Page 25 of Their Fated Magic

“They’ll head back home, safe and sound,” Arlys reassures me.

Our eyes meet, and I’m lost for a moment in the brilliant deep green of his irises. It’s foolish, knowing now everything that I know, but I can’t take my eyes off of him. His lips curl into a little smile, and he takes a step toward me.

Garrick is suddenly between us. “Horses are smarter than you’d think. They can find their way home due to a mix of sensory input, memory, and intuition.”

I refocus on his words, tearing my thoughts from Arlys. We’ve been traveling for days. I’m amazed the horses will make it all the way back on their own. Although, my knowledge of horses is admittedly limited, and my focus should be on the next step of this journey.

With the horses gone, I face the mountain, craning my neck to see all the way to the top. I can’t. That’s how tall the damn thing is. Which means lots of climbing over rough terrain.

Fun. But this is what I signed on for.

“It’s not going to get smaller the longer we stare,” Rinan says, standing beside me.

I laugh. “If only.”

“Might as well get climbing,” Arlys says, resecuring his long dark hair.

We start up the mountain, walking quietly for a while. Rinan stays next to me the whole time with Arlys and Drogo behind us and Garrick at the back. I get the feeling Garrick wants to be beside me, but the wolves don’t give him the room to do so as we climb, which is strange.

I’m huffing and puffing a bit as Rinan takes my hand and helps me climb over a fallen tree, his hand lingering on mine for just a minute before he drops it. Something I try not to read too much into.

Instead, I keep going. This won’t be easy, I can already tell, but it’s not as bad as it seemed, and we quickly find a good pace. The path winds through the mountain, revealing stunning views. Vibrant wildflowers decorate the edges of the trail, and lush green ferns poke out from between rocks. My breathing is fast and my muscles are working, but I think I prefer this to riding.

“How sure are you that this is the solution to the Illness?” Rinan asks me.

My chest constricts, and my hands tingle. I know because of my mother’s message, but should I tell them? They already don’t trust me, especially Drogo.

“I wasn’t completely sure the witches did this until the night before we left on this journey,” I begin cautiously. Hesitantly.

This is probably a mistake, but I don’t like secrets. If I keep secrets from them, I’m proving I can’t be trusted.

“The night you ran away from us to the tower?” Rinan asks, confused.

Glancing at the others, I can see they’re all following the conversation with interest. Which is a little intimidating. I’ve gotten this far; there’s no backing down now.

So, I nod, forcing myself to make eye contact with him.

Inevitably, he asks the question. “What changed?”

Deep breath. “I got word from my mother.”

Everyone stops walking and closes in around me with wide eyes. Shit. Painful regret uncurls in my belly. I don’t know if I should have mentioned her. Or if I should tell them at all.

But to hell with it.

I swallow around the lump in my throat. “My mother told me to send word to her when all of the young shifters are too sick for battle, so the witches can infiltrate your land and decimate you. She said if I do that, then I can come back home.”

The second I see their expressions, I know telling them was a mistake.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Drogo roars, his face twisting in rage. “Why are we just hearing about this now? How can we trust you after you’ve kept something this big a secret? You’re probably leading us up this mountain to keep us from the cure, so everyone can get sick. How the hell would we even know?” He takes a step towards me, but Garrick is between us in an instant.

Unconsciously, I’ve taken a step back. My hand is on my heart. I knew something was going to happen. I should have gambled on the fact that Drogo would get upset. The guy has the disposition of an angry porcupine.

“Drogo, calm down,” Arlys says, placing his hands on Drogo’s shoulders and looking him in the eye. “Tara sharing this with us and coming out here to find the cure takes away her chance to go back home. She’s showing us her loyalty over the witches.” He turns to me, studying me, waiting for me to say something.

My thoughts spin, but I decide to be honest. “I’d never help the shifters hurt the witches, but I’m also not going to let my people kill yours in such a cowardly way. If you all want to keep fighting, warring with each other and killing both sides, I can’t stop that. I can try to stop this and save your kind from complete annihilation. I can help you heal, so you can defend yourselves against an attack.”

No one says a word or moves a muscle. All eyes are on me, and I look at each of the men, trying to read their emotions. They aren’t giving me anything. I bite my lip and blow out a breath, not sure of what to say or do next. Drogo seems calmer. Garrick isn’t holding on to him anymore. But no one has affection in their expressions. Their faces are all blank.

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