"I grew up in the Forest, right on the border," I explained. "I've been fluent in both languages since I was a child. I could help you learn, if you like."
"That would be very kind," Belladonna said. She took my hand when Ellie let go, and though her shake was also strong, it wasn't overly enthusiastic. "So, you're the one I lent my copy of Elementary Magicks to. Did you find it useful?"
A blush heated the points of my cheeks. Although Belle had lent the book to me to help free Raisa from her prison, I hadn't been able to return it. For all I knew, it was still lost somewhere in the middle of the Forest. "I'm so sorry about that," I said, pulling back a little in dismay. "There were…extenuating circumstances."
"So we were told," Belladonna said. "But there's no harm done. I was able to secure another copy for the library, although God knows what state I'll find it in when we get home."
"It was exactly what I needed. Without it, I never would have been able to break the enchantment keeping my Tuathe imprisoned."
Belladonna smiled. "Then I'm glad it was sacrificed to a noble cause."
While I groped for some other way to express how grateful I was to a woman I had never met before, another familiar figure approached. Larna joined us, grinning as she slung an affectionate arm over Cate's shoulder. "Here they be," she said in Amendyrri, "and early, too."
"Oh! Ellie, Belle, this is Larna."
Larna moved to greet the newcomers, but before she could, an unhappy yowl came from inside Ellie's knapsack. I stared in surprise as a small, furry head peeked out through the top, led by a twitching pink nose and a set of long whiskers. "Is that a cat?" I blurted out. "Oh my goodness, don't show Raisa, or she won't leave it alone. She still misses hers."
Ellie sighed and took the cat out of the knapsack, setting her down on the ground. Instantly, it wove between her legs and adopted an arched position in front of Larna, hissing and baring its teeth. "Don't be like that, Jessith," Ellie said, speaking to the cat just as she would have to another human. "You know Cate, and Larna isn't going to hurt you."
"What did she say?" Cate asked as Larna took a hesitant step back. She eyed the cat with suspicion, and Jessith growled.
"Something impolite that I shan't repeat," Ellie said. She nudged Jessith with her foot, and the cat took that as a signal to leave. She darted off toward Jett Bahari's tent, fur bristling as she streaked away. "I'm sorry about her. She isn't fond of dogs. Or wyr, I suppose, or the way they smell."
"Aren't you worried, letting her go off on her own?" I asked.
Ellie shook her head. "Jessith can fend for herself. I think she went looking for Neva and the dwellyn. She's taken a liking to them."
"Neva," I repeated. "The princess. So, you did bring her here?"
Belladonna nodded. "It took some doing, but we managed. And we had plenty of help." She turned to Larna and extended her hand. "Let's have a proper introduction, without interruptions this time."
I hung back as Larna introduced herself in halting Serian. It was only a little better than Ellie's limited Amendyrri, but with Cate helping them, they almost managed to have a proper conversation with a mixture of both languages. As the four of them talked, I once again felt like an outsider. I hadn't had many opportunities to make friends in my life, and Cate was one of the only ones I had. Her bond with Ellie and even Belle was obviously strong, and I wasn't sure where I fit in.
"Ailynn?" To my surprise, Belle was looking at me, her forehead wrinkled with concern. "Are you all right?"
I was surprised she had noticed my silence. "To be honest, I feel like I'm intruding on a moment that isn't mine. Cate and Ellie look so happy to see each other, and it doesn't help that I'm not much for conversation."
Belle gave me a reassuring smile. "I understand. I'm a noble back in Seria. You wouldn't believe how many conversations have rushed by without me while I floundered to catch up. Fortunately, standing still, looking attentive, and nodding can get you far at court. Everyone thinks you're just agreeing with them."
"Really?" I asked, unable to hide my skepticism. "You, floundering in a conversation?" Belle sighed, and I realized how my comment had probably come off. "I mean, you're just so…
The look on Belle's face told me she was finishing my sentence in her head. "Looks don't always accompany a charming personality." Her eyes slid to the side, where Ellie, Cate, and Larna were still chattering away. "I'm lucky Ellie tolerates me."
