Page 81 of Kingdoms of Night

He crouched at the edge of the water upstream from the wolves and scooped up water, his hands forming a makeshift cup. The cold, clear liquid tasted almost as good as the waters back home and soothed his throat. Nothing beat fresh water on a warm summer’s day. He drew up another handful as the wolves happily lapped it up, commenting on how good the water was and how refreshing after a nice run in the sun.

Idalno kept her knife drawn and stooped slower, the tassels of her shawl trailing in the water. Using only one hand instead of both, she glanced around once more and then slowly sipped out of her palm. What had her so on edge?

Not that he really wanted her to talk to him. But still—“What’s going on?”

“Puck said to be careful. That most everything out here could kill us.”

“Do you see something out here that scares you?”

“No.” She scowled. “And that’s part of what scares me. This place feels strange. Things are missing. Something feels off.”

It did. As he drank, he studied the woods around them. A strange scent reached his nostrils, downstream, distant, pungent.

The river twisted and disappeared beyond the trees and hills. The scent strengthened the more he focused. Maybe the carcass of some animal he’d never encountered.

Forests could be dangerous places, and they were still getting a feel for this one. The prey was scarce, and where prey went, predators tended to follow; there hadn’t been signs of predation, scavenging, scat, or even spoor here. The large claw marks in some of the village’s doors warned that there had probably been some predators, at least at some point. Maybe over the edge of the hill, he’d see the carcass of one and learn something more about what they could expect of a living predator here. He wiped his mouth and started up the hill.

“Hey,” Idalno called after him, the frown apparent in her voice. “What are you doing?”

“Checking something. There’s an odd smell.” If whatever it was had died, it’d probably be safe.

The wolves ran after him.What are you checking? Come back.

“Do you know what’s up here?” he asked them.

She sighed heavily. “Of course I don’t. I know as much as you do about this place.”

Did she not realize he was talking to the wolves? Scowling, he shook his head as he glanced at Hawthorn and Buttercup.

They matched their pace to his, pointed ears tilted back.

Bad things are here, but not sure which kind.Hawthorn whined as they neared the top of the hill.All kinds of bad things with teeth.

Fast and big,Buttercup confirmed.And not always the same ones.

Some kind of monster, probably.What kind of monster is it?He glanced at them both.

You mean the one that used to be here?Buttercup trotted a little farther ahead.There was one that used to be here until the Wild Hunt tried to capture it. Don’t know if it came back. Sometimes they do.

What did they want with it? And what was it?Feron asked.

Big and fast, Hawthorn said.Very scaly. Hard to bite. Hard to claw. Grows too fast.

The wind changed, blowing against his face now. He wrinkled his nose as Idalno gagged loudly. It smelled of rot and death. At least whatever had been here was dead now.

The leaves and branches whispered as the bird song continued unabated. He crested the hill. It became a much steeper embankment with sparser grass leading down into a small marshy valley.

A large stony hill rose up at the back, mostly bare except for some scattered grass and gray thick-capped mushrooms. The river itself continued on, slicing through the little valley, some of it spilling over into a large pond of dark water with large rocks scattered throughout. The pond led into a cave, its mouth complete with jagged stalactites and stalagmites as teeth.

He suppressed a shudder. A cold greasy sensation coiled in his stomach as he surveyed the area. The unpleasant terrain obscured footprints.The creature lived here?

It did.Hawthorn scented the air.It may have returned.

Returned? He listened as hard as he could, but there were no signs of life aside from their own.

Idalno appeared beside him, arms folded over her chest. “Puck said that something called a Lambton Wyrm used to live around here. That’s what the village was named for. Seems a little far away, but maybe this is one of its lairs?”

We should go.Buttercup’s ears pricked back still farther.

---