Page 68 of Marked

“I’d say I am at a pretty solid eleven,” I said.

Paul waggled his finger in my face and tsked. “Family first, sister dearest. No murdering me today. Besides…” He paused to brush his shirt. “It’s the best I could do.”

I sighed and looked up to find Ace watching me.

“What do you want to do?” he asked.

“What I want to do is go to bed and sleep for the next week.” I frowned and considered our options. It didn’t take long because we didn’t have many. “What we need to do is take advantage of this opportunity and go see those bodies.”

Ace nodded. “How long do you need to get ready?”

“Fifteen minutes. You?”

“I was born ready.”

I rolled my eyes. If this mission didn’t kill me, Ace’s overuse of clichés might do the job.

I stomped off to my bedroom. “See you in fifteen.”

25

A gentle breeze swept through the chilly air, bringing with it magic and a silent warning. I halted in my tracks as the wind tousled my hair and flicked up the hem of my cloak. Nala bumped into my legs. Gripping my bow firmly and plucking an arrow from my quiver, I turned toward the Danu Forest and stepped off the well-worn path.

My familiar whined.

“Emi?" Paul grumbled. “We don’t have time for this.”

“Then go on without me,” I replied.

“What’s happening?" Ace growled somewhere behind me.

“The forest is calling me,” I answered, though it was more than that. Danger lurked nearby and though the wind carried no words, the feel of power lingering on my skin told me a familiar was in trouble.

The wind drifted to a section of the forest where several people had stepped off the path.

Hunters.

The message from the forbidden forest’s magic was clear. There were poachers in the Danu Forest.

Leaving Paul and Ace behind, I followed their trail through the dense foliage, picking up speed as the magic tugged at me to move faster. Nala quietly moved behind me as I used broken twigs and tangled threads of wool to guide me.

It didn’t take long to catch up with the hunters. There were three of them. Three too many.

They leaned over a moving net, the trapped creature struggling beneath the tightly woven fabric. The hunters all wore light tan leather pants and green wool sweaters—a now familiar outfit I was sick of seeing.

Rogue hunters. Poachers.

I couldn’t tell what they’d caught, but it was large and angry. The identity of the animal didn’t matter, though. These men were trespassing in the forbidden forest and the penalty for their crime was death.

With Nala by my side, I moved silently around the edge of the clearing, staying hidden amongst the trees and carefully avoiding any stray branches or dry leaves that could betray my presence. Even the birds kept their distance as if they, too, wanted to help keep me hidden.

My leather gloves creaked as I tightened my grip on my bow, poised to strike once I found a better position.

Every fiber of my being thrummed with anticipation. My magic danced within me, mingling with the forest’s call.

I was the guardian of the forest.

I would protect what was rightfully ours.

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