I laughed. "I know exactly what you mean. Perhaps the two of us can be awkward together sometime."
"I think I would like that," Belle said. Then, to my relief, she drew us both back into the conversation. "Cate, Ellie tells me you saved Ailynn's life the night you met."
Instead of blushing or deflecting, Cate gave a proud nod of her head. "Actually, I did. She fainted as soon as she saw me, though, so she might not remember much."
"I do remember," I insisted, feeling much more lighthearted now that I had been included. "I remember a giant red beast with huge teeth tearing through a pack of undead monsters right before they chopped me in half. Then I fainted."
Ellie's face blanched, and Cate hastened to reassure her. "The shift isn't always frightening, Ellie. I promise. Do you want to see?"
"That wasn't the part of the story that frightened me," Ellie muttered, but Belle's enthusiasm overshadowed her.
"Really? Oh, please! I'd love to see. So, it's true that you can change even without the full moon?"
Larna nodded. "Aye. We change whenever we wish. Our half-shape is just stronger then, and sometimes we are being called to mating runs."
Ellie frowned in confusion, and a blush spread across Cate's cheeks. "I’m not translating that," she muttered in Amendyrri, then switched back to Serian. "Come with me. I'll need to take off my clothes so I don't ruin them, and I'd rather not be naked out in the open."
As Cate led us away, explaining the difference between her wolf form and her half-shape, I followed along behind, content to listen instead of feeling as though I had to. Perhaps there was room in my life for friends other than Cate and Larna. Ellie and Belle might be an excellent place to start.
Chapter Five
Taken from the diary of Lady Eleanor Kingsclere
THE DAYS PASSED QUICKLY once we arrived at the rebel camp. There was always plenty of work to be done and plenty of company as well. I scarcely had a moment to myself, but instead of exhausting me, the constant activity bolstered my spirits. It had been easy to slip into a fearful depression while wandering the dark, claustrophobic paths of the Forest, and the wide-open plains gave me hope.
Although Belle, Cate, and the others were excellent company, it was Neva who had the biggest impact on my mood. The two of us spent a great deal of time together, and she took an interest in almost everything I did. At first, her watchful eyes and silent feet were a little unsettling, but gradually, I grew used to having her as my shadow. She didn't speak often, but when she did, her soft questions usually led to interesting conversations—almost like Belle when we first met.
"What are you doing?" she asked one day as I sat on an abandoned log at the edge of camp, my journal open on my knee. The afternoon was grey and overcast, but after spending my morning hard at work, I had decided to take a moment for myself to write. Even in the privacy of my tent, the interior of the camp had been too noisy and crowded for me, and I appreciated the distant purple silhouette of the Rengast Mountains during my pauses.
"Journaling," I said, raising my eyes from the page. Although Cate and I had been reunited, it was hard to break the habit of writing whenever I could. Instead of informing her of my activities, I recorded them for myself, hoping I would be able to look back on them fondly later. Perhaps in the future, I would view my journey through Amendyr as a grand, exciting adventure instead of the dangerous reality it was.
"What are you writing?"
I finished my last sentence, closed the journal, and faced Neva. She stood behind me, hands folded behind her back, rocking on the balls of her fee
t. Her eyes were large and curious, and I decided I didn't mind the interruption. "I'm writing about everything that's happened to us. We've seen and done so much, and I want to remember it all later."
Neva frowned. "You want to remember all of it? Even the scary parts?"
"Even the scary parts. They aren't all bad. Being chased by the kerak at Baxstresse was terrifying, but I do like remembering the way you saved me."
A little of Neva's confidence returned. "There are things I wish I didn't remember. Things that happened before I met the dwellyn and Cieran and you. After my mother died, and she came to live with us." She lowered her eyes, but I could see the struggle on her face.
I felt a wave of empathy for her. “That must have been difficult,” I said softly. “I lost my mother, too. She was a gardener, and I brought some of her plants with me when I came to Baxstresse, to help me remember her.”
