet deck, fall forward, and grab the edge of the boat. Pushing myself up, I look back towards the shore. Black spikes now jut out from the ground, bodies of creatures hanging from them. Dozens more spear up, spraying black blood into the already deathly night.

“We should go before it draws more attention.” I jump at the sound, spinning around to face Serun. He grabs the abandoned paddle and drives it into the water, alternating sides, pushing us into where the ocean meets the river. Shadows slip back around his body, covering him. Looking back the way we came, the moonlight highlights countless torn bodies, while streaks of black blood cover the entire beach.

“They must have come from the feeding ground…”

“No…” Serun sighs. “I don’t think they came from Darkovish. I think the nightwalkers…turned.”

My eyes widen a fraction. “What do you mean by turned?”

“There is a rumour that an echo can infect a nightwalker. Not any echo, but there is one different from the others.”

The nightwalker who stabbed Cole. I clench my teeth together, and my nostrils flare.

“But how did it get there?” I ask. “The Hellsgate was so far from here…”

“Shouldn’t we kill them all before they infect Naylen?” Olivia says.

“I’m talking to Maeve now,” Serun says. “The Death Spirit and Lucifer are on their way and will burn the city down.”

I close the gap between us, wobbling on my feet until I fall to the seat beside him. “We are here. Should we not get rid of them before they go somewhere else?”

“One problem at a time, kamai,” he says, eyes ahead on the narrow river path to Rive Bay. “I culled the majority, and Penumbra is still there and will wall them off until my family arrives to cleanse the area. Right now, we need to prioritise finding Cole, Reyes, and Avianna.” His hand reaches out, resting on my thigh. “If we see any on the way, I will take care of them. I just find it odd for this echo to be biting nightwalkers. They aren’t the type to think like that. They kill humans and ignore the undead unless provoked.”

“The ones in the feeding ground…”

“I know. That is my worry.”

Olivia heaves a sigh. “That was close, though. It really boosted my appetite.”

“There is slayer blood in the bag. It tastes revolting, but it is all we have until we reach the shore.” Serun kicks the pack towards her. “You should eat too, kamai. Your stomach has been stirring this entire time.”

As Olivia rummages in the bag, she says, “Lady Consort is always hungry. It makes me wonder if I ate this much when I was human. I can’t seem to remember.”