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T eryn watched James die. He hadn’t realized that was what had happened, at first. When James had begun to slump to the side in the middle of his story—something Teryn was grateful for, considering the repulsive subject matter the man favored—it seemed James had just fallen asleep. It wasn’t until another man toppled over. Then another. Teryn glanced at James with renewed interest, saw the blue tinge to his lips, his open eyes that stared sightlessly ahead.

With a jolt, Teryn rose to his feet, just as two more men fell. The camp burst into fits of commotion as the remaining men ran to their comrades, checking their pulses, shouting panicked orders at each other.

Teryn’s eyes darted around, then landed on Helios. Suspicion crawled up his spine. Helios, however, looked just as perplexed as Teryn. Heavy brow furrowed, Helios stood frozen as another man collapsed, fingers clawing at his throat as his face turned blue.

“What the hell is going on?” came Lex’s voice as he sprang up from his bedroll. His question went unanswered.

Only three of the hunters remained breathing. Gringe, Hammond, and a man named Sam. Gringe and Sam were distracted by their fallen brethren, but Hammond was backing away from the fire. Toward his crossbow.

Teryn palmed the hilt of his belted dagger, edging slowly toward his horse, where he’d left his shortsword and spear with his saddlebags. Lex simply stared at the horror unfolding around them, muttering curses under his breath.

One step. Two steps. The next brought him to his horse?—

Hammond cocked his crossbow, loaded a bolt, and aimed at Lex. He swayed slightly on his feet before planting his legs firmly beneath him. “I thought you were supposed to be mute, boy.”

Lex’s hand flew to his hip, but he too had come to the campfire unarmed. Hammond squeezed the trigger on his crossbow, but Teryn already had his spear in hand. Hammond swayed again, and his bolt missed Lex by a foot. Teryn’s spear, on the other hand, did not miss. It struck the center of Hammond’s gut. The man looked down, staggering once more. Gringe and Sam whirled away from their companions. Gringe’s sword was drawn, while Sam unsheathed his dagger. Unlike Hammond, neither man seemed affected by whatever had felled their friends.

Helios already had his sword drawn by the time Gringe rounded on him. “Did you poison our meal?” Gringe said as steel met steel. “Or our rum?”

“Neither,” Helios said through his teeth as he parried Gringe’s attack.

That was all Teryn could witness before Sam sprang at him. Teryn didn’t have time to reach for his sword or his spare spear, so his dagger would have to do. Sam was a grizzled man, older than Teryn by at least twenty years, and his stout stature put his reach at a disadvantage to Teryn. But his confident composure was that of a man who had no doubts about who would come out the victor. Teryn dodged a lunge aimed at his stomach, then another angled toward his side. He sidestepped, turned, brought his blade beneath Sam’s ribs. The other man blocked him, slicing Teryn’s inner elbow. Teryn staggered back, his fingers flying open from around the hilt. Sam lunged for his throat, but Teryn dove to the ground, fighting through the pain in his arm as his hand closed around the hilt of his dagger again. Blood slicked his palm, but he blocked Sam’s thrust. With a kick to the gut, Teryn sent him back a few steps. Sam staggered for only a moment before he closed in again. Teryn blinked sweat from his eyes, felt a wave of dizziness rush over him. Was it blood loss, or…

He knew the truth then. It had been the rum. Every man had shared the meal, but not everyone had drunk the rum. Not Helios. Not Lex. He hadn’t realized it then, but he’d never witnessed Sam or Gringe accept the bottles either. But Teryn…

He’d let the liquor touch his lips when he’d feigned drinking. Lips that he’d surely moistened at some point during the fight. It wasn’t enough to knock him off his feet, but dread filled his bones. He tried to clear the terror from his mind and parry Sam’s attack?—

The attack didn’t come. Sam halted a foot away. Teryn shuttered his eyes, trying to figure out what had happened. In a matter of seconds, a spurt of red caught his attention, trickling down Sam’s neck to stain his tunic. That was when Teryn saw the steel tip protruding from his throat. Lex withdrew his sword and they both watched Sam fall to the earth, clutching his throat until he died in a pool of his blood.

“Seven gods,” Lex said, voice panicked. His sword fell to his feet. “I…I killed a man. I’ve…I’ve never killed a man.”

