Page 31 of Artemis’ Bow (Halfling Academy #5)

“ T he reports coming out of Tuscan are terrible.” Tristan runs a hand down his face.

“What happened?” I ask warily.

“Some kind of monster ripped through there, but the reports are unbelievable.” He shrugs. “I’ve never heard anything like it.”

“We’re going to Tuscan, aren’t we?” Jayden asks with a raised brow.

“We would pass through on our route anyway,” Greyson says. “Might as well find out what’s really happening.”

“Agreed.” Raven nods.

“You know if it’s something from ancient times, we’re the only ones who can stop it. We can’t just let people get killed because we’re in a hurry.” I wrap my arm through Jayden’s.

“So you’ll go help them?” Tristan asks, hope tinging his voice.

“We have a duty to help. We aren’t responsible for it, but we’re probably the only ones who can.”

“Thank you. I’ll be forever in your debt.” Tristan bows his head to us.

“I might just call you on that debt in the near future.” I sigh.

“Anything you need. You help me every time we cross paths. It’s the least I can do,” Tristan says.

I open the passenger door to the SUV and set my bags on the floorboard and a chill runs down my spine. Something feels off and the hair on the back of my neck stands on end. I glance around at the others. No one appears to be wary, so I shrug it off as dread and fear for the upcoming battle.

“Are we all packed up?” I ask. “We need to get moving. We still need to get gas.”

“I wonder what kind of crazy we will find at the gas station this time.” Raven giggles.

“I hope we don’t. The last time ended with a manhunt, and it wasn’t even our fault. Damn fox,” I say.

“I’m sure we will come across something interesting though, even if it’s just a crazy walking stick wielding old lady.” Jayden rubs the back of his head.

“Are you having phantom pain from the several beatings she’s given you in the past?” Raven asks with an evil grin.

“So what if I am?” Jayden shrugs. “She’s got an arm for an old lady.”

“We don’t know for sure she will be there,” I remind them again before shutting the door behind me.

Jayden hops into the driver’s seat and rolls down the window to say goodbye to Tristan. “We’ll send word once we have the situation handled in Tuscan.”

“What about the other thing?” He raises an eyebrow.

“You’ll know when that’s handled, I guarantee it,” I say over Jayden’s shoulder. “Just keep your people safe and we’ll be in touch when we can.”

Tristan nods and backs away from the vehicle. The others all hop in the vehicle, and we finally get on the road.

“Let’s wait until we’re out of the city before we stop for gas. Maybe it won’t be as cold since it didn’t start snowing until we got into the city before,” I say.

“Yeah, it’s too cold to stand outside for any amount of time. I’m frozen solid,” Raven says with a shiver.

I’m silent for a minute as my neck prickles once again with unease. The dread returns as I glance around the empty street, but there’s no one and nothing out of place.

“What’s wrong?” Jayden squeezes my thigh.

“I got a feeling that I’m being watched.” I shudder.

Everyone turns in every direction, on high alert this time. The last time I had a gut feeling this strong, no one believed me, and I was right, so they take it more seriously now.

“I don’t see anything,” Raven says.

“That doesn’t mean there isn’t something happening, though,” Jayden says. “We just need to stay vigilant.”

“Agreed,” Greyson says, still staring out the window.

“Why does this always happen in Arizona?” Raven asks.

I lean forward to glance out the windshield at the sky above us. The demon pigeons attacked us in Arizona last time. Could that be the terrible feeling I’m having? I scan the skies, but nothing jumps out at me as dangerous at first.

The clouds are dark and ominous, but it’s the large shadow beneath them that makes me stiffen and reach for the lightning bolt charm that holds my whip. Is that a demon pigeon? My instinct is that it’s not, but I don’t know for sure.

“What is that?” I point to the clouds.

The sun breaks through the clouds enough to see it a little clearer but not much. Red and gold gleam in the morning sun like flames flickering.

“Is it an escaped parrot? It’s big enough to be a large exotic parrot,” Raven says, not taking her eyes off it.

“Is it ever just something mundane with us, though?” Greyson asks.

“At least it’s not those fucking metal birds that shit acid,” Jayden says and flinches.

“Agreed, but how do we know that it’s not something much worse?” I ask, because with us, there can always be something much worse.

“It’s not attacking us, so maybe we don’t need to worry until it decides to.” Adrian leans forward.

Thad stares out the window. “What if it’s not meant to attack us, but to follow us and report our progress? We didn’t tell anyone where we are going.”

