Page 111 of Lake of Sorrow

She didn’t try to pull away, but she tried again to get through to him. She had to.

“I know you’re in there, Vlerion. I need you to change back. The kingdom needs you too. And your fellow rangers need you. We have to come up with a plan. Do you understand?”

His eyes changed ever so slightly. They became less animal, less savage.

“Once the kingdom is safe, I’ll find a way to lift your curse,” she promised, vowing that it wouldn’t be a lie. “Then we can be together.”

Still cupping her, he stroked her, his claw cutting the fabric of her shirt as a hint of defiance entered his eyes again. He wanted to be together now.

Though he’d been biting his enemies as much as cutting them with his claws, she made herself lean forward to kiss him, willing whatever power she could command to enter him, to soothe him. To at least make him amenable to her suggestions.

At first, he kissed her back, savage with need. But the brand on her hand tingled, and she imagined magical energy flowing up her arm, through her, and into him.

The beast growled. Or was that a groan? A groan of acceptance?

His lips softened against hers, and he lowered his paw. Some of the tension eased out of his taut muscles, the dangerous edge bleeding away.

Kaylina believed he was on the verge of collapsing and turning back into a man when a blur of blue streaked in from the side.

Captured by her kiss and her power, the beast didn’t notice until the last moment. He spun to face the threat, but the taybarri—it was Crenoch—flattened him.

A second taybarri charged in right behind him. Levitke. Together, they pinned the beast’s arms and legs to the ground, and Crenoch sat on his chest.

Even their combined power might not have normally been enough to keep him down, but the fight had seeped out of the beast. Trapped under them, he morphed back into a man, his sword and boots lost, his clothes in tatters. In the process, he lost consciousness.

Crenoch and Levitke looked at each other, their floppy ears quirking. Maybe they hadn’t expected that to be so easy.

Kaylina almost pointed out that the beast had already been on the verge of collapsing but decided against it. In the future, she might need their help with him again. It would be better if the taybarri weren’t as terrified of him.

“Thank you, you two. I don’t suppose one of you would free me? My shoulders are terribly sore, and there’s… a lot to do.”

Kaylina hoped Vlerion woke soon, because she wanted to know what was going on in the capital. Had that diplomatic party already enacted some scheme? Were invisible Kar’ruk racing through the city streets with axes and torches, destroying everything and everyone they encountered?

The plant’s vision hadn’t been entirely accurate about the beast-Kar’ruk confrontation—at least how things ended with her—so she wouldn’t assume the new vision would play out exactly as shown. Even so, she had little doubt the Kar’ruk had come to enact a scheme and did want to burn down the city.

“No way are we going to let that happen,” she vowed softly. “I have a meadery to open.”

After exchanging grave looks that may have hinted of trouble that had already started back in Port Jirador, Levitke and Crenoch moved off Vlerion. Levitke rounded the stump and, using a sharp fang, cut the rope tying Kaylina to it.

A surge of relief came as blood flowed into her arms again. She shook them out, then bent to untie her ankles.

Crenoch whuffed toward Levitke. He remained with Vlerion but must have realized the threat had passed, because he lay on his belly beside him now, only his broad head on Vlerion’s chest. It looked more like he was using him for a pillow than trying to keep him in place.

“Long night for you guys too, huh?” Once Kaylina had the rope untied, she kicked it away with passion.

Crenoch whuffed again, then rolled onto his back, jaw opening, and tongue lolling out.

“Yeah, I’d like a nap too, but…” Kaylina picked a path between the dead Kar’ruk, wanting to find her sling, knife, and pick up her maimed pack. Maybe she could locate bandages for Vlerion’s wounds too. “A lot more Kar’ruk are coming,” she added to the taybarri. “And they can turn invisible. Well, they paint themselves with powder from an altered plant, and that makes them hard to see. Did you tell him, Levitke?”

She whuffed an affirmative, then walked toward one of the tents, glancing at the cauldron of Kaylina’s blood and who knew what else. She used her tail to knock it over, dousing the fire in the process. Blue-black smoke wafted up.

Ignoring it, Levitke stuck her head in the tent and poked around. She withdrew the kit the female had carried.

Remembering the scalpel, Kaylina shuddered.

Levitke dropped the kit, used a claw to open it, then lowered her fangs to pull out squares of soft hide and strips of braided grass.

“Are those Kar’ruk bandages?” Kaylina asked.

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