Page 13 of Keeper of the Word

“Also See black,” Maristel said, before placing her thumb in her mouth again.

“Is it moving?” Lady Tara asked gently.

Maristel first nodded, then vigorously shook her head. Then, she withdrew her thumb from her mouth, held up her index finger, and made ashushingnoise.

The hairs on the back of Tolvar’s neck stood. Something black, unmoving—for now. Elanna’s location was clear to him now. But was he correct? Was that why he had experienced unease on his journey through the Greenwood Forest? He had to make certain.

He leaned closer to Maristel, ignoring how enormous her innocent eyes were.

“Is it an animal, Maristel?”

If possible, her eyes widened more, then she gave a deliberate nod.

Tolvar let out an exhale and stood. “How far into the future does she usually See?” He scanned the three women’s faces.

They gave each other quiet, pointed expressions. What was there to decide? Tolvar grew impatient as only the Wolf could when he knew impending danger was nigh.

“How long do I have?” Tolvar half-yelled.

“She usually Sees no more than a few days in front of her,” Casta finally stated. “But she is growing stronger. There is no way to be certain.”

“Then I must leave immediately. Shadow cats are hunting Lady Elanna in the Greenwood Forest.”

Chapter

Eight

ELANNA

Elanna knew danger lay in her future’s footsteps. A chill had cloaked her like a snowstorm. ’Twas near time. And attempting to force the exact spot in that timeline made hermorethan exhausted. StarSeers were not meant to beg the stars for immediate foreSight. But as Rasa shied from continuing ahead, she found herself on her knees pleading.

And now she was unable to stand. She reached for Rasa’s saddle horn. Her fingers did not even graze his barrel. She had dared to See too much, even through the thick cover of trees that blocked out so many stars. Danger was hours away. Elanna could not gauge exactly what crept near, but ’twas fast—nay, slow—stalking and monstrous.

Return home to Ashwin,Elanna thought through the fog of her mind.

But she was not meant to return home. She was meant to go elsewhere. If she could climb into Rasa’s saddle. Strange. She’d pleaded to See when the danger would come, but exerted so much energy, she would not be able to save herself. Moving her limbs might as well be swimming through mud.

Her eyes cracked open. She found herself lying on the bed of the forest floor, dried leaves poking her scalp, staring straight up into a giant tree. Night’s darkness transformed the boughs into menacing arms with wings and claws. But if she could straighten out her mind, shake the cloudiness, the fatigue, Elanna imagined that the boughs were formed in such a way that one could climb them like high steps of a ladder.

She forced herself to prop up on her elbows, blinking to gauge which tree she stared at was imagined and which was real.

A low growl snapped Elanna suddenly into awareness.

“Did you hear that, Rasa?”

He most certainly had. From under the shadows of the forest overhead, Rasa’s head stiffened in the direction of the sound; his ears turned back. Rasa gave a short neigh and retreated.

“Rasa.” Elanna extended her arm to catch the stallion’s reins dangling on the ground, but she was too sluggish, and the horse was too spooked. Another growl sounded, and Rasa disappeared through the copse of trees. “Rasa!” she yelled after him.

The night sounds of the forest ceased. She hadn’t noticed them before, but now that they were gone, Elanna’s shallow breathing was the only sound. Her eyes scanned the surroundings, useless in the dark.

Get to the tree.

Standing was impossible, so Elanna used her forearms to crawl to the trunk of the tree. Still aware of the silence encircling her, she peered up, squinting to make her vision less blurry.

Not far off, a branch snapped.

“Come, Elanna. You’ve Seen more. This is not the end. Go,” she whispered, forcing herself onto her legs. They wobbled, and she collapsed to the ground.