Chapter 29
Casrian bent over Kenzi’s neck, following a narrow deer path through the twisting trees. Branches slapped at his shoulders as he passed, but he barely felt them.
It had been Daris’s voice he’d heard, close enough to shout for help. He knew that voice as well as his own. He only prayed his friend was still alive by the time he reached him.
He rode Kenzi hard, sparing only half a thought to Rowan behind him, mostly because his thoughts about her were a raging storm of lust and worry and guilt that might drag him under if he focused on them for too long.
He’d sort it out. He’d talk to her again when this was over and…
He didn’t even know what the fuck he’d tell her.
That he wanted her again. That he’d hardly been able to keep his hands off her from the moment he’d woken up from the fever to find her staring down at him, looking like an angel.
That he shouldn’t have touched her. Or he should have, but not on the cold ground in a cursed woods or up against a fucking tree.
That it would be better for them both if she walked away from him because he was a bastard who didn’t have the strength for it.
That he wanted her. All of her. With an intensity that was terrifying because she would destroy his world.
That he didn’t know what the fuck to think about her strange abilities when it meant that the truths he’d devoted his life to might be wrong.
That there was a part of him that was scared to death that what had happened was just an effect of the witch’s influence.
And another part of him that hoped this gnawing pit of want and fear disappeared when he left the woods. He’d figure it out.
But first, Daris.
He drew back on Kenzi’s reins, coming to a stop, straining his ears to see if he heard Daris’s voice again.
At first he heard nothing except Copper’s hooves behind him, still distant, but coming too fast. Rowan wasn’t horsewoman enough to handle that speed in the woods quite yet.
He shut down that worry and nudged Kenzi forward at a slower pace, scanning the woods, looking for any sign that a party of men had been through this way.
It could be a trap. It was common enough to hear voices in a witch’s wood.
They would lead you into fog or off a cliff before you realized they weren’t real.
They could pull you away from your companions, luring you deeper and deeper into the woods until you were hopelessly lost. It wasn’t wise to chase blindly after voices. But he’d left wisdom behind days ago.
There.
Another shout followed by the sound of metal hitting rock.
He adjusted course and urged Kenzi to a faster pace.
Almost there. He saw movement in the trees.
Two men on horseback. Several more on foot.
All dressed in the guard’s colors. They were in retreat.
He paused at the edge of a clearing, taking in the sight at a glance.
Daris, sword drawn, supported the weight of another soldier.
Casrian thought it might be Sol, one of the new recruits.
Kenet was a few steps in front, sword raised as if he were about to strike something.
One of the men on horseback was turning to come back to help.
He couldn’t see what they were fighting yet, but he drew his sword and kicked his heels into Kenzi’s flank.
She leapt out of the woods and into the clearing.
One of the witch’s familiars came into sight.
Leathery flesh that resisted the sword. Thickly muscled haunches, claw-tipped hands, and an oversized maw filled with a cat’s shredding teeth.
A witch’s familiar grown into an abomination.
The biggest one he’d seen after more than a decade of hunting witches.
He wondered what kind of animal it had been before starting this transformation.
The witchstone flared in his pocket reacting to the witch’s magic just as it had reacted to Rowan’s.
The familiar shouldn’t be able to tolerate the daylight.
Though the sun was behind clouds, it was unusual for familiars to go hunting during the day.
This one carried its own shadows. Tendrils of darkness wrapped around it, blurring its edges, trailing behind as it moved, stretching toward the witch hunters it chased.
He was spotted. One of the men on horseback cried out a warning, and Daris turned his head just enough to see what kind of threat was on its way. Their eyes met briefly and relief flooded Daris’s familiar face. He wished he deserved that.
He wasn’t going to reach them in time for the sword. Sheathing his blade, he slowed Kenzi’s charge and grabbed for his crossbow instead. It took time to cock it and load the bolt, but the bolt would get there before his sword could.
He fired.
The first shot went through the thing’s cheek, mostly enraging it. But it gave up its chase of Daris’s group and turned its attention to him. He reloaded, ignoring Kenet’s shout of warning.
He could feel it getting closer, covering the distance at a ground-eating lope. The wound in his side ached in response. He knew exactly how those claws felt sliding into flesh.
