***
“Arryn’s going to fucking kill us before the enemy does,” Cathillian said, rushing around the cabin looking for his shirt, boots, and sword. “Where the fuck did I put everything? Oh, Bitch and Bastard, she’s going to kill me. I would have been dressed, if you didn’t keep it so blasted hot in here!”
“I think yer more scared o’ that girl than ye are the enemies outside. And don’t pick on me heating. Kept all yer arses warm, didn’t it?” Samuel said, also running around and searching for items. “Where’s me bastard axe!”
“I am scared of her!” Cathillian nearly shouted. “We should have been out there by now! I can’t find my shirt or my boots. I’m never letting you talk me into drinking that shit again.”
There was a pause as Samuel looked outside. “Uh, lad,” he said, a bit of warning in his voice. “She’s gonna kill us both. She’s out there damn near naked. The twins may as well be naked, too, and we’re in here tryna find clothes and weapons. Ain’t one of ‘em got a sword or knife, and they’re takin’ ‘em down right and left.”
The color drained from Cathillian’s face as the two men looked at one another. “Maybe we should just go.”
Samuel nodded. “I think that’s safer than tryna find ‘r weapons while they do all the work.”
“At this point, I’d rather go blindfolded and naked than to answer to any of them after this,” Cathillian said while quickly heading for the door.
“Same, lad. You didn’t just see what Cleo did ta some poor arsehole out there. His head damn near came clean off.”
Cathillian caught something in his peripheral. He looked up and saw Samuel’s axe stuck in the log ceiling, almost six feet over his head.
Memories slowly started to come back, and he remembered the rearick giving him a hard time. In return, Cathillian had taken the axe and heaved it up over his head, burying it in the ceiling.
“I found the axe,” Cathillian said.
Samuel looked up. “Hmmph. Yeah, now I remember what ye did ta me baby, ye tall bastard.”
Cathillian ran at the wall, jumping up and planting a foot on it before pushing off, giving him the vertical leap needed to grab the handle and pull it free. He landed gracefully with barely any sound at all and handed it back to the rearick.
“There. Now, let’s get out there before we get skewered,” Cathillian said.
Both men ran outside, Cathillian only barely allowing himself a moment to adjust to the drastic temperature change. It hit him hard as he sucked in a cold breath. He had on his brown leather pants, but wore no weapons, boots, or shirt.
As he ran off the large wooden deck, he almost slipped on a bit of snow along the edge, but he managed to keep his footing as he ran as hard as he could toward the group descending upon Arryn.
Cathillian leapt into the air, flipping over once before planting his feet firmly in the chest of an approaching man. They both hit the ground hard, but Cathillian was quick to roll over and whip his hand upward. A tree root burst from the ground, piercing through his foe’s chest and killing him.
The druid quickly stood, stole the dead man’s sword, and narrowly deflected a strike from a woman that had come for him.
“So nice of you to finally join us,” Arryn said with a grunt as she ran the woman through with her own pilfered sword. “You look positively beautiful this morning. Must’ve been all that beauty sleep you got.”
“Actually, I do feel quite rested, thank you. Notice that I’m out here half-naked, too,” he said.
She looked at him incredulously. “Was that before or after you took forever looking for the shit you left in my room when I kicked you out for snoring?”
He looked guilty for a moment before smiling and twisting his hand. A snow-covered vine burst from the ground and wrapped around the neck of a man that had come up behind Arryn. With a flick of his wrist, Cathillian broke the man’s neck and cast him aside.
Arryn didn’t flinch as she stared Cathillian down.
“I’m sorry!” he said. “I forgot I left it in there. Shit, I thought I slept on the couch all night. I don’t even remember being in your room.”
Arryn rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Good to know. You’re not drinking the hard shit with Samuel anymore. I thought we learned our lesson the last time when I got shit-faced with him.” She pointed behind Cathillian.
“Is this our first fight?” Cathillian asked, turning to clash swords with two men who had snuck up from behind.
