Page 60 of The Night Prince 2

He was merely seeing the past.

He scanned the forest all around them.

His night vision would have shown him anyone nearby, but he saw not a thing. The moonlight and starlight filtered down through the trees, illuminated the space. Seith continued to quietly sob and Leisha to pray.

“Where are you?” Rhalyf muttered.

The utter chill should have meant that the Kindreth was right there. Was this but an echo of their magic? Again, Rhalyf felt a chill of another kind. Too powerful. This Kindreth was too powerful.

“Who are you?” Rhalyf asked.

No answer, of course. But the spell knew what he wanted to see and understand. His questions were really for his own subconscious.

Show me what I need to see. Tell me what I want to know. Reveal your secrets.

“We’re s-sorry,” Seith snorted out suddenly.

“Stop, Seith,” Leisha said, her voice full of dread. “It will do no good.”

“We’re sorry!” Seith cried louder, ignoring her. “We didn’t know!”

“What didn’t you know?” Rhalyf asked.

“We’ll say nothing! We’ll leave and never come back!” Seith promised the unknown killer.

“Seith, it’s over. He won’t let us go,” Leisha let out a laugh that had a hysterical ring to it.

He? Who is he?

There was a snap of a branch somewhere to their right. The two Aravae went stiff and then Seith was sobbing in sheer terror. Leisha was praying, but the words were getting mixed up. Something about the Sun bowing to the night. Something about darkness falling forever.

“Show yourself!” Rhalyf demanded.

Rhalfy’s eyes scanned the forest. He walked as far as he could towards the sound, but there was a limit to how far he could venture with the spell. Already it was getting hazy around him and he retreated.

But then he stopped.

He froze.

Someone was there.

Someone was behind him.

The metallic taste of fear flooded Rhalyf’s mouth. But that was foolish. He was seeing the past. He wasn’t in the past. The killer was not truly there. Not with him. Not…

“Show myself?” A voice whispered in the cusp of his right ear. “Perhaps it is time that you show yourself.”

Something cold as death went through Rhalyf. He gasped. His hands were at his throat. He was back in the present. In the glade, but it was daylight.

Thank the gods!

He was alone. There was no one… a snap of a branch had him spinning around, Quiril ready to stab. But it wasn’t any evil killer standing there between two tree trunks. It was Finley.

Rhalyf let out a sob-laugh. “Finley, you scared me! What are you–”

“Kindreth,” Finley whispered and lifted a shaking hand.

“What? Where?” Rhalyf swirled around to look behind him. For Finley was pointing behind him… wasn’t he? But as he moved, he caught sight of his hair.

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