Page 137 of A Trial of Fate

Castor took a step back and nodded, his lethal twin blades out and ready at his sides. “They wouldn’t have carried him far past the border.”

“Good,” I said as I stepped forward into the land of the wilt.

I clutched the bow in my hand and reached back for an arrow to hold in the other. We jogged together slowly, our eyes and ears constantly scanning every step we made before daring to take another. It was slower than I wanted, but we had to be cautious. With that harpy creature’s talons embedded into his shoulders, I knew Daxton could not free himself through his teleporting magic. Wherever he would go, that monster would follow.

Not too far ahead, I heard a loud thundering clash. “There!” I exclaimed, knowing without a doubt that it was Daxton.

As we approached, the commotion increased. Multiple pairs of beating wings combined with the clashing sound of a sword slicing through flesh. My heart leaped at the knowledge that Daxton had not stopped fighting. No, he would never stop fighting. That fact alone stirred me to run faster, with Castor only a few paces behind me. I clutched my bow in my hand and nocked an arrow across the string. I was no physical match for these creatures with my dagger, but I could do some damage from a distance. That would give Castor the opening to return Daxton to safety so I could heal him.

“Up there.” Castor pointed to a small plateau, and we hurried up the side of the sandy hill. I could hear Dax fighting and felt the pulse of his ice magic fending off not one but three harpies that were bombarding him on all sides. I crested the side of the plateau and pulled back on my bow to take aim.

One harpy lay motionless to Daxton’s left, with a shard of ice penetrating through its feathered chest. I knew from the coloring of its feathers that this was the creature that intended to capture me. Three other female harpies were still circling Daxton, who held them back with a magical shield of ice, attacking with his sword if they dared to come closer. I could see the bloodied gashes along his neck and shoulders staining the ground from the wounds inflicted by thetalons of the first harpy he’d slain. The sharp points penetrated essential muscles and tendons that he needed to wield his sword above his head to fend off his enemies. We had arrived just in time to help him.

At a closer look, the creatures were a grotesque combination of fae and animal. It was like a shifter had been caught halfway through their transition between their human and animal forms. They had long, free-flowing golden hair with elongated pointed ears that stretched the length of their heads. The gray skin covering their faces looked almost sickly, with a dreaded hunger reflected in their large, ominous black eyes. Tan feathers coated their middle, leading to their bottom halves, which resembled the legs of an eagle or other bird of prey. Long, dark talons replaced their hands, and on their backs were a pair of sandy-colored bird-like wings that carried them through the air.

I took aim at the back center chest of one of them, hoping that if these creatures had a heart, my arrow would find it. Releasing my bowstring, Castor charged toward his brother. The female I aimed at saw me release my arrow and quickly dove out of the way, fiercely flapping her wings to retreat from the battle scene.I didn’t kill her, but at least that leaves only two.Castor leaped from a nearby boulder and flew through the air with twin blades slicing through one of the wings of the harpy that Dax had frozen between walls of his ice magic. She was trapped and unable to escape.

The creature’s scream of pain was deafening as it sliced through my ears and split my skull from the inside out. I dropped my bow to cover my ears, desperate to block out the sound, struggling to right myself. The world was doubled over, and I couldn’t concentrate on anything but the mind-numbing sound the harpy was creating. Daxton lashed out with one powerful swing of his sword and sliced through her neck, effectively ending the screeching melody. The ringing stopped in my head, and I sighed in relief as my vision stopped splitting in two. With the absence of screeching, I immediately grabbed my bow again and began searching for the remaining harpy that was still circling us in the sky.

Even though I could see in the dark, the magic of the wilt somehow interfered with my ability to see. I closed my eyes and listened for any sign of her approach. To my right, I heard the faint whisper of a wing flap and snapped my eyes open to the night sky. There she was, soaring through the air, diving straight for Castor and Daxton. I pulled back my arrow and released the string, aiming for theempty space I calculated she would be when my arrow reached its target. There was a loud thud as my arrow sank deep into the harpy’s chest. The female flying monster crashed into the ground, skipping over the top of the plateau until coming to a stop at the feet of Castor and Daxton. I remained still, my bow arm still extended and my release hand close by my cheek. My heart was thumping so loudly in my ears that the world around me seemed to disappear. I killed her.

I watched Daxton give Castor a command, and he took off over the top of the plateau. Very carefully, Daxton made his way over to where I was still standing with my bow. He held up his palms and whispered something, but I was still unable to hear much of anything. Coming to my side, I could smell the blood seeping from his open wounds, and that triggered me to snap out of my trance. I immediately dropped my bow, frantically throwing myself into Dax’s open arms. I didn’t care that he was bloodied from battle. He was alive, and he was safe. His arm encased me in a blanket of security as he pulled me in closer, one hand running through my hair while the other wrapped around my waist. My forehead rested against his cheek as we both refused to allow the other to move away.

He was all right. I almost didn’t believe it. If he wasn’t holding onto me, I didn’t know if I would have believed it. I released my hands and carefully moved them to the gaping wounds on his shoulders, ready to heal his wounds, but he made me pause as he cupped my face in his hands.

“Are you injured?” Dax asked while inspecting me from head to toe.

“No, but you are,” I said. I could smell the fresh blood pouring from the open wounds on his back, but Daxton didn’t even seem to notice. “Let me heal you, Dax, or else we won’t get out of here alive.”

“I don’t want you wasting any of your energy on my account. Trust me, I’m fine.”

“Liar.” I gave him the most disgruntled glare I could muster. “Turn around, you stubborn ass fae, and let me heal you.”

He grunted in disproval, but eventually turned his back to me so I could inspect his wounds. I summoned my healing magic, and it immediately answered my call. A golden hum of power appeared in my palms as I began to mend what was broken. I ran my hands over the deep gashes that scraped across his back, slowly migrating to the puncture wounds the harpy utilized to carry him through the air. I didn’t miss the fact that these wounds were meant for me, and I wasastonished that Daxton was alive… and still able to fight in this state.

“There,” I whispered, wiping my brow to examine my handiwork. “Feel better?”

“Much. My healing would have been able to repair these wounds, but—”

“But the veil and the queen have drained your magic. I know, Dax. You hide it well, but you didn’t allow me to heal everything the night she accepted your offering. There is no use trying to fool me.”

“It seems that way.” Dax rolled his shoulders and cast his gaze out toward the direction he sent Castor. “My brother is hunting for any others we missed. We don’t want a fallen or others coming to hunt us.”

“I should’ve—”

“Don’t,” Dax answered, turning to face me. “You ventured into the unknown dangers of the wilt and managed to slay a harpy diving out of the sky. You saved my life, Skylar.” His rough palm cupped my cheek once more, forcing my eyes to focus solely on his. “You found me.”

I smiled, knowing exactly what to say next. “We will always find each other.”

Dax leaned into me, and I couldn’t help the longing I felt to melt into his arms and allow him to help me carry the weight of the world that was resting on my shoulders. My eyes began to water, with a single tear falling to my cheek. Dax bent his head and gently pressed his lips to my brow, washing away my moment of weakness, allowing it to disappear without a hint of judgment or pity.

“It’s normal to be afraid, Spitfire. I would try to convince you that everything you are feeling is normal, but then again, you charged into the deathly wilt without hesitation. There is a wild streak of insanity beneath that wickedly beautiful face, isn’t there?”

Beautiful? Did Daxton just say that?

“It’s not this place that frightened me,” I said with a stone in my throat.

“What was it then? You can tell me. I won’t judge you.”

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