Page 36 of Faerie Hunted

Chilled to the bone, I scrambled up the rockface, my fingertips numb and theTotalisstill clutched in the other hand. “I think we’re getting close to the top,” I called back to Onyx.

Then stopped short when I noticed him several yards away and leaning against a tree trunk for support.

He glanced up at me and nodded, his white hair stuck to his cheeks. He was flagging badly and his limp was noticeably worse as he struggled to close the gap between us.

“Hey, how about we try to find somewhere to rest,” I offered. “This rain is going to get worse. Hopefully it will work to our advantage and cover our scents.”

He was too out of breath to answer.

I wanted to get farther but the weather and Onyx’s condition made the going too slow to be safe. I glanced around, nodding at Noren until he jogged off. A few seconds later he returned and flashed his teeth in a terrifying facsimile of a canid smile.

“This way.” I gestured for Onyx to follow and then decided better, heading over and offering him my shoulder to lean on.

He refused and limped ahead as we followed Noren through the trees.

The thin trail wound through several rocky outcroppings, and loose gravel skidded under our feet.

Eventually the trail widened out, taking a sharp turn and ending in a broad flat spot. Noren huffed for us to continue and I lost him around the next bend. The view of the valley was barely visible through the driving rain, and although I didn’t see the castle, we were still too close for my peace of mind.

Noren found a cave large enough for the three of us to crouch together. At least we’d have shelter and a chance to talk. I told myself it was a good thing, a great thing, but I refused to let go of the tool on the off chance someone followed us. It worked on a crowd. It would work on a single person, if my magic held.

At this point it was a bigif—I already felt my strength waning.

I snuggled against Noren, the tightness of the space leaving little room for any of us to move. My shiver deepened as the chill sank deep into my bones.

“This is because of me,” I murmured. “The weather. Faerie knows I don’t belong.”

Onyx scoffed, the bags under his eyes heavy enough to draw his entire face south. “I don’t believe that,” he assured me.

“It’s true, though. Look at how quickly it started to pour. The same thing happened when I arrived. The land knows I’m not supposed to be here.” And I’d used enough magic today to put myself back on its radar.

“It’s a storm, Tavi, it happens.” Onyx breathed deeply, his nostrils flaring. “Now how about we talk about this direwolf of yours.”

“I call him Noren. I don’t know if that’s his name or not but he’s my friend. My partner.”

Noren groaned and leaned the bulk of his weight into me.

“You do tend to collect outcasts, don’t you?”

“I hope you’re not talking about yourself.”

A small grin flickered across my lips regardless. It was hard to imagine this moment, given the last time I’d seen Onyx in his hospital bed. Or before, when he’d attacked me in his halfling wolf form. We’d done some damage to each other. I’d fought the way I had to fight to survive.

“Of course I am,” Onyx continued. “Still, it’s not every day you see a tame direwolf without the help of some sort of spell to keep its mind controlled.”

“I broke the spell on him. The same thing you saw me do today, I did with him, on a smaller scale. It’s my cognitive manipulation.” I palmed theAugundae Totalisand opened my fingers to allow Onyx a glimpse of the tool. “Mike got this to me right before…you know. It’s the reason we’re here and not dead.”

Onyx stopped, then groaned, the sound half laugh and half choke. “Then I suppose I'll have to be grateful to good ol’ Mike. What’s the plan? Do we even have one?”

I opened my mouth to automatically respond and snapped it shut quickly. I hadn’t given it a thought. “Honestly, the only thing on my mind was getting us out.”

“Thank you,” he said eventually. “For saving me. I really thought we were out of time. And luck. Not that I’ve been able to count on luck for most of my life.”

Hell no. Not when your dad was Kendrick Grimaldi.

“Are you okay?” I glanced down at his bent knee, the one he kept cradled to his chest. “You were limping a lot.”

He looked like he’d rather swallow his own tongue than answer. Then, finally, “Many of my injuries healed. There are some the doctors who tended me said will never completely heal. I will likely live with debilitating pain for the rest of my life, from those injuries.”

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