CHAPTER 30
SHE WASN’T SURE when she had turned back human, only realizing it when her own hands were clutching her arms. Lenore sprang to her feet, taking a step back.
“Umbral thistles—that’s why Charie went all the way out here? To harvest that?” Lenore knelt down. “But... why?”
Distant voices sent a spike of adrenaline through her veins. Pip transformed into a tiny bead of light as Lenore dove into the depths of the forest, hiding herself within the thickets. Her heartbeat drummed loudly in her ears. One hand was held against her mouth as the voices drew closer.
“Can’t say I’m celebrating Auden’s fate right now.” The low and rough voice was instantly recognizable to Lenore. Ryker. “It’s a pity.”
The voice that followed was Hesper. “If Auden wasn’t trying to fight off Arisa’s blessing so hard, it wouldn’t have been like this.”
Ryker grunted. “Gives Beren a break from pretending to make random drugs for the Caernith at least. Heard ya got screwed over from the low dosage of the umbral heart. Got that newblood involved with your antics, eh?”
Lenore’s chest rose and fell with breaths she desperately tried to silence. Heavy paw steps crunched on the ground, exactly where she had just been. Pip swirled around her, and she hoped that its magic was enough to hide from the others.
“I don’t know how she managed to follow Charie.” An annoyed growl rumbled from Hesper’s throat. “Damn it. Arisa was pissed when she found out.”
“It’s damn fortunate she got Auden to convince Edmund to lighten up our punishments.” Ryker sniffed the air. “She should’ve poisoned him too. I’m about done with that iron-fisted bastard.”
A cold dread curled in Lenore’s stomach. The heels of her boots dug hard into the ground.
“Don’t be stupid. That would’ve caused more suspicion. Azelf would be next in line, and no matter how much he tries to cozy up to Arisa, I don’t trust that guy.”
“Ya don’t? He’s willingly eaten the umbral offering, and yesterday’s too, knowing what it is. He pledged himself.”
“I never liked him,” Hesper muttered. “And I bet there’s a good reason why.” Lenore heard Ryker laugh after.
“Bah, well, get used to it. He’s going to meet up with us real soon, so put on your best smile.” After Hesper replied with something too hard to make out, Ryker continued on. “What’s more annoying is Charie did a terrible job harvesting the thistles.”
“Told you we should’ve just kept doing it ourselves. She does a garbage job of making the umbral hearts.”
Ryker let out an agreeing grunt. “Yeah. I felt myself getting pissy on the night of the mithrial hunt too.” She heard them moving around, their claws tearing through the thicket.
“When we’re done with these hearts, I’m going to sink my claws into her whining face, and then our wonderful Vesren next—”
Mercy, oh have mercy. Lenore’s begging thoughts were lifted toward the heavens, her eyes squeezed shut as her lungs burned in the unending adrenaline.
Lenore’s eyes slowly opened. She nearly screamed. Ghost-white eyes bore into hers. Perched just above, the silhouette of a large raven was directly facing her—the same as the ones that had attacked Pip.
It tilted its head from side to side. Its unblinking stare never left her, observing her frozen body with unnerving blankness.
The raven opened its beak.
NO! She hastily dug her hand into her dress’s pocket and unwrapped the jelly.
It pulsed in her hand—cold and dark as the night itself—before she threw the clear mass at the bird.
A loud rustle followed as it fell to the ground, disturbing the low growth around it.
The raven slammed its beak shut, head jerking down toward the camouflaged jelly.
A long growl ripped through the fading sound. “What was that?”
I’m dead. Lenore felt a brief snag to her dress as she shifted into a wolf, but that barely took her attention—too focused on readying to flee for her life.
Pip flew deep into her fur. The greenery behind her rustled loudly as the werewolves searched.
She prepared herself to sprint with all that she had.
Distant branches shook loudly. The tiny flecks of stars between the dense treetops disappeared. Loud cawing pierced the sky before a black mass of ravens descended, clamoring and fighting to seize the morsel.
“By the moon’s crescent, what—”
The noise drowned out Ryker and Hesper’s voices. Dozens of ravens swarmed them, their wings buffeting Lenore’s body as they desperately tried to feast on the jelly.
Shoving and batting her way through the frantic mass of wings, Lenore fled into the night, sparing not a single glance behind her. She kept running—weaving through an endless maze of trees that led her far from where she threw the jelly.
But to her horror, the cawing never turned faint.
She looked back. A dozen ravens were following her, cawing madly—demanding food, or even her.
