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So soon? Releasing them was the plan?
“What about the horses?” I ask dumbly. This was my journey, and yet I seem to be the only one unaware of the plan.
“They were never going to go into the forest with us.”
I frown. “I don’t understand.”
Della steps up between us, hands on her hips. “You mean to say with all the talking you two have done, you never thought to explain?”
“Explain what?”
She turns a pitying glance on me. “The different witch covens put wards up around the forest. Horses tend to spook at mingling magics.”
Lawrence stands several yards back with his arms crossed over his chest. His expression says what no one else speaks aloud. I was wholly unprepared when I decided to undertake this mission.
How could I have known where to begin? I blindly stumble through the world of vampires at Nightwich. My naivety has nearly killed me more than once because I know nothing of the world outside of Littlemire.
My companions were never meant to come along, though I am grateful they did. Della has her own agenda. Lawrence is Alaric’s closest friend, and Cassius… to save me from Elizabeth’s wrath.
After they finish feeding, emptying all but half of one waterskin, we walk the rest of the distance to the forest’s edge.
Warm air breathes out of the forest before we even set foot inside. Soon, sweat dampens the inner layer of my fur-lined clothes that are now too warm to be comfortable.
The men lead the way, but Della lags several paces behind, panting by the time we enter the shelter of trees. Cassius’s shirt clings to his back with a dark line of sweat running down his spine.
“How is it this warm so far north in the middle of winter?” I ask.
“Magic. Obviously,” Lawrence answers tersely. “The barrier dampens our connection to our demons making us weak.”
I fall back to walk beside Della. She seems to be struggling the most.
“How are you holding up?” I ask.
“I’m not used to the lack of strength.”
Taking her pack, I sling it over my shoulder. She looks as if she’ll protest but changes her mind. It doesn’t matter that she wouldn’t do the same if our roles were reversed. I would rather she not slow us down.
“This place isn’t so much of a forest as it is a bog,” Lawrence complains.
The heavy humid air is filled with the lingering scent of rain mixed with wet wood and damp moss. Even if the loam is muddy from a recent rainfall, this forest is anything but a bog.
Della’s dark eyes blaze with irritation. “You didn’t need to come along at all.”
I straighten my spine and tune them out, not wishing to get between them. They have barely left each other’s side, and yet, she seems to resent his presence, and he remains cold toward her. As long as it doesn’t slow us down or keep us from getting to the witch, I don’t care.
The trees are thick and gnarled, growing unnaturally close together as if fighting to claim the same space. Anything faster than walking would be nearly impossible. Some only have the width of a man between them but bend and tangle together halfway up. We duck under branches and skirt around massive trunks, doing our best to stick to the thin strip of land that is the flattest and least tangled in vines.
After another hour into the trek, we are surrounded by swamps on both sides. Decaying vegetation and something rotten churn my stomach, and with every breath I can taste it on my tongue.Now,this is a bog.
The water and mire slosh over our path in wide patches, ankle-deep in some places and midcalf in others. It sucks at our feet as if trying to claim us.
I glance toward Cassius, his gaze remains locked straight ahead. A muscle ticks in his jaw, betraying the otherwise cool exterior.
It’s a relief when we leave the swamps behind for solid ground again. Dropping the two bags, I sag against a tree, using it to hold me up.
“Della, come with me,” Cassius orders. She scrunches her nose but obeys without comment. “Lawrence, stay with Clara. I want to scout ahead.”
I sit on a wide, protruding root, glad to be off my aching feet. Lawrence remains standing across from me, his spine as straight as a needle. He studies me with a hate-filled glance.
