Page 16 of Soul of Thorns
I knew we were walking closer and closer to that reality. But something about knowing we are safe from her direct reach now but not once we pass the wall makes it feel more real. Will she be there waiting for us the moment we pass? Will there be an army of wraiths waiting?
“See for yourself if you do not believe me. Creatures will pass through the fire as they would pass through a smokescreen. There is no trick. There is nothing you can do to ensure you survive. You will either pass or you will fail. You will not know until you’re beneath the roaring flames.”
“Or you could just be telling us this to ensure we both die.” I place my hand on my hip.
The wraith tsks. “I have given you the knowledge I have of the judgment. You must choose your way for yourself.”
“We tried to get close already, and my clothes began smoking.”
“Such exaggerations.” The wolf rolls his eyes. “The real trick for you will be passing through without falling into a trap. The Night Terror and her beast are waiting for you.”
I bite my lip. “I figured that much.”
“Well, I could possibly be persuaded to help.” The wolf begins to pace again.
“What would you get out of the deal?” Rev asks.
His smile spreads wide, exposing those sharp teeth again. “The satisfaction of knowing I helped to end the Night Terror’s reign.”
I narrow my eyes. “You told us you weren’t an enemy,” I say. “You didn’t say you were an ally.”
“Oh, well, I’m not, strictly speaking. I simply haven’t chosen a side. If I believe you capable of succeeding, I would love to align with you.”
And if he decides we are doomed to fail? What will he do then?
I glance to Rev, who’s watching my expression closely. “What do you think?”
We got as much information out of the wraith-wolf as possible, so we could run or fight or just tell him to shove off now. Or we could accept him as an ally. Because I do agree we could use help to ensure we aren’t falling right into the Night Terror’s clutches the moment was pass through the wall of fire.
“I think our next step is scoping out the wall,” Rev says. “He says wraiths and animals pass through the fire as simple as a smokescreen. Let’s see it.”
I purse my lips. A test. Or at least stalling. I suppose I can handle that decision. I nod, and for the first time, I drop my shadows.
“We’re going to journey closer to the wall,” I tell him. “To watch something pass through.”
“Well, what are you waiting for?” he exclaims. “Let’s get a move on.”
The wraith-wolf prowls forward, leading the way back through the mountain pass. I am not particularly confident in this wolf’s motives being so pure, but I will admit we needed information. If there is one thing wraiths seem to be good at—it’s information. How they seem to know everything, even about specifics outside the Schorchedlands, I’ll never understand.
“What even are you?” I ask as we walk slowly toward the wall of flames. Heat is already building. Sweat beads on my brow.
“Me? I am a wraith, of course. I thought you were smarter than that.”
I roll my eyes. “Why do you take the form of a wolf instead of a fae? Are you something like the zombie animals we keep seeing?”
“Those mindless creatures? No, certainly not. They are simply animals unlucky enough to have been trapped in this forest when the curse began. They were living breathing beasts once upon a time.”
I frown. They were regular animals when the Schorchedlands were created? I can’t imagine them being able to breed, so did they become immortal when they were trapped? I blink back those thoughts. I have more important things to consider right now.
“I take the form of a wolf simply because this was the form I died in.”
My eyebrows pull down. “What?”
“I was a shifter, child. From the Beastly Court. I took the form of a wolf as often as I pleased. It was a convenient form to take for battle. And that is how I died.”
“Interesting,” Rev mumbles.
Finally, the roaring red wall of flames comes into view and I am reminded of just how uncomfortable it is to be near. “Why is it so hot if it doesn’t burn you physically?”
