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Arianna searched the ground first, hoping to find tracks that might help her identify how many warriors stood between her and her mate. To her dismay, the rain had already washed everything away.
She studied the nearby trees, searching for any Fae in disguise, but there didn’t appear to be any of those either. Would Niall really leave an entire prison unguarded? Perhaps he thought the burnt ground would be enough to deter most passing by. It had certainly worked on Talon.
Dawn had just started to brighten the sky when she stepped into the clearing, still limping on her injured foot. Talon grabbed her arm. “We should scout the area first.”
“He could be right there,” Arianna hissed, her heart continuing to pound.
“So could a dozen guards.”
“Then we’ll take them out.”
“Arianna, you have to remember to think. I know—”
“I am thinking,” she growled. “I’m thinking he’s been held here for two months. I’m thinking about all the ways he’s likely hurt and the terrible things Niall has done to him. And I am not going to let him endure one more second more of it.”
Talon released her arm and glanced over the area again. The wind shifted, then Arianna went rigid. Not because of warriors or guards or creatures, but because of the scent in the air.
Her blood thrummed through her veins like the beat of a dream and Arianna took off sprinting through the burnt area.
She ignored the pain in her body and Talon didn’t stop her. He couldn’t have even if he’d tried because that was Rion’s blood in the air. A lot of it, along with the smell of death and decay. She searched for their bond and found that single strand intact. It wasn’t him. He wasn’t dead, but he was definitely hurt.
Her heart kept racing as she flew across the wide expanse. She didn’t have a tree line to hide behind now and neither had he. Who had found him and what had they done? Would Arianna find her mate in a puddle of his own blood, barely alive? Had he tried to fight his way out? Was that the reason no guards stood around the area?
So many questions assaulted her and all the possibilities along with it.
She skidded to a halt at the sight of the corpses ahead. Hounds. Their bodies had been mutilated by other animals and any tracks that might have told Talon what had happened here had been washed away by the ever-present rain.
But that was definitely Rion’s blood in the air.
She turned toward Talon who seemed to be studying everything, reading signs on the ground she couldn’t decipher.
“It’s hard to make out, but he’s not alone.” Talon walked to a nearby tree and pulled a string of fabric from the darkened bark. He sniffed. “There’s a female with him, maybe another, but the scent is too muddled to make out.”
“Are they being followed?”
Talon shook his head. “Not that I can tell. At least not from this direction.” He looked around and Arianna followed his stare. The burnt land stretched so far she couldn’t see the end. There were others. Niall had more people trapped against their will. More who had suffered at his hand.
“We’ll come back for them,” Talon said, seeming to read her thoughts. “Avalon will get them out.”
“You think they’ll be okay until then?”
Talon shrugged. “I can’t say, but we don’t have the man power to deal with a bunch of Fae who’ve been isolated in a prison for who knows how long. Their sanity might not be . . . intact,” Talon said carefully.
Arianna nodded, then her heart jolted as she heard distant shouting. She didn’t even look at Talon before they were both running again.
I’m coming, she tried to call down the bond. Just keep fighting. I’m coming.
Chapter Seventy-eight
Saoirse
Saoirse allowed Zylah to rip her arm out of her grasp when they’d finally outrun their pursuers. Zylah had been trying to get away from her since they’d jumped from the city’s edge hours ago. Saoirse had hissed at the female then demanded she stay within reach.
Zylah was too headstrong and her instincts were all wrong. She’d wanted to circle back and gather the rest of the half-breeds so Niall couldn’t hurt them, but Saoirse had firmly told her it wasn’t a good idea and that she wouldn’t allow Zylah to get herself killed. Zylah hadn’t reacted well and Saoirse had even resorted to carrying the female at one point.
That had earned Saoirse the slice across her forearm. Not from the squirming female, but from their enemy. She’d been too slow to dodge the knife. It was only after fighting and narrowly escaping another round of pursuers that Zylah finally listened to her.
Saoirse rubbed her temples. She needed wine. Lots of wine and a bath and a warm bed full of lush pillows.
