Page 88 of Void of Endings
“You mean the ones that look like they’re tracking our every move?” Tiernan unsheathed both of his swords in one fluid motion, and the hiss of metal sliding against leather echoed in his ears.
“The very ones,” Rowan confirmed as another flock of ravens arrived. They moved together as one, circling and swooping, like a cloud of darkness.
“That’s because they are,” Casimir murmured, jerking his head toward the swarm of birds. He pulled his hood low, glancing over at Tiernan and Rowan. “Tracking us, that is.”
He readied both of his weapons.
Fuck.
Without warning, another wolf emerged from further up the trail. This one snapped its vicious jaws, its growl reverberating all the way through to Tiernan’s bones. He stole a hasty look over his shoulder to confirm what he’d already suspected—the other wolves had followed them. They must have been in a pack, there were at least six of them, and Tiernan realized they weren’t being tracked.
They were being herded.
Leaning forward, he kept his voice barely above a whisper, so only Rowan and Casimir could hear him when he spoke. “We’ve got a problem.”
“Yeah, we do.” A scowl creased across Rowan’s brow, and he withdrew the Astralstone.
Casimir crouched, lowering himself into an attack stance.
“Steady.” Tiernan watched as Rowan’s magic shimmered around them, ready to crash beneath the impending threat at any moment. “On my count.”
The wolves inched closer.
“One.”
Those fucking ravens wouldn’t shut up.
“Two.”
The wolf nearest them reared back on its haunches, preparing to lunge.
“Three!”
Rowan’s illusion fell, and the three of them launched into the fray. Except it was worse than anything Tiernan could have expected. He wasn’t prepared for it. None of them had been prepared.
The pack of wolves shifted at once, transforming from feral beasts into Puca, those bastard fae that crafted weapons and created portals. It was one thing to fight off a band of wolves. It was something else entirely to go up against well-trained fae who were more than capable of holding their own. The one closest to Tiernan growled, and curved horns appeared, protruding from the top of his head. Black veins bulged against his tanned flesh, and his mouth twisted into a ferocious snarl, revealing a set of uneven, jagged teeth. His clothing was shredded and singed, as though it’d been burnt. Scars littered the Puca’s arms, and he stalked toward Tiernan, twirling a sword whose blade glinted with the sheen of nightshade.
Lovely.
The clash of swords drowned out the noise from those insufferable birds. There was a rush of foul magic, so wretched it caused Tiernan’s stomach to heave. He bit back the burn of bile and spun away from the Puca on his left as his blades cut through the air. From his other side, Rowan loosed a few choice words, calling upon a swell of shadows, while Casimir rolled across the ground to avoid a dagger to the heart. Tiernan dodged the next strike, stepping into the turn, so his sword sliced the Puca from his shoulder to his gut.
The Puca didn’t appear at all bothered by the blood soaking his shirt, or that he’d been carved across his chest. He showed no signs of injury or fatigue, despite the gaping wound marring him. Instead, he lurched toward Tiernan once more, with an evil gleam in his eye. Violet lightning splintered through the tumultuous clouds as Tiernan’s storm erupted. His blood pumped as his power collided with the crush of stifling dark magic.
At once, the flock of ravens took to the sky. Tiernan tried to avoid getting himself killed while being distracted by the peculiar spectacle taking place above him. The ravens flew in a pattern, circling around and around over Suvarese, soaring through the clouds and mist. Suddenly, their annoying squawks morphed into screeches of rage. Gangly limbs and dagger-like claws ripped free from their wings, their bodies elongated, and a violent throng of dark fae blocked out the remaining shreds of dim light.
“Look out!” Casimir shouted, as the dark fae ambushed them from all sides.
Diving downward, the dark fae split off in different directions, enclosing Tiernan, Rowan, and Casimir each in a chaotic whirlwind of frenzied magic, separating them.
“No!” Tiernan lurched toward Rowan, but he vanished behind a wall of feathers and darkness.
Struggling to regain his bearings, Tiernan swung at anything and everything. They were too fast, too quick for him to catch. Wings scraped against the leather of his armor as they flew around him at a dizzying speed. Claws snared in his hair, tugged on his legs, disorienting him. All he could see was an endless pitch as the dark fae swarmed him. His blade slashed through the air, tearing into battered wings and flesh. He squinted against the onslaught, staggering backward as sharp claws scratched at his face and ears.
But they weren’t attacking with intent to harm.
They were taunting him. Toying with him.
Distracting him.