Loaded. He lifted the crossbow, took aim, focused on the narrow bead of its yellow eye, letting everything else in the world fall away. He breathed out a prayer and pulled the trigger.
It was a good shot.
He knew it even before it hit with a soft thud, driving deep into the skull. Kenzi shied as the beast lurched forward, its unsettling screech ending in a wet gurgle as it fell.
He searched for another target, let out a breath of relief when he saw only grass and brush, the dark tree line in the distance. Only his men. There were fewer of them than there should be.
Daris. Kenet. Sol. The Cardis brothers, both of them. Good. Lew. No Mat. No Edar. Dear God, no Asher.
Drawing his sword, he dismounted and made sure the familiar was dead with a clean slice through the throat. It didn’t move. In fact, it seemed to be decomposing already. A slick sheen covered its skin. The smell of rot clogged his throat. Kenzi snorted and moved back. He let her go.
She was well trained. She wouldn’t wander far.
He cleaned and sheathed his blade. Then he walked to meet Daris, who set Sol gently down on the ground. Lew rushed forward to tend to Sol’s wounds.
As Casrian approached, Daris stood to greet him.
Before he could speak, Daris wrapped an arm around his neck and drew him close. “I thought you were dead.”
Daris stank like a horse. His body was covered in blood. They’d been friends forever and Daris knew that Casrian hated to be embraced. Daris came from an affectionate family. He did not. But he’d never been so glad to feel his friend so warm and alive.
He slapped Daris on the back. Solid flesh. Not a trick of the witch. Rowan had actually done it. She’d found them alive. He closed his eyes.
When Casrian stepped back, his voice was rough. “I was unconscious for two days with a fever. I came as soon as I was able.”
Daris scowled. “Alone?”
“I came with a local guide. When I heard your voice, I raced ahead. Sulen had no one. I sent word to the capital for reinforcements. Have you found the witch?”
Daris shook his head and drew him aside so Lew had room to work.
Kenet joined them, as the second most experienced soldier on their patrol.
“It’s a bad one, Captain. The rot goes deep.
We couldn’t find you after the fight. At first, we thought the familiar had taken you.
We gave chase. When we realized our mistake and tried to go back, the trail was gone and every path led us deeper into the woods.
We haven’t located the nest. These things have been chasing us for days. There were seven. We’ve killed five.”
“I killed two this morning, smaller than these.” He braced himself and asked the question he’d been dreading. “Where’s Asher?”
His fears were confirmed by the grief that darkened Daris’s face.
“We don’t know. He was on watch two nights past and he disappeared in the night.
We attempted to track him and we were driven back by this thing.
” He kicked the corpse on the ground. “Mat died two days ago. We weren’t able to bury him. ”
“Edar?”
Daris shook his head. “Dead as well. He was wounded yesterday, but didn’t tell anyone. The wound festered. He passed only hours ago. And then we were attacked. The familiar took Sol’s horse out from under him. He’s injured as well.”
He felt grief for the loss of both men, but he didn’t allow himself to dwell on it. There would be time to mourn them later when everyone was safe.
Casrian glanced at Sol, wondering how badly he was injured. He was still conscious, stifling his grunts of pain as Lew packed the wound. They all had enough training to treat basic wounds, but Asher was their medic. He’d have to ask Rowan—
Daris’s attention shifted to a point behind him. He lifted his chin. “That your guide?”
Casrian glanced over his shoulder. Rowan. Relief sighed through him at the sight. He hadn’t realized how much tension remained in his shoulders until he saw her and it eased.
She hesitated at the edge of the clearing, getting her bearings. Her gaze swept over the men, lingered on the familiar’s corpse, lifted to him. He could feel the weight of her gaze even from a distance, noted the slight loosening of her slender body when she saw him and began to move forward.
“You brought a woman out here?” Daris asked, a strange note in his voice.
Casrian grimaced. “She knows the woods and has training as a healer. She saved my life.”
Daris only grunted.
Kenet’s eyes narrowed as he watched Rowan approach. Kenet had a tendency to be standoffish with everyone out of uniform. “You count it as a good thing that she’s familiar with the Black Woods?”
His suspicion was obvious and understandable. The woods were corrupt. Anyone connected to them was suspect until the rot was cleared.