Page 102 of Whispers of Helena
“Marbh!”
The wolves move as one.
Salt
Silas
The wolves creep forward,their muscles tight, their fangs bared, their growls rumbling. Bennett presses himself against the wall, eyes darting wildly, his breath coming in panicked, uneven gasps.
Then, from the corner of my vision, Caroline moves. Her hand slips behind her back, retrieving a small canister. My pulse spikes as she flicks the top open and lets the lid clatter to the ground. A fine white granules gleam in her palm beneath the moonlight.
“Move, Silas! Move!”
The urgency in her voice ignites something primal in me, and before I even process it, my feet carry me away from the line of spirits.
She lifts her hand, her breath controlled, and exhales sharply. The powder scatters into the air, twisting and curling like it’s being carried by unseen hands, stretching toward the six figures in the yard. The moment it touches them, a horrific screech erupts. Inhuman, the sound of agony and fury woven into one.
The six writhe, their forms distorting, their once-solid shapes unraveling like ashes caught in the wind. Darkness consumes them, their silhouettes collapsing inward before sinking—no,beingpulledinto the earth itself. The ground trembles, a deep, shuddering quake, as if the land itself rejects their presence.
Bennett’s screams slice through the air.
I turn just in time to see the wolves lunge.
They descend on him like a force of nature, a storm of teeth and fury. The first set of jaws clamps down on his arm, twisting.Crack. Another rips into his thigh, dragging him to the ground. He thrashes, his shrieks raw and gurgling as a set of fangs tears into his throat. Blood spills in thick, violent waves, splattering across the porch, pooling beneath him, soaking into the wood. The scent of iron fills the air.
My stomach twists.
Caroline.
My gaze snaps to her. Her chest heaves, her tear-filled eyes locking onto mine. Something in them—something final—grips my heart in a vice. She reaches for me, her fingers trembling.
I surge forward, arms outstretched, desperate to pull her to me.
But then?—
A thunderclap splits the sky.
And in an instant,she’s gone.
Shadow moves at a slow,weary gait as I cross the treeline into the yard. Beside me, Merriweather follows, tethered to me by a rope in my hand.
Riderless.
The first rays of sunlight break over the horizon, casting a soft golden glow across the land. But the warmth doesn’t reach me. My chest feels hollow, my soul torn from my very being.
I just got her back.
And now she’s gone.
I slide off Shadow’s back, my movements heavy, weighed down with exhaustion and grief. Leading both horses into thestables, I unfasten their saddles, running a hand absently down Shadow’s neck. The familiar feel of him under my hand should comfort me, but it does nothing to ease the ache clawing at my chest.
Quick, urgent footsteps crunch against the gravel outside. I don’t turn.
Eli bursts into the stable first, his breathing uneven, eyes frantic as they scan the empty space. Searching.
“Where’s Caroline?” His voice is sharp, edged with worry.
I lower my forehead to Shadow’s neck, my fingers gripping the leather reins like a lifeline. The words won’t come.
