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“He will send something soon,” the Sentinel said with such belief Cord almost believed him. “You would not receive this honour for no reason.”
Catching Garrick’s warning look, Cord bit back his retort and, instead, he smiled. “Thank you, Sentinel.” He felt his Flare flicker again, and his feeling of restlessness increased. “How close have you been?” Cord gestured to the camp below them.
“Halfway up, there is a barrier we cannot pass.”
“A barrier?” Cord’s eyes lit up with eagerness as the Mark pulsated on his back. “Or a presence?”
The Sentinel looked confused before his face cleared in understanding. “A presence?”
“Cord?” Rorik asked.
“The Sisters said that Leonid wasinDarkness,” Cord said as he stared out over the landscape. “What if Darkness isn’t a metaphor, what if it’s anactualentity?” Cord felt his Flare burn. “We’ve been doing this wrong, they are not waiting forus, they are waiting forit. It’s already in the Court, it has to be.”
“And Leonid?” Garrick asked as Cord spun on his heel and started stalking back to the house.
“He fell. He fell, but he is not gone yet, he is holding on,” Cord said confidently.
“How can you know?” Rorik asked as he hurried after the young male over the snow.
“Because she is waiting for him,” Cord murmured as he stopped suddenly. “Is it reallyher that it wants? It would not hurt her, not yet, but if itwantsher, then to get her, it needs bait.”
“Who?” the Sentinel asked as he watched Cord start running to the house.
“Tegan.” Garrick started to run after Cord, hoping to catch the young Castor before he did anything rash.
* * *
“We could quiteeasilyhave arrived at the Elder’s House by way of Castor; we do not need to be travelling under the cover of darkness,” Tegan said as she scowled at Marcus.
“And if Leonid were here, would he have you driven to the front door or portalled into the reception room?” Marcus asked as they made their way across the clearing. Spring had already come to this area of the Territory, and the snow had long since melted.
“No, but the difference is you aren’t my father,” Tegan protested. “And I have a very reasonablereasonfor visiting my uncle’s House. He kidnapped my cousin.”
Marcus’s burst of laughter was quickly muffled, but his shoulders shook for a few moments more before his amusement waned. “I think you have spent too much time with the Castor, you are becoming more prone to dramatic outbursts.”
“Hehaskidnapped him.Andthe Council Elder,” Tegan muttered mutinously.
“One is an overexaggeration of the truth, the other a serious allegation with no proof.”
“I just want to look him in the eye when—” Tegan cut off abruptly as she turned slowly in the dark, a canopy of leaves above her shielding them from the harsh glare of the full moon.
“Tiger.”
“Do you hear it?” Tegan asked Marcus, her voice barely a whisper. Marcus nodded abruptly. Both Akrhyn turned once more, slowly, their backs to one another.
“Tiger.”
“That’s no whisper on a breeze,” Tegan’s voice was almost inaudible.
“Come to me, tiger.”
“Do not move,” Marcus cautioned. “It’s coming from all sides.”
“Drakhyn?” Tegan asked quietly as she reached over her shoulder for her sword.
“Tiger.” The breeze moaned through the trees, the sound echoing all around them.
“They’re controlling the wind,” Marcus said a little louder. “Don’t ask me how, but they’re trying to confuse us. Move back into the clearing.” They both moved swiftly, ensuring they were free from the trees. In the grassy field, they stood, taking in their surroundings, looking for the oncoming danger.