Crackling sounds whizzed past either side of his head, and the men in front of him burst into flames. He turned his head to see Arryn’s eyes fading from black to their normal brown.
“Don’t make this weird. You’re making it weird.”
She took off in the opposite direction, dropping the sword she held for a bow and quiver she found on the ground.
“She’s the most confusing woman I’ve ever met,” Cathillian said to himself. “But that’s probably why I love her.”
He turned again and headed into the crowd the large tigers were taking on, knowing Arryn would be fine on her own.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Arryn was running out of energy, and she didn’t want to waste any more than necessary on magic. She ran toward the house with the bow and quiver that she’d picked up from the ground. She heard another loud screech from Echo as the large raptor bird dove after someone running away to knock them to the ground.
The attacking group was well-prepared; whatever they wanted, whatever they were after, they had come heavily armed. The quiver was stuffed to the max, overflowing.
The fact caught Arryn off guard, and she suddenly believed they might not be dealing with a well-trained group—even if that group was well-armed and seemingly prepared.
Overstuffing the quiver would only slow the user down when pulling arrows from it; they would either pull out too many, or the arrows would become stuck on their way out. She would have to correct this before it would be of use to her.
Once Arryn was safely on the roof, she dumped some arrows out between her bare feet, where she could still reach them if needed. Then she slung the quiver over her shoulder, pulled an arrow free, nocked it, and aimed.
It only took but a second to pick out an enemy approaching the large tree where the children were located. The man looked up, but as soon as he took the first step to start his climb, Arryn put an arrow in his spine, dropping him instantly.
Next, she looked over to Bast and Cleo. They still fought hard, but she could tell they were using no more than regular strength. Their magic required a lot of energy, and they couldn’t use it for long. Not in battle, anyway.
She nocked another arrow and aimed. Again. And again. Within only a few seconds, Arryn took out several of their opponents, thinning the crowd for them.
Off to the north, Arryn saw a woman fleeing while frantically looking back over her shoulder to make sure no one was following. Arryn’s eyes narrowed as she nocked another arrow. She pulled back and loosed it, striking the woman in the back of the leg. She tumbled to the ground, only the faintest cry reaching Arryn’s ears across the distance.
Arryn’s eyes flashed green as she reached through the bond to Dante.
Out of her periphery, she saw the overgrown tiger cub rushing to the location she’d shown him. She heard the woman scream as Dante lowered and roared at her to intimidate her into submission.
It didn’t take much. The woman simply curled into a ball, seemingly awaiting the worst.
Keep her there, Arryn told Dante.
The tiger plopped down on his backside while still keeping a tall, regal posture, watching his captive carefully. Arryn smiled as she jumped from the roof, vines lifting to wrap around her and safely lower her to the ground.
The fight was winding down, and any attackers who hadn’t been killed had fled.
Arryn made her way over to the tree and looked up, Echo was just overhead and flying to that very tree. “Corrine. Is everyone okay up there?”
The girl flipped aro
und a branch and dropped to the ground, landing gracefully on her bare feet. “All okay. I even got to throw in a few heals.”
Arryn smiled. “Glad to hear it, and I’m glad you got to feel useful. As great of a healer as you are now, you will be an even better fighter when you get older.”
Corrine smiled and stepped forward, wrapping her arms around Arryn and hugging her tight. “I think I’d do okay even now. You’re just a little too overprotective.”
“Honestly, I’m sure you would do okay. But who in their right mind would allow an eight-year-old to fight if there was no true need for it? I know you’ve had to do it before, and I’m sure you’ll have to do it again, but I’m not just going to throw you into the mix unless you absolutely have to be there.”
With a sigh, Corrine nodded. “I understand.”
“How about you get all of those kids down and take Snow and the twins with you to escort them back to town?” Arryn said, twisting one of Corrine’s braids in her fingers.
The little girl’s eyes flashed neon green as she took a step back and lifted her hands. She watched the tree as vines began to weave through the branches and wrap around the kids before lowering them to the ground.
