Page 87 of Nocturn

“Throw it in the flames!” Archer bellowed the order. “Dareem, help me get the amulets back in place.”

A sharp scream came from Tabby. She was on the ground, in front of another young child with blood leaking down the boy’s face. Tabby placed herself between the boy and the Hollow . . . This one had sharp spikes in its strange, leathery flesh leading from the tip of its beak-like face, all the way down the spine.

And it crawled on six limbs.

It lashed out and sliced at her, managing to catch her across the arm. She flinched, shoving her heels into the dirt to back away from it. I yanked Abrax’s reins from Cassiel and smashed my heel into his side to lead us to her.

Abrax’s neigh drowned out Cassiel’s hiss.

The decrepit creature whirled, as if feeling his impending demise. It chittered and hunched away from us—no, from Cassiel.

It went skittering into the woods.

“I got the final amulet up!” a deep voice shouted.

Archer came bolting to Tabby, grabbing her shoulders to look at her closely.

Cassiel was incredibly stiff as he shook the sword, sending oozing globs off it. He then fed it into the sheath he’d strapped to Abrax’s side. My knee smacked into the handle.

“These are redbloods,” he said.

At his words, the boy behind Tabby cried out, and an older woman ran to him. She was also bleeding scarlet from a cut on her arm.

“They are under my protection!” Archer shouted, getting in front of them all.

“An illegal village with unregistered redbloods.” Cassiel hummed.

I did not want to know what he would do. I met Tabby’s fearful gaze, hating that I would not be able to get answers about the ‘suppressors’ they mentioned.

Digging my heel into Abrax’s side sent him forward, and I yanked the reins to the side. Only a few lopes and we were away from the village.

Cassiel grasped the reins, but I refused to release them, so we ended up grappling with them. Abrax whinnied and shook his head from side to side until we turned him in a full circle.

“Cassiel, stop!”

“Being an unregistered redblood is a criminal offense.” That was the very phrase I feared he would say. “Based on your tensing, that is what they are. I counted five redbloods, but I have a sneaking suspicion there were many more.”

I twisted my torso to peek at him. He watched me with that steady, cold gaze.

“Do not expose them,” I whispered. “Cassiel. They are not harming anyone.”

A muscle jumped along his jaw, and he did not remove his gaze from mine.

“I do not have time to deal with the unregistered. We must return to the Kingdom.”

I finally let go of the reins and he took control of Abrax. Further and further from answers Tabby had been about to give me.

Wailing erupted through the night. The Hollows were emerging from their slumber. I shivered, hugging Cassiel’s arm harder.

“Cassiel . . . what was that crawling thing?”

“I do not know, mortal. I do not know.” His voice lowered on the second part. If this was new even to the Warlord, we were in true danger.

“Is it true they are able to withstand dawnlight?”

“Yes, before I came to you, I found one prowling.”

“That is not good.”