Chapter Thirty-Six
THE SPY
The stairs groaned under the weight of our hurried steps.
Apprehension settled heavy in the tavern.
An explosion without destruction left confusion marking the faces of the few we passed still in the vicinity.
The vibrating impact from the sound had toppled some glasses, but little else had been disturbed.
The barmaid absently dried a tankard in her hand.
Dom’s shadows raced ahead of us, silently forging a path toward our exit.
We kept our heads down and our weapons readied.
My skin prickled under the scrutiny of someone in the crowd, but I didn’t attempt to identify the source.
One foot in front of the other. Once outside, I could lead us to horses.
My heart beat dimly in my ears, all my senses sharpened for any potential threats.
Several people swarmed back inside, the door of the tavern swinging outward into the night.
We edged our way through the throng and met the biting lash of winter’s fury.
I leaned into the wind, holding fast to my cloak.
Tears welled immediately at the corners of my eyes.
My vision swelled with auras. Alarmingly, though not surprisingly, several were of the dreki variety.
There were too many of them to try and take on ourselves.
We stuck to the shadows, avoiding those we could, and hurried on.
I steered our group toward a stable. No one lingered around them, having sought safety and warmth in the nearby buildings.
The stable doors rattled in our attempts to open it. Locked.
Dom’s affinity encased the door’s bolts and latches. With a click, we shoved inside amidst the scent of hay and horses. A boy of maybe seventeen approached us, offering to help. My senses flared.
An arm yanked me back and before I could respond, the blade of a shadow-sickle protruded from the young boy’s chest.
Bowen cursed.
“Dreki,” Dom stated, slowly removing his bladed shadow with an unnerving squelching sound.
The boy crumpled to the floor. Evander swiftly dragged him to a corner and hid the body.
I kicked hay into a pile to cover the bloodstains.
This boy was too young to have been made a dreki, yet here he was.
How many had Nolan sent, and where were they coming from? Disquiet rattled me.
Dom and Bowen finished readying the horses.
When I approached, Dom pulled out the compass which glowed with a soft, reassuring blue.
The sight brought me comfort. I would need to keep track of whether the glow intensified or not—a plan began to form in the event that it did.
After identifying which direction was south, we mounted and silently began our late-night escape.
The blizzard allowed for sufficient cover from potential Nokts, and hunting drekis. Unfortunately, we could not avoid the brutality of its impact.
Dom set an intense pace through the storm.
The burning wind and the sting of snow left my face numb and raw.
Depending on how far the storm extended south, we might not make it through without consequence.
I steadied my breath despite the jarring gallop of my horse and peered skyward.
Filaments of my affinity reached toward the tempest.
Dom peered upward in the direction my magic flowed. Bowen and Evander remained focused, their heads bowed against the wind.
It took most of my concentration, but I used the visualization that Gemma had taught me and gathered the snow and ice into a barrier around us. I could not control the wind, but I could shield us from the pelting frost. It didn’t stop my chills, but it offered reprieve.
One of Dom’s shadows ghosted around me, caressing my face, then disappeared—a gentle thank-you.
The horses were able to pick up their pace with the lessened assault of sleet and snow. We rode south for several hours before the border line of the storm finally appeared. The blizzard’s intensity decreased to soft flurries and I released my hold on my magic.
Dom stiffened at my slumping form. Lack of sleep and overextending my affinity had left me drained, despite my attempts to reabsorb. My dry mouth and chapped lips demanded water. The sky, no longer ladened with clouds, brightened in the early blush of dawn.
We veered off our path and ventured into a forested area of evergreens. Bowen tended to the horses while we constructed a rudimentary camp. We could only stay for an hour, but a rest was welcomed by all. I took a moment to drink deeply from the canteen Dom offered me.
Bowen made a small fire that we all huddled around. I leaned into Dom’s side, his arm mooring me to himself. His shadows offered another blanketed layer of warmth that I nestled into.
“Can I see the compass?” I ventured.
Dom pulled it from its velvet bag presenting it to me. The soft glow had brightened just a little from a pale sky blue to a soft cornflower—evidence that Dom was headed in the right direction. I burrowed further into him, so grateful to have found him again, hopeful for his future.
Resolve at what I must do hardened within me. I inhaled his masculine scent, wishing things had been different. That I had been different.
Quiet sadness swathed me. I closed my eyes and reached for the snow around me.