Page 11

W e retraced our steps out of Dragon’s Hollow and back towards The Shadow, the morale of the group slowly dwindling. It wasn’t until we had crested the hill and had come back down on the other side that I realized I had forgotten to get any glamours.

If we couldn’t find Alastir, we would need to return to the seaside cabin. We couldn’t risk staying in Prins and being seen. It was far too risky, and the Noctani and the rest of Donika’s soldiers were likely on high alert, searching the realm high and low for us.

Saanvi stayed in her human form as she led us down the steep stone staircase back into the depths of The Shadow once more. We passed through the heavy, spelled door and traversed the long alleyway beyond it.

The hair on the back of my neck raised as if my magic could sense something in the air, and I shot Tess a sidelong glance. Her eyes flashed with worry, telling me she sensed the same thing. The sooner we found Alastir and got out of The Shadow, the better.

Puck led the way towards the Siraway Sea, into the brothel district where the buildings were shuttered closed.

The only light escaping those townhomes was the open door as patrons passed in and out.

We kept our heads down and walked onward, trying our best not to draw any attention to ourselves.

The cobblestone road turned and brought us into an area of The Shadow I had never explored before.

When we passed the Old Cat pub, I knew we were heading in the right direction.

The street curved around the ramshackle buildings and the mountains could be seen immediately beyond, through rips and tears in the awnings strung overhead.

“Any idea where we are going now?” I asked at Puck’s back, a nervous trickle crawling up my spine.

“Your guess is as good as mine. Our friend at the charm shop wasn’t the most helpful, to say the least,” Puck replied as he cast a glance over his shoulder.

“I think I have an idea where,” Kenna replied, her nose crinkling.

She was using her heightened sense of hearing and smell to investigate the surrounding area. I wondered if she could hear some of the conversations from inside the buildings we passed. Oh, to be a fly on the wall in The Shadow. I could only imagine.

“By all means, dear raven, lead the way,” Puck winked at her, motioning for her to walk ahead of him .

She rolled her eyes at him, giving him a playful shove before turning left towards the higher walls that enclosed The Shadow in its entirety.

We were close to the edges of The Shadow now, and to exit, we would need to backtrack significantly.

A sensation of unease settled deep within my gut at the thought.

We weren’t near any of the staircases that led up or down to either side of Prins.

“And where are we going, exactly?” Saanvi asked, her brow raised at Kenna’s back.

“You’ll have to wait and see,” she replied, a coy smile playing across her lips.

Tess shot me a glance, and I shrugged. There was an awfully flirty tone to the words exchanged between Saanvi and Kenna lately, but I had always thought they were merely friends.

The vibes had changed recently, and I was starting to think that was no longer the case.

It made my jealousy of her when we had first met all the more laughable.

“You and your secrets,” Saanvi murmured in response, a smile lifting the corner of her mouth as her eyes glanced at her boots against the cobblestones.

I sensed another tickle on the back of my neck, as if we were being watched. I cast a glance behind us to see if we were being followed, but the narrow street behind was empty.

I turned forwards once more, shaking the thought from my head.

I was anxious to find Alastir and ask our questions, then get the hell out of The Shadow.

I prayed the shop worker hadn’t sent us on a wild goose chase.

The only solace I had was that Puck had scared him shitless despite his initial failed attempts, and I doubted he would lie to us after that .

“Do you feel that?” Puck asked, stopping before a shop window and turning his head, eyes downcast.

“Feel what?” Tess asked, moving to his side.

“I feel like… like someone is watching us.”

My eyes darted up and down the street. “Yes.”

I hadn’t imagined it.

“I’ve felt weird since the moment we descended into The Shadow,” Tess agreed.

I nodded. The sensation was growing in intensity, as if it were a crescendo.

It started off small and slow, but the strength and intensity was building within me, and my magic surged to my fingertips.

I bit my lip and tried my hardest to push it back down, but a crack of thunder sounded overhead and I squeezed my eyes shut.

Shit .

“Maybe nobody heard it?” Kenna offered with a halfhearted shrug.

“Yeah, right. The Goddamn sun is out. Not a threat of clouds in the sky. Seven devils,” Puck swore, running a hand through his mess of curls.

