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They fed off blood and muscle, and when they’d slaughtered Alec, I noticed how wide their eyes had gone as his warm, fresh blood filled them. They were both alive and dead, creatures poisoned by the cursed lands, desperate to quench their thirst.
And yet, at the same time, they weren’t just mindless animals; they fought and moved with skill when they cornered their prey. That made them beyond dangerous.
I reached a tent, the biggest one in the village, eyeing what appeared to be human finger bones tied to the flaps. They clinked in the breeze, sounding almost welcoming. Two guards were positioned before its entrance, unspeaking as they stared off into space. It had to belong to the leader.
Creeping around the back, I noted a torch on the other side. All I had to do was knock it over, start a fire, and cause a distraction while Kiara got the boys out.
But when I grabbed the wooden handle from its stand and lit the tent, I didn’t expect a dozen masked men to come barreling toward me at once.
The flame had barely caught when the first one thrust his blade at my chest.
Chapter Forty
Kiara
When Raina fell from the skies forever, the God of the Moon rejoiced. Raina had once taken away his beloved creations, his shadow beasts, and he smiled at her ruin, believing, perhaps, that it was his turn to rule the mortals’ hearts.
Excerpt from Asidian Lore: A Tale of the Gods
Cracking my knuckles and concentrating onnothyperventilating, I glided into the shadows.
For once, I cursed the luminous moon overhead, feeling exposed, even in my disguise. Stealing through the thicket, I made my way to the southwest side of the camp, crouching in the slim reeds that lined the clearing as I awaited Jude’s signal.
With every gust of wind, prickly branches tickled my back and arms, the forest alive and restless. I felt like I was being watched, as if the trees retained eyes. For all I knew, they very well did.
The minutes passed at an unbearably sluggish pace, the men and women of the village unaware of the two outsiders about to breach their defenses as they went about their business.
Come on, Jude, I pleaded, my throat constricting.Where are you?
He should have sent the signal minutes ago.
I’d just begun to hyperventilate again when a single shout sounded in the gloom.
It had to be Jude.
Angling my head, I hoisted my body from the frozen ground, peering past the icy blue fog across the clearing. Burning orange light flickered on the northern side, a hairbreadth beyond the edge of the tents.
The signal.
When the first scream was joined by a chorus of shrill cries, I bolted.
The recruits had been brought to an ashen-colored tent in the center of the settlement, a lone scrap of white fabric tied to the flap. Yesterday, Jude and I had noted that there were always a handful of guards posted outside, but we prayed that the fire would be enough to lure them away. I doubted that would be the case.
I sprinted head-on into the village of torn and mismatched linens and dusty bones, lowering my head and avoiding the horde of scrambling bodies. The masked creatures scurried to where Jude had set the fire, spears and other crude weapons in hand.
I wouldn’t have much time once they figured out there wasn’t an attack, that the fire was a mere distraction. My leg muscles burned as I forged ahead, the white tent less than thirty feet away.
Two of the creatures stood at the tent’s entrance, likely debating whether or not they should abandon their post. They growled and whipped their heads to the spreading flames, tentative to make a decision.
As I predicted, they remained in place.
Jude promised he’d meet me once the flames caught, but I didn’t have time to waste, and neither did my friends.
I was a vengeful storm as my dagger slid into my grasp, a blur of ash and steel as I lunged upon the first guard, angling my sharpened blade up and through his jaw. His pointed teeth sheared the thin linen around his mouth, the ends glistening in the dim.
I yanked the blade free just as the other guard swiveled to attack.
After years of training with Micah, I expected his ensuing dive, predicted how he would instinctively throw himself upon me, which was why I tumbled to the ground and fell into a graceful roll. I was on my feet again and spinning before he whirled around, a hand reaching for his crude blade.