Corrine reassured them that they were safe as she walked them over to Bast and Cleo.
Arryn turned in Dante’s direction, but Samuel and Cathillian stepped in her way, smiles on their faces, and bodies covered in blood and dirt.
“Yer not angry, right?” Samuel asked. “Yer not gonna stake us in our sleep?”
Arryn smiled. “Oh, I don’t need you to be asleep to do that.”
Cathillian and Samuel looked at one another with obvious worry, and Arryn laughed.
“Relax. I’ve got bigger things on my mind than punishing the two of you for being late to the party. Everything turned out okay, and none of us died, so we’ll talk about that later. Right now, Dante is waiting for me. He has one of our attackers subdued with an arrow in her thigh.”
With that, she gave a chipper smile and turned to walk away.
Now that the adrenaline was gone, Arryn could feel the chill in the air really biting her skin. Stubborn as she was, she couldn’t bring herself to show that she was uncomfortable. She could tell Cathillian was in the same boat; both of them too stubborn to admit they needed to go find clothes.
When she arrived, Dante was once again standing on all fours, his lips pulled back in a terrifying snarl. It looked as though his captive had tried to run at least once. The arrow in her leg had been broken off but not removed.
“Good morning, sweet cheeks,” Arryn said as she walked over to the woman on the ground.
“Fuck off,” the woman said flatly, scooting back to a more comfortable position.
“I’m good, but thank you for the offer.” Arryn crouched down, smiling as she tilted her head to the side. “We can do this the easy way, where you answer my questions, or we can do this the hard way. Just as an FYI, there are many hard ways, and none of them are pleasant.”
“Fuck off,” the woman said again. “I’m not telling you anything.”
“Okay, then. Hard way, it is.” Arryn stood and waved a hand in her direction. “Dante.”
Dante growled as he stepped forward and opened his jaws, preparing to bite down on her calf.
“Wh-wh-whoa!” the woman protested, scooting back further. “Wait a minute. Aren’t you supposed to be the good guys? Aren’t you supposed to give me a few chances, or some shit?”
Arryn quirked her brow. “I’m sorry. Did you mistake me for the forgiving type? If you accidentally bump into me. Forgiven. If you have a bad day and say something that shouldn’t be said. Forgiven. When you bring weapons and threaten the lives of dozens of children… There are no second chances. The only choice you will be given is just how gently you want to die.”
The woman stared at Arryn fearfully. “What are my options?”
“First: you can answer my questions willingly, and I will end you quickly,” Arryn offered.
The woman on the ground shook her head. “Next. That doesn’t give me enough opportunity to slip away.”
Arryn sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. “Yeah, I don’t think you’ll have much opportunity in any case. Then we go with option number two. We pay a visit to my dear friends at the Temple”
She shook her head again. “No. You may as well kill me now. I’m not very good with mental magic, but I know how to create a mental block. You won’t get anywhere with me.”
Arryn shrugged. “A second ago, you wanted an opportunity to slip away. Now you’re saying to kill you. Interesting. In any case, you’re absolutely right. I can’t.” She nodded toward the Temple. “But they will. In fact, I know just the badass old lady to take you to.”
The woman on the ground laughed. “Go right on ahead. Esmerelda won’t allow me to be taken hostage. My friends will come for me. That’s if I don’t escape first.” She gave a smug grin, and Arryn gave one of her own.
With the flick of her wrist, thorny vines sprouted from the tree line and wrapped around her captive’s wrists, securing them to her waist before wrapping around each ankle and lashing them together.
“Escape that,” Arryn said before another vine wrapped around the woman’s waist and picked her up. “Cathillian, do you mind?”
Cathillian smiled and nodded, stepping forward as his jade eyes flashed greener. As they walked, new vines sprouted every so often, carrying their hostage toward the house.
“I believe I have somethin’ we can tie ‘er to. We can’t let ‘er ride on the animals, ‘r those thorns’ll stick ‘em. Instead, Snow or Dante can drag ‘er along behind. That ought ta be a bumpy enough ride ta teach her a lesson ‘r two,” Samuel said.