Teryn met Lex’s haunted gaze, realizing he could say the same for himself. He glanced beyond Lex at the carnage littering the camp. At Hammond, dead with Teryn’s spear protruding from his gut. At the men lying lifeless around the fire. Finally, his eyes settled on Helios, who simply stood with his arms crossed, a smug smirk on his face. Gringe lay motionless against a tree, his tunic punctured with several wounds.

“Turns out Lex is the better man with the blade after all,” Helios said, tone mocking. “He just saved your pathetic life.”

Teryn stormed over to him. “While you just watched.”

Helios shrugged. “I was curious.”

Fire raged through Teryn’s blood. “You did this. You poisoned them, didn’t you?”

“No,” Helios said, “but it certainly benefited us, didn’t it?” Without another word, he stalked over to the caged unicorn. A dead man was slumped before it, and Helios kicked him to the side. The unicorn trembled within the cage, lips peeling back from his teeth as Helios brought his dagger—the one carved from horn—to the ropes binding the frame.

His conversation with James swarmed his mind, and he recalled the suspicions he’d had right before James fell. Teryn wiped his bloodied hand on his pants and strode over to Hammond. After prying the spear from the man’s gut, he raised it. “Stop.”

Helios glanced over his shoulder, but only let out a dark chuckle. “You wouldn’t dare, princeling. Trust me, you need me for this next part.”

“Tell me everything about this next part or I will throw this spear. If not to kill, then to maim your leg. You’re not keeping any information from me for a second longer.”

Finally, Helios stopped cutting the ropes and turned to face Teryn. He spun the unicorn horn blade in his palm, unfazed by Teryn’s threats. “I respect your initiative,” he said, though his expression revealed anything but respect. “What would you like to know?”

“Tell me what you’re planning on doing to that unicorn.”

His answer came out smooth. “I’m going to remove its horn.”

“ How are you going to remove its horn?”

“The only way that allows it to remain intact and not turn to dust.”

Teryn narrowed his eyes, which earned him a dark chuckle from Helios.

“Very well,” Helios said. “Try not to piss yourself. In order to remove a unicorn’s horn, one must carve it from the creature’s skull while it’s still alive.”

Bile rose in Teryn’s throat, the image James had begun to paint now made fully clear. “And the pelt?”

“As much as possible should be removed while the unicorn breathes, although not all can survive the skinning. Unlike the horn, the pelt won’t dissolve if the creature dies. Instead, it loses its texture and sheen. Any part removed while it’s alive is worth a pretty fortune.”

Another wave of dizziness struck him, but this time he wasn’t sure if it was Helios’ words or the poisoned rum. He planted his feet, forced himself to keep his spear arm steady. “What of the monster?”

Helios scoffed. “What monster?”

Teryn studied his face, seeking signs that he was lying. “You don’t know about the monster?”

Shaking his head, he returned to face the cage.

Teryn took another step forward before Helios could resume cutting the bindings. “Stop, Helios.”

“No.”

“We aren’t taking that unicorn’s horn. Or its pelt.”

Helios let out an irritated groan and turned back around. He wagged his dagger at Teryn. “This is why I didn’t tell you. I knew you’d be too soft.”

“We’ll take this unicorn as the princess’ pet.”

“No, we won’t. That’s only one of the three gifts. We cannot return without all three, or else our plan will mean nothing. Three gifts. Three champions. Equal effort to meet Mareleau’s demands in the cleverest, most efficient way. Do you want a chance to marry the princess or not? Is your kingdom not worth one animal’s life?”

Teryn felt his resolve weaken. He glanced at the caged unicorn, saw fear in his eyes, hunger in his gaunt form, pain where open wounds marred his hide.

“That’s all it will take,” Helios said, a placating quality to his voice. “One unicorn, and we’ll have the hide and the horn. After that, finding the pet will be easy. We can kill this one before we take its hide, if that is your wish. The horn, however…you know what must be done.”

