40. Tye
Istrode through the front of the stronghold and into the pale moonlight precisely 30 minutes later, little Finn at my side. A cool breeze brushed my face, and the sounds of running water were a balm to my raw nerves.
The moons in the east illuminated the small town in a haunting, cool light.
”It”s beautiful, isn”t it,” he said.
I nodded. ”You grew up here?”
”No. I lived in one of the outposts until my mom died. Gramps took me in since my Papa is out hunting all the time. Says I”m safer here.”
”The island is a dangerous place,” I said, nodding. ”Makes sense.”
The little boy shrugged, face tight. ”It”ll be better when I can fight, too. Then we”ll be together all the time. Especially if I”m a dragon. Then I can kill all the monsters and keep everyone safe.”
My chest tightened, and I pressed a hand to his shoulder. ”You”re still young. You should be playing with your friends and having fun, Finn. Not everyone gets to have a childhood like that.” I certainly hadn”t.
He looked like he was about to say something when the largest wolf I”d ever seen leaped out of the shadows, Alpha Blackwood at his side.
”You ready?” the old man asked.
I stared, dumbstruck. The creature”s shoulders reached several feet above my own! ”Is that — another mage?”
Finn laughed beside me as he reached out to pet the silky black fur. ”No, silly! That”s Shaide. He”s one of the diyre. They help keep everyone safe.”
”And carry stubborn pups who have lost their mates,” Alpha Blackwood said, lips curled in a smile.
So, this was what he meant when he said I”d ride a diyre. But there was no way I was getting up on that creature”s back!
The wolf bent low, and a warm gust of peat scented wind wrapped around me as he sniffed every inch of my body.
”Ah. Don”t mind him. He”s just making sure you”re really pack. Won”t carry someone who”s not a body mage, the bastard,” the older man said, chuckling.
My heart flipped.
Was this it, then? Were they about to figure out who I was? There was no way the potion changed my smell.
The wolf let out a low huff, then nudged my chest gently.
”He”s saying to climb on up,” Finn said, grinning. ”Don”t worry. He won”t let you fall. I usually ride him for the runs, and he”s never let me down.”
Still confused, I nodded, ignoring the pounding of my heart.
The witch— I was here to find her and remove this forsaken curse. If I needed to ride a wolf to do it, then so be it.
Stomach in knots, I climbed onto the wolf”s back, trying to ignore how far away the ground looked. His fur was silky soft, and when I pressed against him, I felt his heartbeat against my chest.
It was … oddly soothing.
Fuck. Had I really thought that? I sat up straight and shook my head.
All this familial friendliness was getting to me. I was a King”s Investigator. I didn”t care about anything but finding and capturing mages in hiding.
And her. But she was a temporary obstacle. Nothing more.
”Do you have the item?” Alpha Blackwood said.
My cheeks heated as I pulled out the little hair clip she”d left behind. I pushed down any embarrassment I had for carrying it all this time. She was my prey, and it was just another potential lead.
”Will this be enough?”
He leaned close and inhaled deeply, then looked up at me, surprise playing across his features. ”It will.”
What had he sensed?
Could he tell what she was? Was this more evidence that I was right?
Excitement tightened in my chest.
I would prove she was Forsaken. Then the kings would reinstate me, and everything could go back to normal. The thought almost made me want to howl.
What is happening to me?
”Everyone ready?” the older man asked.
I forced myself to nod.
The little boy waved, grin bright. ”Have fun!”
Alpha and a curvy woman with long black hair stripped, their bodies shifting quickly. First, they turned to smoke and then formed into the shapes of sleek wolves like they had on the beach.
It was fascinating, in a warped sort of way.
The female”s wolf was dark as night, while the old man”s was pale as a silver moon.
The diyre beneath me let out a long howl, then we were moving.
I clung to Shaide”s fur like my life depended on it, and trees flew by like I was on the outside of a full speed train.
Hopefully, the diyre knew where he was going.
A howl rose ahead of us and the creature beneath me began running even faster.
Had they picked up her scent?
I tried not to get too excited, but for once, things seemed to be working out in my favor. Perhaps life could finally return to normal soon.
Taking a breath, I closed my eyes and relaxed in the moment, letting the warm balm of nature flood my mind.
A brook babbled to our left, a revyn trilled in the distance, a graiel scurried into a den just ahead … and a woman moaned in the distance.
Heat burst beneath my skin as the scent of her flooded my nostrils, and something within me ripped free of my control.