The Hunter #2
In a flash, Eira turned invisible, blending in with the foliage. Like before, I could still make out a faint outline of her body. But it would be enough to deceive the guards, especially with Huck to distract them. “Ready,” she said.
Huck climbed out of the bushes. The rustling of leaves indicated Eira followed after, leaving me alone.
Ordinarily, getting past four guards would be easy. But incapacitating them before they could shout for assistance? Not so much.
Still, my plan was solid. I knew it would work.
I watched from the bushes as Huck—with Eira invisible beside him—approached the door.
Huck’s shoulders were rigid, his steps stiff.
He was certainly no actor, but luckily, the guards weren’t equipped to detect suspicious behavior, especially not in servants.
The men barely acknowledged Huck as he strode through the door, throwing it open widely so the unseen Eira could trail after him.
Now, it was my turn.
I couldn’t rush the men; I was too far away. The moment I emerged from the bushes, they could shout for more soldiers, and it would be over before I even reached them.
But there was something I could do from here.
I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath as I tried to conjure the panicked desperation I’d felt when Vikros had threatened Eira.
When she’d been stabbed.
When she’d almost died.
My chest tightened, and I couldn’t breathe. My hands curled into fists, my fingernails digging into my palms and bringing a fresh burst of pain.
Yes, pain. There it was. I clung to it, digging deeper, fists shaking… My fingernails broke skin, and blood trickled down my hand.
The air went still. I wasn’t sure how I could tell with my eyes closed, but something otherworldly shifted as my magic slid into place. My eyes slowly opened, and the world seemed darker. Colder. The sun had dimmed, leaving me in a shadowed wood.
And four blue strands glowed before me.
My mouth went dry as I stared at them, wide-eyed. Could I pull all four?
No. It had nearly killed me when I’d pulled Vikros’s thread. I didn’t think I was strong enough to use my magic on four people.
Besides, if I failed and left one of them alive, it would ruin my plan.
I swallowed hard, hands still shaking as I tried to maintain control of my power. Tracing my finger in the air, I followed the path of the middle line of thread—this belonged to the tallest, burliest soldier of the four of them. My fingers curled around it, and I gave it a single sharp tug.
The man grunted and fell to one knee, clutching at his heart. His eyes bulged, his back arched, and he let out a strangled, choking sound. His face turned purple.
The other men held him upright so he wouldn’t fall, asking panicked questions to one another.
“What happened?”
“Can you hear me?”
“Something’s wrong with him!”
I smoothed out the man’s thread, watching with bated breath to see if my plan worked. I had never done this before. If I failed…
The injured man let out a rattling gasp, color returning to his cheeks.
“My chest,” he sputtered. “My heart.”
“He needs a healer,” said another guard.
They all glanced at the one on the far left. Judging by his graying beard, he was the most superior of the four.
“All right,” he said. “You two, take him to the healer. I’ll stand guard until your replacements show up.”
The two healthy soldiers nodded in agreement before hoisting the burly fellow upward, draping his arms over their shoulders. After a moment, the three of them shuffled off, and I smiled in triumph. With an exhale, I let go of the power within me, slumping forward with a gasp.
After several deep breaths, I unsheathed a knife at my side and flung it toward the last remaining guard. It struck him in the throat, and I knew he was dead before he hit the ground.
It was a shame to have to kill him; the man had only been doing his duty. But, like the soldiers under Vikros’s command, he had to die.
If I had to choose between protecting Eira and protecting this stranger, I knew who I would pick.
I darted out of the bushes and eased open the door.
With a grunt, I dragged the soldier’s body inside.
When I reached the dark hall, I let the door swing shut.
A quick glance told me the hall was deserted, thank the gods.
I lingered there in the darkness for a brief second, waiting for shouts or approaching footsteps—some indication that someone had seen me kill the man.
But there was nothing but silence.
Then—
“Ouch!” I hissed as something sharp pinched my arm.
“You seriously couldn’t do one simple task without killing someone?” breathed a voice in my ear.
I exhaled, the sound somewhere between a sigh and a laugh. Relief mingled with amusement in my chest, and I felt as if I could breathe freely for the first time in an hour. “It’s what I’m good at. Come on, help me hide the body.”
“This one’s unoccupied.” A door to my left magically swung open. I pulled the soldier’s body inside. Eira’s grunt told me she was helping. Together, we managed to stuff him into the closet and close the door before returning to the hall.