Teryn thought about his father, his kingdom, his duties as heir. The promises he’d made. His heart ached to spare the unicorn, but when had following one’s heart ever served the greater good? His father had followed his heart and nearly brought war to the shores of Menah. Mareleau was supposedly following her heart by seeking a better match than Teryn, but her Hunt had now resulted in a massacre. Teryn’s duty was to his kingdom. Mareleau may have had no qualms with breaking their contract, but he’d promised to marry her. Promised his father he’d do what needed to be done to secure her hand.

And if it meant killing one unicorn…

He glanced at the creature again and felt his stomach drop. Grief tugged at his bones, dragged his heart over brambles and thorns. The words left his mouth before he realized what he was saying. But they were true. “It’s not worth it. It was never worth it.” If his promised bride was so heartless as to make such a violent request in exchange for her hand, then he wanted nothing to do with her. She’d broken her promise. Teryn would break his too.

Helios’ shoulders tensed. “So, you forfeit.”

Teryn swallowed hard, his throat dry. “I suppose I do.”

“And you, Lexington?”

No answer came.

Teryn cast a quick glance at Lex and found him still standing over Sam’s body, his face pale.

Helios moved, bringing Teryn’s attention back to him. He now held his sword in addition to the dagger. Teryn prepared to throw his spear, but Helios was quickly closing in. Instead, he held the spear out before him. If he couldn’t throw it, he’d fight with it. Helios continued his charge but was suddenly stopped by a flurry of feathers and talons. Berol scratched at his face, forcing Helios to shield his eyes. The falcon raked her talons through the man’s forearm, sending his sword clattering to the ground. Helios slashed out blindly with the dagger.

Teryn’s heart pounded as he watched Berol carve gouges in the man’s flesh. He was torn between aiding Berol’s efforts with a spear to the gut, or calling the bird back. Before he could consider what to do, he swayed on his feet. The poison , he thought with terror. He swayed again, legs trembling. Berol suddenly took off, heading straight for Teryn. He expected her to land on his shoulder, but the falcon only flapped her wings in his face, forcing Teryn back. Back. Back.

“What are you?—”

His words dissolved under the sound of trembling earth. Something enormous barreled past Teryn, directly over the place he’d just stood. He heard Lex cry out, turned to find him curled on his side, cradling his arm. When he looked back at whatever had invaded the camp, he realized this was the monster. There was no other name for it. It looked as if two creatures had merged into one, born from flame, its skin raw and red. A ridge of spikes ran down its spine. Teryn scrambled back, but the monster paid him no heed. Its beady eyes were fixed on Helios. In the next moment, it was upon him. The creature opened its giant, salivating maw and closed it over Helios’ head and shoulders. Teryn couldn’t blink as Helios’ muffled screams pierced the air. Blood poured over the monster’s lips and dripped to the ground below. Helios clawed, stabbed, but the monster continued to bury its teeth deeper into his flesh. The unicorn horn blade fell to the ground, and Helios’ body went still. The monster released him, but Teryn knew he was already gone. He held his breath as the creature ran its nose over the earth, as if seeking something. It inched closer and closer to Helios’ discarded blade.

A crash sounded. Teryn’s eyes flew to the cage where the unicorn was bucking madly.

With a roar, the monster charged the cage, slamming it with its enormous front hooves. The iron bars dented but didn’t break. Still, the monster relentlessly struck the cage again and again.

Suddenly, the monster reared back with a roar. An arrow pierced its neck, and Teryn saw another had already gouged its eye. A figure emerged from the trees, bow raised, arrow nocked. The girl from the stream shot the monster again, blinding its other eye. The creature roared and wailed, trampling the lifeless bodies strewn about camp as it tried to shake the arrows free. The woman shot it again, directly between the eyes. Teryn expected the monster to falter, to slow, but it didn’t. Instead, it tore away from its attacker, crashing against tree trunks as it fled into the night.

Teryn’s chest heaved as he struggled to catch his breath. His body trembled from head to toe. Something brushed against his temple. Berol. She nipped at him as if to test that he was unharmed. “I’m fine,” he muttered, voice strained. He wasn’t sure when the falcon had landed on his shoulder. He’d been too distracted by the monster.

His eyes drifted to Helios’ maimed body, the blood all around him, the battered earth left in the monster’s wake. Movement drew his gaze, reminding him the threat wasn’t over.

The woman stormed over to him, an arrow aimed at his heart. “Why aren’t you dead?”