She didn’t know or care. They were relentless.
They swooped at her, talons swiping at the tips of her fur.
Pain flooded her senses, a sharp grunt breathed through clenched fangs when one tore at her side.
Her pace faltered. Another raven aimed straight at her back.
Its talons never made contact. A burst of light made the ravens rear back, their wings flapping rapidly. Lenore glanced up.
Pip had returned to its normal form. The sprite twirled and circled in the air, enticing the birds to follow it instead.
“PIP!” Lenore screamed. She chased after, ignoring the throbbing pain as she pushed herself faster. But there was nothing she could do, no matter what she tried.
The dark mass surrounded Pip, its light disappearing into nothingness. Lenore choked out a half-sob. “PIP! NO—PIP!”
“LUMA!”
Through the cracks in the ravens’ wings, light streamed.
Wild cawing turned to dying screeches as the light burst through their bodies, eviscerating them into fading black specks.
At the center, Pip was like a miniature sun—blazing and rippling like the gas giant itself. Only the distant caws remained.
Lenore jerked her head to the side as she heard running paws draw close. Her eyes widened.
“Azelf?” she asked, barely louder than a whisper. The dark purple wolf was unmistakable. He was breathing heavily, and immediately shifted into his human form as he reached toward Pip.
“Reverse.” With Azelf’s command, Pip instantly became its normal self. Like an explosion of confetti, it cheered and chirped, flying enthusiastic circles around the pair.
“It’s too early to start celebrating,” Azelf said.
Wiping the sweat off his furrowed brow, he looked out into the forest, sniffed the air, then gestured for both of them to follow.
He led the way until they reached a shelter of massive tree roots, large enough for a small group to squeeze in through the cracks.
Pip hovered between them, the light of its body like a campfire in the dark.
Heavy breathing filled the silence. Outside, they could still hear the faint shrieks of the ravens.
“Pip, you’re... you’re okay,” Lenore murmured—the first to break the quiet within the group. She blinked rapidly to hold back the tears. Her ears flattened as she sniffed. Her legs trembled beneath her. “Oh stars, you’re okay!” The light sprite flew down, gently bumping her nose.
“Pip pip!”
The tip of Lenore’s tail twitched in relief. Her eyes flitted toward the gaps of their shelter then back on Pip. “I’m sorry to ask you to do something for us already but could you hide our presence again?”
Pip somersaulted in the air—releasing waves of golden magic in rippling arcs, enclosing them in a protective barrier before the light faded.
“Thank you!” Lenore let out a sigh, consoled by the temporary protection against the turbulent chaos outside.
“... So, Pip, huh? That’s what you named him?
” Azelf joined in after observing them in silence.
He raised an outstretched palm at Pip. The light sprite jittered excitedly, then swooped into his palm.
“Nice to meet you officially, little guy. I would’ve preferred something like Octavius for him though. ”
Lenore stared at him incredulously. “... That’s what you want to talk about first? His name? Wait—Pip’s a boy?!”
“Listen, I’m a little on edge. My mind isn’t at its best right now.” Azelf knelt down, analyzing Lenore with a quick sweep of his eyes. “I’ll get your side healed up.”
Lenore couldn’t stop gawking at him. “You’re... a light mage. This entire time, that’s what you were?”
“Apparently so. Another fun fact—I have no idea what I’m doing either.” Azelf grimaced to himself. “Stars, I can’t remember the word—uhhh, let’s see.” He gestured at Lenore’s side and murmured a word under his breath. He paused. Then he tried another.
Threads of summoned light wove into Lenore’s fur, stitching up her wound until only a lingering dull ache remained.
A touch of exhaustion creased Azelf’s eyes.
His hand disappeared into the inside of his dark coat and pulled out a vial of silver liquid—mithrial blood.
In one swift motion, he uncorked it and chugged it down. A satisfied sound left him.
Lenore craned her neck to the side, a quiver running through her fur as she saw not a speck of blood left.
“Thank you,” she breathed. “This is crazy. I thought you were with Arisa the whole time—I mean, I saw you eat that jelly earlier!” Her ears stood up—realizing that her scars never burned with the cold around him.
Azelf laughed, a tired sound. “I did eat it, as well as her initial offering to me. Poisoned both times, and had to figure out how to purify myself both times. The first time was hell—the second time, eh. I’m feeling a bit under the weather, on top of trying to use this magic.
” He rubbed his face, then glanced out at the distant mass of ravens.
His face turned serious. “We don’t have much time. ”
“But I have so many questions!”