Shadows creep along my fingers, pooling at my feet before slithering toward the creature. It lifts a paw, avoiding the inky darkness, then looks at me and sets it down with a thump. There is intelligence in how it studies me, and as we stare at each other, I lash out with my shadows, engulfing us both in darkness.
The beast is invisible in the dark, except for its eyes. Those glow blood-red as if illuminated from within. My shadows flow around the creature, letting me know where it is, but then the beast vanishes. I search but find it too late. The creature reappears in the matter of a breath and lunges from behind, sinking its fangs into my shoulder.
Pain scorches my body, spreading from the wound through my arms and legs. But as quickly as the creature bites, it lets go and backs away. I instinctively turn and swing my blade, but the creature snorts and doesn’t move. My shadows gather, preparing for the next attack, but it never comes. The beast stares at me with its glowing red eyes, and I stare back. Blood soaks the arm of my tunic and runs down my hand, pattering to the ground to form a small puddle. The beast’s nostrils flare, watching every drip.
A pained yelp sounds from outside the shadows, and the creature’s head snaps towards the distressed call. The beast runs but abruptly stops, turning back to observe me again. Its red eyes pulse once, scorching my mind.I blink once, and the creature is gone.
Cradling my arm, I drop the shadows and murky light filters in. My brothers are alive, thank the stars above, but the beasts are gone.
“Thefuckingshitwas that?” asks Mikal, doubled over and panting.
Liam forces Mikal to stand and checks his chest wound but must think it minor because his worried expression lands on me. “Shit, Isiah, your shoulder.” He sprints over and takes hold of my arm.
The second he touches it, pain ignites in my shoulder, burning as if it’s on fire. “Fuck!” My jaw clenches as Liam dabs the wound.
“Beast took a bite out of you. A little farther right and it would’ve had your throat. What happened in the shadows?” Liam takes out his dagger and cuts my bloody sleeve past the shoulder, revealing six deep puncture wounds still oozing blood.
“This should be healing by now,” Thom says as he peers over Liam’s shoulder.
“Fuck, it burns.” I hiss through my teeth. “Is everyone else all right?” I ask, distracting myself from the pain.
“Yes,” Thom replies calmly, though his expression is strained. “Aside from a few shallow cuts and slices, everyone is fine. Already healing.”
I glance around, and he’s right. Corren stands uninjured besides Mikal, whose chest is now healed as he cleans his blade with moss from a tree. But then three sets of glowing red eyes appear behind them in a low thicket of branches. The eyes don’t move or blink; they only stare straight at me. Before I can shout a warning, they vanish.
“We need to get out of these woods,” I whisper to Liam and Thom, looking over their shoulders and around us. “Now.”
“Let me at least cover your wound until the bleeding slows.” Liam lifts the hem of his tunic to rip for a bandage, but I grab his hand.
“It’s fine. I can already feel it healing. Weneedto go. Those creatures are still out there, and we are at a disadvantage in the woods. Nowmove.” The command sounds in my voice, and Liam and Thom react, gathering Mikal and Corren before moving.
Thom leads while Liam brings up the rear—placing me in the middle, which irritates me to no end, but I understand why. With my sword arm wounded, and my shadows useless against the beasts, I am a weakness in the group.
The hike out of the woods takes forever. As we near the edge of the forest, the dim light gradually brightens, turning into full sunshine as we break through the tree line. Behind us, a howl raises the hair on the back of my neck and causes my shoulder to throb. I turn, half expecting the beasts to be under the low branches watching us, but find no red eyes. The horses snort and paw at the ground, unsettled by the howls.
“Let me see your shoulder.” Liam doesn’t let me brush him off this time. When he inspects my wounds, we’re both shocked. The punctures have healed, but they’ve scarred in the shape of crescent moons. “Well, I am freaked out. What the hell were those beasts, and why did its bite leave those marks?” Liam pokes one crescent, which burns but not nearly as badly anymore.
“Do you think Niethal had anything to do with those creatures?” Corren asks from where he stands by the horses, stroking their necks, trying to soothe them. “He couldn’t have made those, right?”
“Anything is possible at this point.” I wince as I climb onto the saddle. “We need to hurry and get back. I wouldhateto be late for dinner.”
I set a hard pace. Though full dark is still hours away, the sun has begun dropping toward the horizon. Dinner starts at six, and I need to make one stop before, though it will cut it close.
“We are going straight to the library when we get back.” The wind tries to swallow my words, but their keen ears will still hear me. “Atarric sent us to those woods for a reason, and I want to know why.”
CHAPTER 17
GRACE
“A
gain,” Reagan commands from across the table.
I wince and lift my hand. On the table before me is a bowl full of paper, sticks, and other flammable things. The memory of warming my hands in front of fire flashes through my mind, how the heat feels against my skin. Before long, flames stream from my palms into the bowl, igniting the contents within.
“That’s good, Grace. Can you feel the difference now between holding the flame and directing it?”
“Yes, I can. It feels good to make it do whatIwant.”