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“While Agrel just possessed the tact of a rolling boulder, he is not wrong. Huntsmen are tenacious and are trained to follow their prey over vast tracts of land. You will have to evade him, escape the dangers that the woods offer, and then must be concerned with feeding yourself on top of that. Even if you escape the attention of the huntsman, winter will come before you even arrive in the northlands, and the game doesn’t get any easier to hunt and the things that can kill you become substantially bigger and far more numerous. In fact, the further north you go, your situation will become even deadlier if you weren’t taught how to defend yourself.”

Peering over at their mate, Gehj cupped his wings around the fire to protect it from the shifting breezes as he considered his question. “What exactly is a huntsman?”

“Death,” Zemb said sorrowfully.

Delilah nodded. Drawing in a deep breath, she rocked back slightly until she was enclosed in more of Agrel’s wing. “Death is about the sum of it,” she quietly agreed. She glanced worriedly toward their nestling, but Lily had curled up against Zemb’s chest, her eyes closed in slumber. A look of relief passed over her phase before she looked once more toward Gehj.

Dropping her voice to a quiet volume, she confided in them. “Lily’s father was a huntsman, a member of an order of trained hunters. He was trained to be a merciless killer of anything at all that the council determined was a threat to human safety. I know that he was in more frequent contact with the leaders of the Order after word spread regarding the arrival of the Ragoru to our world. He was secretive, and suspicious of everything. Almost paranoid. And then one day he simply went into thewoods and never returned. We all believed that he was killed by something in the woods, it was easier to believe that, but the truth is that no one ever truly knew what happened. What we do know is that communication with the Order ceased and they abandoned the village to die within the woods… but as for her father, I… I don’t believe he is dead. A huntsman is notoriously difficult to kill, and they live for the chase. And if the Order sanctioned the killing of Ragoru—even if illegally, without the permission of the High Council—there would be no greater prize.”

A chill worked up Gehj’s spine, and he ruffled his wings uneasily as he exchanged a look with ahaku.

“That is going to give me nightmares,” Agrel replied drily. “Thank you, Gehj. I could have lived many years in bliss without knowing that there is an entire clan of humans actively killing anyone they arbitrarily decide needs to be destroyed.”

“My fathers once told me that some males can turn rogue,” Zemb admitted. “And they are dangerous, so I was to stay away from them. But, although we are territorial, Ragoru would not actively seek to harm anyone. We would just wish to live peacefully within our own territories. My mother and fathers were never a threat to anyone.” He glanced toward Delilah, his expression pleading.

Delilah sighed and nodded gravely. “The Order has done a good job frightening the populace against the Ragoru. I am sure they will do the same to the Atlavan, if given enough time. It is possible that word is already spreading and will make our journey south difficult if we get near any populated areas. But this is not what worries me the most.”

Gehj felt a prickling among his feathers, and he eyed his mate warily. “What worries you,swiya?” Was a murderous clan of humans not enough?

She grimaced. “What worries me most is that if Zemb has been heading north this entire time, then that means that there are huntsmen further south than I ever believed. It is unlikely that this is just coincidentally a lone huntsman. They are far too organized to spread themselves out far for long-term hunts without a reliable regional network of outposts. This means that this huntsman may pose a danger to all of us.”

Agrel hissed quietly, his eyes shifting to Zemb. “And if he catches the Ragoru alone—which he will—he will certainly learn of our presence and come for us quickly.”

Zemb balked, his eyes widening fearfully. “I would not betray your presence in the southlands. You have been kind to me, I would never?—”

“Calm yourself,” Agrel cooed, his expression gentling. “I know you would not do so intentionally. And setting aside the matter of our safety, I would not rest well knowing a helpless juvenile was starving in the woods. It is a cruel death compared to our fires.”

“Agrel, what you are saying?” Delilah whispered, a look of alarm crossing her face as the Ragoru stiffened fearfully.

Gehj laughed softly as he peered humorously at their mate for a moment before allowing his gaze to drift over to his ahaku. “Do not be afraid. He is suggesting that we take him with us. We would never leave a juvenile alone to starve, but nor would we offer a merciful death unless we had no other choice. Zemb is young and deserves every chance of survival.”

Tension drained from the stiff set of Delilah’s shoulders, and she half turned to sharply thump the male beside her. “Learn how to phrase things better so that you are not taking years off my life,” she huffed.

Zemb laughed with relief as Agrel wrapped his wings around their mate in an attempt to ingratiate himself to the annoyed female beside him. All the while Lily dosed and Gehj chuckledquietly to himself as he returned his attention back to their meal. Soon enough, it would be time to wake Lily to eat. She would have a full belly before they began traveling once again. If the huntsman was working his way north, then it was more imperative than ever that they strike for the south quickly, before he noticed that his prey had begun to move in a different direction. Once they got to the mountains, all would be well. Once they were in the mountains, nothing would be able to get near their family without their notice.

Chapter

Eighteen

Delilah kept Lily in the wagon while they traveled now. There was no more walking outside, not when she was terrified that their presence might slow down or distract Gehj and Agrel. Even with Zemb guarding the rear of the wagon, she couldn’t help but feel a dark certainty weighing on her that they ultimately would be unable to evade the huntsman’s notice. As worried as she was for her mates, she was also very worried about her own fate. What she hadn’t explained was that rumor had it that the human women caught consorting with Ragoru were dealt with harshly, often never seen again. For her, it would be worse. As the widow of a huntsman, she would be considered the worst kind of traitor. The Order kept such detailed files on their huntsmen that she had no doubt that her face was known to the order. All it would take would be the misfortune of being recognized and could just as easily disappear as all those rumored women.

The thought made her blood cold.

She closed her eyes, praying silently to the Mother that they would remain ahead of the hunter and soon arrive at a place of safety. The wagon jolted, startling from her prayer, and herbreath caught when she noticed that it was slowing down and rolling to a stop. Sliding off the bed, she stood and started to make her way toward the open side of the wagon, but stopped with surprise when Agrel vaulted inside. Her eyes flicked to a spot over his shoulder, straining to see outside. It was still early afternoon. It was too early to stop.

“Is something wrong?” she asked in a strained voice.

“No,” he soothed. “We are stopping for a rest.”

“Oh,” she fidgeted, suddenly feeling a bit awkward in his presence in such tight confines. She felt ridiculous feeling that way, but she embarrassingly hyperaware of him within the small space. “It’s still early. And the huntsman?—"

“—is not someone we should run scared of, or else we will exhaust ourselves and make mistakes. We need to rest sometime and enjoy life a little. This is a good place to stop,” he cajoled. “Come,swiya. Come, rest with us.”

“Oh, but Lily—” she glanced toward her sleeping daughter. Nimh was snuggled up next to her and they both looked so incredibly sweet. She hated to wake her just to do something that she was already doing.

Agrel chuckled softly. “Zemb has agreed to guard over her. In fact, he is excited to do so. Apparently, this, too, is an experience he had yet to enjoy since he had no younger siblings to guard and protect. And with his keen senses, he will alert us if there is any danger. Does this reassure you? Will you come rest now?”

“Oh.” Heat rose and bloomed in cheeks as she stared at the hand he suddenly held out for her.