“I don’t have anything left of my mother’s,” Neva said. “She had some things she brought with her from Shezad, dresses and jewelry and some musical instruments, but they’re all at the palace.”
"Do you want to know another reason I write everything down?" Neva peeked up at me through the curtain of her hair and nodded. "Because then the bad memories have another place to go besides my head, and the good ones I've written are there to fill it up again. It helps me remember important things and important people."
"And it helps?"
"More often than not." I opened my journal again, turning to an empty page. "Here, why don't you try for yourself? I can give you some paper to write on and one of my spare quills.” With a quick rip I tore out several blank sheets and folded them in half, holding them out for her.
Neva took them as if she had been given the most precious gift in the world. When she looked back up at me, the hope in her eyes made my heart clench. “You didn’t have to tear your journal for me. I know it’s important.”
I gave her hand a soft squeeze. “So are you.”
That night, when I found another free moment to finish writing, something else was waiting for me instead. Careful, blocky words had appeared on the page after my last entry, and they weren’t in Cate’s handwriting:
Today, Ellie showed me how to write down what I remember. She says it might help stop the nightmares. I hope she's right.
I remember my mother. I remember the dresses she had in bright colors and her big smile. She used to sit with me, and sometimes she would play her jali and sing. I tried, but my fingers wouldn’t fit on the strings, and the gourd was too big for my knee. She had to sit behind me and help me hold it. I still miss her.
I remember when the Huntsman took me away from the palace. We rode far away. One night, when it was dark, he left me alone. He said he had to. I know she told him to kill me. He never told me why he didn't. It means he's probably dead now. I never knew his name.
I remember when the dwellyn found me. I was so hungry it felt like knives in my belly. There were dead things in the forest, but I was too tired to put them back to sleep. I ran until my legs stopped working. That's when I saw them. They killed the dead things then they took me underground and gave me food. I slept for a week.
I remember when I found out Papan died. Lok and Ulig and the others came into my room. When they told me, I didn't cry. Then I started sobbing without tears because I thought maybe I forgot how. Ulig gave me a hug. He gives good hugs. He told me I wasn’t alone.
I remember when I met Cieran. I didn't want to go. I remembered how to cry then. But Lok said I needed to be with humans. She said a girl can't spend her whole life underground, and I needed to learn how to control my powers. She said Cieran could help me. She promised I would be safe with him. He told me I was a Daughter of the Sixth Son. It was the same thing Papan used to tell me, so I went with him.
I remember when I had to leave again. The kerak and the shadowkin came to the palace. She didn't make them, but they were hers. I told Cieran I wanted to help them sleep, but he wouldn't let me. He said I had to go before it was too late. He gave me a letter and put me in a carriage. I saw why on the way out. There were hollow bodies on the grounds outside. They were clawed to pieces. The dead were eating them. I tell myself Cieran didn't get eaten. He didn't become one of them.
I remember when I met Ellie and Belle and Jessith. It was raining. The sky was close to the ground. Ellie caught me when I came out of the carriage. She took me inside. When she touched me, I knew she was like me. She could talk to the horses and the cats. I gave her the letter, and she got scared. Just like me. Belle whispered to her, and I knew something else. I knew someone wanted to hurt her, like She wanted to hurt me.
I shut the journal and closed my eyes. I hadn’t realized just how many people Neva had lost—her parents, the dwellyn, Cieran, and Cassandra. Her grief reminded me of what I had felt after my mother died. For a moment, I pictured the hazel sapling I had planted at Baxstresse. I had been alone, frightened, and friendless then, before Belle became my lover and Cate became my friend. I didn’t want the same for Neva.
When I opened my eyes again, I was determined. I had rebuilt a new family after the death of my old one, and it was my everything. Perhaps I had been brought into Neva’s life for a reason. Maybe I was meant to show her that she could make a new family, the way I had.
***
The sound of terrified screams shattered my sleep. Within moments, I was wide-eyed and upright, heart hammering against my ribs. I reached off to the side, but Belle wasn't lying next to me, and Neva's cot was empty. They had disappeared without disturbing me. I groped in the dark, searching for a candle. Bright flashes of light streaked past the tent, and I heard running footsteps beneath the shouting. I threw a blanket around my shoulders and hurried outside.
