Page 39 of Silver in the Bone

Only, they never struck. A grunt came from above me, and a moment later, my mind registered the weight and heat at my back. My face burned as I shoved up against where Emrys was covering me. “Get off!”

A section of the roof buckled without its supports, crashing down with enough force to make the ground shudder. The sorceress leapt back, her mouth forming a small O of surprise.

The men inside yelped and shouted as a violent tremor ran through what remained of the building, threatening to level it.

Cabell, I thought, clawing my way back onto my feet. My ears rang as I stumbled forward—just as Cabell broke his zip tie and used his shoulder to ram his way through the brittle wooden wall behind him.

But by the time I’d rounded the corner to intercept him, he was gone, dodging and weaving his way into the village. I tried to follow the path I thought he might take, pushing through curious townsfolk and tourists who’d come to see what the commotion was, but when I glanced back at the barn, it was Septimus who met my gaze.

“There!” he called, throwing an arm out.

Hide, hide, hide, my mind chanted. Cabell would find somewhere safe to wait them out, and I needed to do the same. All I could see, though, were homes and shops. Until, ahead, a boarded-up pub, clearly undergoing some sort of renovations, called to me like a beacon.

I ran around to the back of it but found the walls stripped down to studs, leaving no place to hide.

The garden was littered with construction materials, but there were no workers around. There was, however, a rickety garden shed. I pulled a bobby pin out of my hair and started to pick the lock, only to find it was already open.

I ducked inside, my lungs burning, my side cramping, and threw the door shut behind me. I locked it, but still searched for something to brace the handle with.

There was nothing inside the shed besides a few broken lawn chairs, storage boxes, and Emrys Dye.

He scrambled to his feet from behind a stack of crates. “No. Absolutely not. Get out.”

“Are you serious?” I said.

“I was here first!” he protested. “Find a different hiding place!”

The shed creaked, trying to settle its weary old bones. Our boots kicked up the smell of dirt and dead grass.

“You find a different hiding place!” I shot back. “You’re the one who insisted on following me here!”

Cold air and sunlight flooded the shed as the door swung open. I launched myself forward to shove my way past whoever had found us. At the feel of hands clamping around my arms, I yanked back, trying to free myself.

“Tams! It’s me—it’s me!”

The warm leather smell of Cabell’s jacket wrapped around me as his arms did. I gripped him back, my throat aching with the depth of my relief.

“Are you all right?” I asked him.

“I’m fine,” he said.

My relief was short-lived. Behind him, Neve stepped into view, her wand still clutched in her fist.

“You!” I seethed.

“Me!” she confirmed cheerfully. “See, we get to hang out after all!”

I was vaguely aware of Emrys nearby, his hand hovering over the axe in his travel pack. I don’t know what my expression must have looked like for Cabell to put a steadying hand on my shoulder.

“Tamsin, this is the Sorceress Neve,” he said. “And she’s got an offer you’re going to want to hear.”

“Sorceress,” I repeated, letting venom ooze into the word. “That was quite the act you put on for me, pretending you were one of the Cunningfolk.”

“You know each other?” Emrys asked, finally relaxing his stance.

“Yup, we go way back,” Neve said.

“Yeah, all the way back to last month,” I deadpanned.

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