Page 97 of A Hunt Bound in Blood

Cammon claimed my hand again and didn’t let go until we reached the top of the next hill and decided to stake our place there for the night, somewhere we would have a good view of the surrounding areas in case any enemies came to call. He stayed close while we set out the bedrolls and stirred up a low fire to cook the dregs of our food. With my bloodlust sated, I didn’t need much in the way of another meal, but we’d need to rectify that tomorrow. I hoped Cammon was right that once we passed out of dragon territory, we’d have a wealth of opportunity to resupply.

Even after we ate our small meal and watched the sun set over the hills, Cammon never left my side. He sat with his arm pressed against my shoulder, his fingers twined with mine. As though he couldn’t bear to stop touching me. And I would have cried if he had. We lay down beside each other, not a tangle of limbs as we’d been under the mountain—as though we both accepted that to do so would lead to more pain—but unable to stay apart.

The stars brightened, and I wondered how many more nights we had like this. How much everything would change afterwards. How much everything would hurt when it ended.

After an almost sleepless night, I blinked my eyes open to an irritating vibration coming from my bag. I rubbed my eyes with one hand and pawed through my increasingly meagre belongings with the other. My fingers wrapped around the messaging crystal tucked into the pocket, which had miraculously survived every one of our losses, and I withdrew it to find a message waiting for us from Evaniel. We must have just missed his summoning, and I was relieved I’d caught the message before the surge of magic waned.

“Princess Brynna has worsened.” His cold voice rang out over the hill, dipping into every curve of the grass and following the waving line of the horizon. “The healers say we have less than two weeks before she’s too far to save. Somehow Soldara has already been informed and their armies are mobilizing. The ship is waiting for you in Blue Harbour. You have three days to find the amulet and board. If you fail, you can come home prepare for war.”

Cammon

XLII

I stared at the crystal in Glory’s hand before looking at her. Her sleep-lined face was pale, her lips parted in a silent gasp, her eyes wide with horror.

“All the time we saved travelling under that mountain, and we’ve just lost it.” Her words came out in barely a whisper.

I tasted the sharpness of her panic and cupped her face to make her look at me. Her pulse flurried beneath my palm, and it matched so well with mine that I almost believed we shared one heart.

We couldn’t afford to give way to fear, but I understood her concern. We still had two clues to figure out. The second one would get us the amulet, but how long would it take us to reach it? How complex would these final signposts be?

Three days.

We’d have to push ourselves to our limits to get there.

And then in three days, Glory and I would get on that ship and make our way home. A week and a half had shrunk to half a week with a single message, and my chest tightened at the thought.

But no. The speed would work to our benefit. Less time for us to get comfortable with this new bond. Her questions about Karhasan yesterday had made me imagine what would happen if I convinced her to come home with me. What it would look like for her to stand by my side while I made my bid for my birthright. I pictured her in the rocky terrain of my homeland, with the pulses of volcanic smoke in the far distance of the capital. It was beautiful in its way. Less green and lush in most places, but warm. Not impossible for a non-demon to make a life for themselves there, especially one as resourceful as Glory. I could imagine her and my father poring over old scrolls, discussing history that had been forgotten because no one had bothered to study it. She wouldn’t need to hide what she was there—her ferocity would be accepted.

But she had her own dream, as she’d made clear to me more than once in the past few days. She had her library, and although it broke me to think of leaving her behind, I would do whatever it took to help her achieve that dream.

So we would move as fast as we could and not let the change in schedule ruin what was left of our time together.

I tightened my grip on the back of her neck in a reassuring squeeze, and the tension in her shoulders loosened. Her eyes cleared, her turbulent emotions settled, and although I wouldn’t say she was calm or happy, she rediscovered the pragmatic state of mind we’d need to see this through.

Without saying much, we packed up camp and started down the hill, sticking to the trail that would lead us to the second-last clue.

The road was quiet, devoid of all forms of life except for the grass, a few flowers, and the two of us. But when we crested the next incline, it was clear where dragon territory ended. Almost a severe boundary cut through the base of the hill. On the other side, a fluffle of rabbits hopped amid the daisies, and birds flew after each other from tree to tree. The scene was idyllic, almost laughably so compared to what we’d come through since leaving the mountain.

“You were right,” Glory said as we crossed into the long, lush grass. “We were only a day away from a full meal. If I’d known we were that close, maybe I could have held on a little longer.”

I doubted she could have held on another thirty heartbeats, but now we’d never know. “I’m sorry. I was so worried about hurting you, but I should have flown you as far as it took.”

She rested her hand on my arm and looked up at me, her hazel eyes so large they filled my entire view. “Please don’t. I don’t remember a lot of what happened after I fell, but I do remember the agony when you tried to pick me up. I wouldn’t have lasted the flight. I didn’t say what I did to make you think—Please don’t think I’m not grateful. Don’t think I—my only—I just didn’t—”

She cut herself off, but the bitterness of guilt wafted off her, and I pursed my lips with a nod. She didn’t need to explain. She hadn’t wanted to trap me into this bond. It mollified me somewhat to know her concern for my wellbeing was the source of her regret.

I wanted to reassure her she had nothing to feel guilty about, but all my words fled when I spotted tracks in the grass and through the mud along the path.

Dread wound its fingers around my neck, and I tightened my grip on Glory’s arm to pull her closer.

She looked at me in confusion and opened her mouth, no doubt to tell me we didn’t have time to slow down, but her gaze fell in the same direction mine had, and fear spouted off her.

“Mutts?” she asked in a whisper.

I nodded grimly. “Before it looked like they were coming towards us. Now it looks like they’re leading us.”

“How do they know where we’re going?”