The entire camp was in chaos. Torches blazed everywhere, and the smell of smoke burned in my nose and mouth. I tried to catch a glimpse of Belle or Neva, but I didn't see them among the figures rushing by. Most of them raced for the fire pits, and I followed them, hoping I had chosen the right direction.
As I was jostled along, I realized several of the warriors around me weren't human. I had seen liarre wandering the camp from a distance, but by torchlight, they were terrifying. They towered above me, three times as large as I was, fur bristling and weapons drawn. I tripped backwards in fear when a huge spider scurried past me on legs as high as my chest.
Unearthly, high-pitched shrieks pierced through the rest of the din, and my blood turned to ice. I knew that noise. It was the same call I had heard at Baxstresse the night of our escape. Mogra's undead forces were here.
Luciana. I wasn't sure if she had followed us, or if this was a different army, but I couldn't take the chance. I had to find Belle and Neva. I regained my balance and ran for the fire, calling out their names. It didn't do any good. My voice wouldn't carry over the horrible screeching.
Suddenly, the sound was right behind me. It sent sharp spikes of pain stabbing through my head, and I whipped around. The endless, gaping pit of a kerak's mouth was inches away from mine, filled with rows of dripping teeth. Flecks of spit and the smell of death hit my face, but my body refused to move. The kerak raised its hooked hands.
Before the kerak's scythes came slicing down, a red blur darted between me and the blow. A giant creature stood before me, tall and brimming with muscle. It snatched the kerak's knotted arms, yanking them apart with a sickening rip. The kerak howled. Black blood burst from the stumps, and its sucking mouth contorted with agony, letting out a shrill wail as it dissolved into dust.
It was over before I could even scream. I was breathless. Shouts and bobbing torches still surrounded us, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from my terrifying savior. Its face was mostly wolf, but it held itself on two legs. "Cate?" I searched the creature's long, pointed face, and as soon as I looked into its soft eyes, I knew I was right. This was Cate's half-shape, and she had saved my life.
Cate only held my gaze for a moment. Shadows converged around us, and she hunched over with a l
ow, rumbling growl, readying for another fight. What happened next could only be described as a massacre. She moved faster than I had imagined possible, leaping at a second kerak before it could charge her. One snap of her powerful jaws, and its head jerked at an awkward angle. She shoved it toward the fire pit, and it thrashed in agony as the flames ate through its peeling, slick-grey flesh.
While she was turned, a third kerak leapt for her vulnerable back. I yelled and tried to rush forward, but there was no need. Cate whirled around, and her sharp claws stabbed through the kerak's stomach. It stopped when her hand was halfway buried in its abdomen, twitching in death, teeth still snapping. She withdrew with a rough pull, tugging out a mess of steaming entrails. It slumped to the ground with a wet squelch, and she kicked it into the fire with the others.
"Ellie," she said in a low, rasping growl, hardly even a human voice. "Where is—"
Darkness stretched over us, blotting out the light of the fire. I stared up, but there was no sky—just a pair of hot-coal eyes set amidst the darkness and dripping jaws four times larger than Cate's. The ground beneath me shook at the shadowkin's roar, but I couldn’t move. Surely even Cate couldn't kill something this massive alone. Both of us were going to die.
"Cate!"
A hulking black shape hurtled between the pillars of the shadowkin's legs, flying faster than an arrow. It was another wyr, larger than any I'd seen. As I stared in awe, it launched itself at the shadowkin's underbelly, tearing with flashes of white teeth. Something sailed over my head, and I glanced up just in time to see Cate leaping for the shadowkin's throat. She latched on and didn't let go, even when it thrashed its enormous head from side to side.
Working together, they managed to bring the shadowkin down. The earth quaked as it fell, and a lake of blood soaked the ground beneath its corpse. The black wyr shook its matted coat before standing on its hind legs. Cate bounded forward, and the two of them rested their muzzles together. I recognized Larna's eyes.
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