Chapter 38 #2
She glances up at me. For a heartbeat I think she might refuse. Then her gaze drops to the hand I have extended toward her. After a moment, she slips her palm into mine and allows me to help her lower herself the rest of the way onto the bedding.
As soon as she’s settled, she releases my hand. She adjusts the blankets around herself, then lies down on her side, her back turned to me.
Sighing heavily, I grab a pillow and walk over to Vaelen’s nest of furs and blankets in the corner of the tent, lowering myself beside him.
Vaelen chuffs. Then, without so much as a glance, he shifts his weight just enough to crowd me toward the edge of the furs. Through our connection, he shows me an image of myself lying beside Vivienne while he sleeps comfortably in his pile of blankets, alone.
“I know,” I say in a low voice so she won’t hear. “But she doesn’t want me there.”
Vaelen nudges me with his snout, rolling me off the edge of his nest and closer to Vivienne.
“Scoot over.” I push back against him, but he doesn’t budge.
Instead, he grabs my pillow between his fangs and jerks his head, tossing it toward Vivienne. The world shifts into slow motion as it hits her back.
“What is going on over there?” Vivienne’s voice cuts through the dark.
“That was Vaelen,” I reply quickly, giving him a pointed look. “I’m trying to sleep, but he doesn’t want to share his bed.”
“Why are you trying to sleep in his corner?”
“Because.” I retrieve my pillow and adjust the blankets—what little of them Vaelen hasn’t claimed. “I thought you might prefer the space.”
“That’s Vaelen’s bed,” she says, a touch sharper now.
The furs rustle behind me as Vaelen chuffs in agreement.
“I’m aware, but he can share,” I add, narrowing my eyes at him.
Vaelen’s golden eyes lock onto mine and he flicks his tail. His gaze shifts to my pillow again, and I gasp. “Don’t do it,” I hiss under my breath, but before I can stop him, he snatches it up anyway and tosses it back toward her with far more force this time.
I wince as it lands next to her head.
“That’s it,” she snaps. “Auren, get over here!”
I hesitate. “I thought you wouldn’t want me to—”
“Vaelen carried us all day,” she cuts in, her voice tight with irritation. “He needs his rest.”
Vaelen chuffs and nudges me toward her, insistent.
“Just sleep over here,” she adds.
My mouth drifts open but I quickly snap it shut, grab my pillow, and push to my feet, because I’m not foolish enough to argue with that.
As I lie down beside her, I stare up into the darkness of the tent roof while the sounds of the camp settle gradually into silence around us.
Vivienne’s breathing evens out after some time as she drifts off to sleep.
I know the rhythm of it well enough by now to recognize the moment when it claims her.
Vaelen walks over to me and nuzzles my arm. Through the bond he shows me an image of him keeping watch. “Thank you, my friend,” I whisper before he turns and exits the tent, settling on the ground just outside the entrance.
Try as I might, I cannot fall asleep. The weight in my chest won’t allow it. A spark of hope burns deep within, however, that she’s allowing me to sleep next to her… even if she says it’s for Vaelen’s sake.
I lie there listening to the crackle of the fire outside, creatures scurrying through the thick brush, and the wind threading its way through the mountain pines. And slowly, almost imperceptibly, the woods begin to fall quiet.
Even the air grows unnaturally still as the nocturnal sounds of the forest disappear. The kind of silence that comes when every creature in the woods suddenly holds its breath, as if alert for danger.
I sit up slowly and push open the tent flap. Vaelen lies near the tent entrance, his massive body curled against the ground. Normally the faintest movement from me would bring his ears twitching, his golden eyes opening. But he doesn’t move at all.
A knot of unease tightens in my stomach as I reach out and place my hand on his neck. “Vaelen,” I whisper, but he doesn’t stir. Not even a flick of his tail.
Cold understanding begins to spread through my chest as I notice the other wolves lying amidst the camp.
This isn’t sleep. Something has been done to them.
“Dain,” I call out to him as he approaches, and then drop my voice low. “Check the wolves. Something’s wrong.”
He and a few of the soldiers crouch beside the Dire wolves, their expressions grim as they try to rouse their companions without success.
“They won’t wake,” one of them murmurs.
The air smells faintly of something bitter. Ice fills my veins as I turn to Dain and two of my guards. “It’s dark magic.”
“With the wolves down, we’re compromised,” one of the warriors murmurs.
“Alert the others,” I command, my voice low and urgent. “We need everyone awake. Now.”
We move quickly through the camp, shaking each warrior awake with a hand on the shoulder, keeping our voices low and controlled.
“Get up,” I whisper to one of my men. “Quietly.”
Steel glints as swords are drawn from their sheaths, the firelight catching along the edges of the blades.
“We should send our families to the cave near the pass,” Dain says as he scans the woods. “It’s not far from here. They’ll be safer there while we deal with whatever is out here.”
I nod, and he moves to give the orders.
His advice is sound. Whatever magic has neutralized the wolves is powerful. Any number of our enemies are able to wield such magic, and we have no way of knowing if this is the work of only a few or several.
Worry snakes down my spine as I wonder if they are watching us even now, ready to attack, or if this is a trap, ready to activate at any moment and alert the ones who set it.
Either way, it’s best to get our families to safety. It will be easier to take down an enemy knowing our loved ones are out of harm’s way.
My heart pounds as I start back to my tent to wake Vivienne. I kneel beside her and touch her shoulder. “Vivienne.”
Her eyes snap open immediately. “What is it?”
“There’s no time to explain. I need you to go with Lyrea and the others.”
She pushes herself upright, hissing slightly in pain. “What’s going on?”
Carefully, I help her to her feet. “I’m not sure yet, but I believe something is coming.” Panic rises in my chest. The danger in the air feels unmistakable now, like the tightening of a snare just before it snaps closed. “You must go,” I say again, more urgently this time as we exit the tent.
It’s cold, so I drape my heavy cloak around her shoulders to make sure she’s warm. In the dim firelight, I see the hesitation clearly in her eyes. She doesn’t want to leave.
Lyrea appears behind her, carrying Ailyn on her hip. I notice Olly is in Ailyn’s arms, asleep like all the other wolves.
“Let’s go,” Lyrea whispers.
Vivienne turns to me. “Be careful.”
Foolish hope surges through me that she might be worried for me, even now after everything I’ve done.
I watch her disappear into the woods with the others before I walk back to Dain. “Tell the warriors to—”
Green light erupts from the earth in a violent wave. The air escapes my lungs in a forceful rush as powerful energy slams us to the ground. Magic shimmers around us, rising into the trees. My pulse spikes as it flares brightly, creating a glowing barrier, locking into place.
Vaelen and the other wolves jerk awake with furious snarls, their ears pinned back as they face the woods, growling at the darkness. Relief fills me when I realize their attention is fixed on the opposite end of the camp, away from where our families retreated.
Instinctively, the wolves position themselves between us and the edge of the magic barrier, fur bristling as they pace back and forth.
Beyond the glowing wall, something moves between the trees. And as the first dark figure stalks toward the firelight, a cold certainty settles over me.
We walked straight into a trap.
Thank the gods that Vivienne and the others are safely outside of it.