Page 17 of Burn Bright
"Are you certain you heard something out here?" I stage-whispered as he fell into step beside me, "or were you just trying to get mealone?"
Casimir looked at me sharply, then his shoulders relaxed. "Yes," he said dryly. "I thought I'd conjure up a monster, just so I could listen to the dulcet tones of yourvoice."
"Nice touch with the skull. You might have gone a little overboard, however. Makes a girl want to throw up, not throw herself into yourarms."
"I'll remember that for nexttime."
The terrible humor took the edge off my nerves. "Hopefully there's not going to be a next time. I think I've managed my quota of skulls for themonth."
"What do you think didit?"
I didn'tanswer.
"No animal did that," Cas added. As if I wasn't entirely aware of thatfact.
I dragged myself up onto a fallen tree, and tucked my knees against my chest. "I told you. There's something in these woods that isn'thuman."
"Monsters," he saidflatly.
"Don't tell meyoudon't believe inmonsters?"
"Only human ones." His nostrils flared though, and I knew he could still smell whatever itwas.
Human ones. I couldn't stop my gaze from dropping to his collar. "I don't know what it was. Could be anything. I've never seen a monster, but all the old tales speak of them." A pause. "I think there's a witch in these woods. At least... I met her two days ago. She was pretty scary. Definitelywitchlike."
Destiny, Neva.... I could almost hear her voice whispering through thetrees.
No, thankyou.
But I'd promised I wouldn't return, and what happened? The very next day I was marching back in here, caught up in a king's perilousquest.
"A witch," he said gruffly. "Where's the iron and salt when you needit?"
"Does that actuallywork?"
"The priests in the city say itdoes."
Curious. "The ones who preach the Way of the Light, do youmean?"
He glanced around him, an unconscious movement that told a great deal. "I'd be careful what you say about the Way of the Light in front of the prince's men. The last few years... Caskill's an ant-heap just waiting to be kicked, and some of the men riding with us serve theLight."
Not Hussar, I was guessing. "The prince didn't seem like aconvert."
"He's not." Casimir grimaced. "His younger brother, Rygil, is. And there's a growing faction at court that thinks I ought to be burned at the stake. Witches too, and monsters. Even this whole bloody forest ought to be purged, according tothem."
I stared athim.
"It's a popular idea. The king likes burning people a little too much," he said grimly, "and if they butter him up enough, then he might send their Fire Priestsnorth."
The bottom of my stomach dropped. I could almost imagine the fires burningmytrees, my forest. "Wouldn't it be a shame if the prince didn't capture the firebird, and couldn't heal hisfather?"
The king would die. Prince Evaron would step onto the throne, and although I didn't trust anyone who wore gold as carelessly as he did, he wasn't unkind. Not like hisfather.
Maybe he'd stop this madness before it tookhold?
"Why are we even hunting this thing?" I whispered. "We could lead the men around for a few weeks, claim we found nothing, and then Evaron gets to be king." The thought intrigued me. "You're his friend. Surely the thoughtappeals?"
Casimir's head tipped back, baring his throat as he leaned against the tree. He sighed. "It's not quite thatsimple."