“Good. If were going higher into the mountains, though, I’ll need some damn clothes—so will this blonde bastard,” Arryn said.
“Hey, I already vowed never to get that drunk again. Well, at least not while we aren’t safe within the Dark Forest. Wasn’t one of my finer ideas,” Cathillian said.
“Somehow, I doubt you have very many fine ideas,” the captive said. “Not that I can complain about the view.”
“At least someone around here appreciates me,” Cathillian said.
Arryn laughed. “I’m sure she does. Take her back to your mom. Let’s see how she likes your new friend. I’m sure they’ll be best friends.”
Samuel scoffed. “Lad, I’d quit crackin’ jokes, if I were you. We’re on thin ice as it is. Flirtin’ with the hostage ain’t gettin’ you nothin’ but buried deeper. Besides, we all know Elysia would eat that girl for breakfast if she stepped foot in the Dark Forest.”
“You’re druids? I’ve never seen one. Wait… Druids eat people?” the captive asked with obvious worry in her voice.
Arryn turned and smiled, her eyes flashing green. “We sure do. And I’m getting super hungry. Must’ve been all that fighting.”
The woman’s eyes widened as she quickly shut her mouth and faced away from Arryn.
Once Bast, Cleo, and Corrine came back from returning the children to their homes, the party made their way further up the mountain, heading toward the Temple.
As promised, Samuel fashioned a gurney of sorts for the hostage and strapped it to Snow’s back. Cathillian’s familiar flew circles above as she slowly followed the group.
Despite the circumstances, Arryn was actually excited to return to the Temple. She hadn’t visited since the mystics helped her create a mental block to defend against Scarlett, while she was searching for a way to liberate Arcadia.
She had learned a few other tricks while at the Temple, but she hadn’t exactly been practicing them. Telepathy seemed like an invasion of privacy to her, but the ability to read people and sense them like a mystic could—well, that could come in handy.
As they arrived at the Temple doors, they were met with the usual guards.
“Welcome, druids,” one of the guards said. “What brings you to the Temple?”
Arryn gestu
red behind her, to the woman strapped to a gurney. “This woman was one of many who attacked my rearick friend on his property. Three of our party went into town to escort children back home, where they discovered there had been an attack on Craigston directly. All of those intruders were killed quickly by the rearick. It seems the majority attacked us. I would assume they were heading toward you, but I can’t be sure. I brought our little friend here for an interrogation.”
Arryn felt the familiar buzz in her mind, letting her know someone was trying to look inside of it. She immediately released the mental block to allow them full access.
As they looked through her memories from the past twenty-four hours, she could see snippets of what they pulled forward. Once they were finished, their eyes faded back to their normal color.
“Margit will want to see you right away. Master Julianne has gone back to Tahn on official business.”
Arryn nodded. As the guards turned to open the doors, She turned to Cathillian. “Damn. I’m always missing her; I don’t think I’m ever going to get a chance to meet her.”
The guard she had been speaking to smiled as he motioned inside. “She would like to meet you, as well. She has heard a great deal about you, and Margit has spoken very highly of you.”
Echo landed on a ledge high on the Temple as Snow and Dante followed Arryn inside.
“Good to know. And here I thought the old woman thought I was a scatterbrain.”
An elderly woman rounded the corner, one of her eyebrows raised, and her arms crossed. “Who said I don’t?”
Arryn smiled. “Margit! So happy to see you. You’re like a vision of myself from the future: old and snarky as hell, but a badass, so nobody calls me out on my bullshit.”
The old mystic shook her head. “Scatterbrain, indeed. Get inside. I know you must be hungry after your journey. Leave your friend with our guards; I can assure you, if she tries to escape as she thinks she can, they will have her convinced she’s a dog, and doing tricks in the courtyard for treats faster than you can say ‘Bethany Anne’.”
Arryn laughed. “Maybe we can make that happen before we leave, anyway. Sounds like a good time.”
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