“You had me worried for a moment there, hunter,” Eira said softly. “I thought you might have gone and done something stupid.”
I grinned, wiping sweat from my brow. “Didn’t mean to cause you such distress, princess.”
She huffed in exasperation. “Come on, then. Huck has created a diversion so you can get to the infirmary without being spotted.”
“Infirmary?” I asked incredulously. “Won’t someone see us?”
“Not since Calista declared that a human infirmary was a wasted wing in the castle,” Eira said, her voice dripping with venom.
“Ah.” Yes, I did recall her shutting down that area. Now she referred the sick or injured to the palace healer or Lavinia.
“We need to get you cleaned up,” Eira muttered. “Shivering bones, how did you get so filthy?”
Murdering people tended to be fairly messy. I shrugged and said, “I have my ways.”
“Yes, but as elusive as your assassin ways are, we don’t want to make some poor servant faint at the sight of you. That would be the opposite of stealth.”
I grinned, shaking my head as Eira tugged on my arm, guiding me toward a shadowy staircase.
From down the hall, echoes of the bustling servants bounced off the walls.
The cook was shouting orders. Maids were scurrying about.
I was about to ask what Huck’s diversion was, when I heard a distinctly loud crash echoing from the kitchens.
Screams rang out, and a cacophony of voices drifted farther away from us as everyone ran to go investigate.
Still clutching Eira’s arm, I followed her up the staircase, my head spinning as the taxing ordeal of using necromancy twice finally caught up to me.
When we reached the top, Eira whispered, “Wait here.” The door creaked open just a fraction. After a moment, she said, “All right, let’s go.”
I frowned as we emerged in a barely-lit hall. Old, dusty paintings lined the walls, and the blue carpets were frayed along the edges. It looked like no one had been in this hall in years.
“Father wanted to dedicate this entire hall to humans,” Eira said, her voice bitter. “In honor of my mother. Obviously, when Calista entered the picture, that plan went to shit.”
I swallowed hard, unable to stifle the thought that I had contributed to such a hateful divide in our kingdom. “When you’re queen, you can bring his plans to life.”
She didn’t say anything, but she didn’t have to. I knew she was thinking she wouldn’t be alive for long enough.
I had to believe she was wrong. There was a way for her to live. There had to be. And with my necromancy… perhaps I could save her. I had done it once before. Maybe, with the right amount of focus and strength, I could do it again.
We made it to the double doors at the end of the hall.
Eira pushed them open, and I strode into the massive space, eyes wide.
Floor-to-ceiling windows illuminated the room, highlighting the dust particles in the air and coating the floor.
Several rows of cots lined the floor, spaced evenly to allow patients enough room to climb on and off.
On the far end of the room was a set of shelves with shattered jars and tubes.
A washbasin rested on the table underneath, along with a pile of clean rags, which Huck must have prepared for us.
Eira shut and bolted the doors before dropping her invisibility.
“Where’s Huck?” I asked her, noticing we were alone in the infirmary.
“He went to rendezvous with Stella and Denton. Frisk, Mauro, and Kendra are rounding up the other fae beasts. They’re all waiting for my signal. Our safest bet is to make our move when the guard shift changes in one hour. That’ll be the best opportunity to slip past.”
I arched an eyebrow. “What’s the signal?”
She smiled slyly. “You’ll see.” She strode across the room to the washbasin, dipped a clean rag in the water, and wrung it out. “Now, let’s get you cleaned up, you foul man.”
“Foul?” I drew closer to her, a smirk playing on my lips. She staggered backward, but I continued my approach until I had her practically pinned against the wall.
Her eyes grew wide, and something heated sparked in her gaze.
“Does my scent bother you?” I asked. I’d meant for the words to sound playful, but my voice was husky.
She raised her eyes to meet mine. “No.” She spoke in a gentle murmur, like a whispering wind brushing against my face. Slowly, she lifted the wet rag and brushed it along my cheek. “Your scent reminds me of a snowy forest in the mountains.”
Stunned, I could only stare at her as she wiped away the grime, her movements cautious. The moisture was cool against my skin.
“My cottage,” I whispered.
“What cottage?”
“I have a cottage in the mountains. It’s a… refuge for me. My goal was to fulfill my contract with the queen and retire to live out there on my own. Undisturbed.”