“You think it followed us from the academy?” Raven asks.

“No, I first got this feeling when we were talking to Tristan about Tuscan. I would have felt it before then had it been following us the whole time.” I turn to look at her. “Someone wants to know where we’re going.”

“It’s in the sky. There’s not much we can do about that.” Thad sighs.

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that. Beth electrocuted a dozen of those demon pigeons in the sky with her lightning.” Jayden smiles at me.

“Let’s put a pin in that idea until we know for sure what’s going on and who that bird belongs to. It could be an ally and not necessarily nefarious.” I shrug.

Even as I say the words, I don’t believe them myself, but we need to be sure before we do something that can’t be undone. The bird is absolutely stunning in the sunlight. I would hate to have to kill it.

“So we’re just going to let it follow us?” Raven scrunches her nose.

“We don’t even know for sure if the bird is following us.” I tap my fingers on the dash as I watch the bird in its unhurried pace.

The silence stretches as everyone but Jayden is focused directly on the bird.

Jayden breaks the silence. “That looks like just the right type of gas station to get a beatdown by an old lady.”

I turn to the run-down gas station. It is exactly the type of place we would stop at, and I sigh. “I guess it’s as good a place as any to grab snacks and fill up the tank.”

“Are you sure, B?” Raven asks. “These guys turn into insufferable babies after the fates give them a beatdown.”

“We don’t have a choice.” Jayden sighs. “The gas light just came on and I saw a sign that said it’s fifty miles to the next fuel station.”

“Keep your eyes open for a little old lady who always sports sunglasses and walks with a cane. She’s mean.” Greyson scans the area as if she’s going to jump out at him any second.

Knowing the crazy old bat, she probably will when we least expect it.

I push the door open and per usual, Raven and I go inside the small convenience store.

There isn’t anything nefarious about this place at first glance but looks can be deceiving and we have found that out the hard way on multiple occasions.

“I’m headed to the candy aisle,” Raven calls.

“It’s not a good idea to split up in these places,” I grumble, but Raven is already walking away on her mission to feed her sugar addiction.

Caffeine and sugar are things we rarely get at the academy and, honestly, the best part of being sent to save the world repeatedly. Yes, I save the world for the snacks. I realize how stupid that sounds, but it’s not untrue. We deserve something good after almost dying on multiple occasions.

“See if they have any Twizzlers,” I yell at her back.

“I know, B. I know what you like. I got this.” She waves me away.

She’s going to come back with more candy than she can carry. That’s typical Raven. I shake my head and move to the chip aisle to get the salty snacks that Greyson and Jayden like.

“Your path is true,” a wizened old voice that I recognize says from behind me.

I spin to face her with a grin. “Have you already beat up my friends or are you waiting until after our chat?”

Her toothless grin widens. “Ahh, boys need a beating now and again to remind them what’s important. No permanent damage, though. That’s going too far.”

“I’ll be sure to remember those pearls of wisdom when my life isn’t a chaotic mess.” I chuckle without humor.

“Stay on your path, young one. Your path is true. There will be sacrifice but it will be worth it.” The old woman turns away and vanishes.

“Who are you talking to, B?” Raven asks as she turns the corner at the end of the aisle.

“Wait, I want to see what she does.” I rush to the front of the store that overlooks the gas pumps and stifle my laughter.

Jayden backs away with hands raised in surrender, but the old woman brandishes her cane at him. He shouts something at the others, but Thad and Adrian are too busy laughing. The old woman turns her cane on Greyson, and he dives through the open back door to the SUV and scrambles to the other side.

“So, that’s who you were talking to.” Raven giggles.

“It’s comical. Jayden commands the shadows, and Greyson is a gods touched alpha wolf shifter and they are running from an old lady like hellhounds are on their asses.” I shake my head with a grin.

“She’s fast for an old lady,” Raven says. “Holy Hades, did she just jump over the SUV like a damn spider monkey?”

“You’re just going to watch your mates handle that all by themselves?” a woman with a raspy voice asks from behind me. “You’re not going to help them?”

“Nah, she won’t do permanent damage. She told me that’s going too far but boys occasionally need a little bit of a beating to keep them in line.” I shrug.

That’s when what she originally said hits me and I spin to face her.

She looks eerily similar to the crazy lady chasing Greyson around the SUV, brandishing a cane like a baseball bat and screaming at him to hold still.

She’s going to get the human police called on us.

I seriously don’t want to be hunted halfway across the country again.