“I’m sorry. I can’t control it…” I trailed off, shaking my head. I tried my hardest to concentrate, pushing my magic back to my core.

“I don’t like this,” Puck replied, his eyes on me. “We need to get out of here. Now. Someone knows we’re here.”

That same sensation had grown and was pronounced in my core, as if an incredibly powerful magic wielder was nearby. As if my own magic could sense it .

“Couldn’t agree more,” Tess replied, turning back towards the way we had come.

As we spun to follow on her heels, the sensation tickling the back of my neck hit a climax. Seven men moved into the mouth of the street, one by one stalking into view. The man at the front of the pack was one that I recognized, and a breath escaped my chest as I took a step back away from them.

Kane Price.

Not only was he a member of Donika’s army, but he was Fletcher’s brother. Fletcher… who I had killed in the battle at the Prins safe house with my unbound magic. After he had slain Tyr.

I swallowed hard, taking another step backwards.

We were outnumbered. Rage flickered in Kane’s gaze as he slinked forward, his steps slow and methodical.

A club was held in one hand, a broadsword in the other.

His men were equally well-armed, and all I had were my throwing knives and Stormslayer strapped against my thigh.

“Is this the part where we run?” Saanvi asked, her hand on her whip as she uncurled it against her side. She already had her sword gripped in her other hand.

“I would say so,” Puck replied, motioning with his head for us to take off in the opposite direction. “Let’s go.”

I pulled Stormslayer free, the dagger instilling a sense of surety in me as I held it tight in my grip.

We took off in the opposing direction, our boots slamming against the cobblestones as we ran.

Kenna led the way, but none of us were sure of the best way to escape from this vantage point.

We didn’t know where we were. We weren’t lost, exactly, but we were in a part of The Shadow none of us were familiar with, and Kane and his men were close on our trail.

I could sense the magic rolling off Kane as if it were a physical, tangible thing. He was more powerful than Fletcher, and the thought had a lump forming in the back of my throat. Would we be able to beat them if it came down to hand-to-hand combat?

“Kotova!” Kane roared behind us, the sound of his boots against the cobbles growing closer and closer.

They were faster than us, that much was clear at this point.

They were gaining on us faster than we could outrun them.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Kane was familiar with these streets.

We followed Kenna as she banked right, towards the center of The Shadow, away from the Siraway mountains we had been heading towards.

The street narrowed, and we had to pass through single file before it opened again on the other side and we took off at top speed.

We were racing through the streets of The Shadow, causing quite a raucous, eyes drifting towards us and heads peeking out of shops to see what the commotion was about as we stormed by.

We darted around another hard left and Puck almost lost his footing, sliding against the stone road and scratching his forearm, leaving behind a streak of hot, red blood.

He was on his feet again in a matter of seconds, catching up to us.

He was faster than we were, and I feared he was holding himself back as to not leave us behind.

I pumped my arms at my side harder and harder, pushing myself to the limit .

I was never the fastest runner, but I had been training. At least I wasn’t being left behind by the entire group. Tess held herself back for me too, and I knew that nothing I could say or do would change that fact. She was all legs, and she could outrun any of us on her worst day.

“Where are we going?” Saanvi called out from behind me as we turned left again.

“You think I’ve got a clue?” Kenna turned her head as she called back to us. “I’m just trying to lose them!”

One more turn led us to a dead end, and we all skittered to a stop barely in time to prevent us from toppling over, one after the other as if we were a row of dominos.

“ Shit .” My breaths came in short, fast pants as I tried to fill my lungs with gulping heaps of air again.

“Turn back!” Kenna called from the front.

“Too late.” Tess replied, swallowing hard as we turned towards the way we had just come.

Kane had cornered us, twirling the club in his hand, a sinister smile across his lips.

“Kane, it doesn’t have to be like this…” Puck tried, his hands out as if he could put some distance between us and Kane’s men.

“I’ve never much liked you, Petyr ,” Kane spit out, Puck’s full name dripping with disdain as it left his mouth. As if it were not a name at all, but a curse.

“The feeling is mutual, trust me. But we don’t want any trouble,” Puck replied, his right hand moving to his Katana strapped across his back .

His hand rest against the hilt, but he didn’t pull it free. Not yet.