Page 57 of Secrets and Ruin

“Yeah, and he’s bad, but we’ve got bigger problems,” Dirk said over his shoulder. “If you get lost out here, you’re going to wish he killed you and not something else. Or you might just find yourself another lost soul, going in circles until you starve to death and become one of the many bad things that stay here. Securing our way out is the first priority, not trying to get as far from him as possible. This trail might even lead us to somewhere safe to bunk down.”

“And Niko can feel them. If he catches our scent, he’ll know we’re on a safe way back home, not getting turned around,” I said, seeing how Dirk was thinking. His logic was sound, and I couldn’t think of a different idea that wasn’t even more dangerous in a place I barely understood. “He won’t be distracted by our safety as outsiders or his son.”

“Exactly. Then he can handle his brother, or he can follow us home and leave that asshole to rot out here.”

“That asshole will catch up to us,” Landon said, looking over his shoulder as I looked back to check on him. “Jacky and I followed the fucking paths, and it felt like we walked most of a day, and the fucking sun still isn’t up.”

“The Wild Hunt has always been ridden at night,” Dirk said. “The sun won’t come up out here until the hunter and his prey are separated, or one of them is dead.”

“Separated?” I needed to know more about that possibility.

“I think if the sun comes up, the hunt is over, but the sun doesn’t come up right now. I’m wondering if Niko leaves the forest, he might be free of this, and his brother will have lost his game, therefore, lost the hunt. That’s only a theory, though. I can’t say for certain. The killing each other part isn’t. The riders made it very clear that Niko’s brother had to kill him now. He started this, so it was time to finish it. If he died instead of Niko.”

“Who are they?” I couldn’t resist asking as we jogged. “The riders.”

“I don’t know their original identities, but from what I gathered, they’re watching him, ready to claim his soul when he fails or acknowledge his release from the bargain when this is over. I’ve only seen them come by a couple of times, and normally, it was just to watch us from the trees. Donotattack them if you see them. I don’t want to know what they’re capable of. Not even he wanted to mess with them, and they’re not exactly nice. He’s not capable of controlling his temper unless it’s with them. With them, he’s on his best behavior.”

“So, they could be random people claimed by the hunt, and this is their job tonight, or they could be very powerful.” I didn’t like not knowing. That was too wide of a margin to feel any security or make a proper plan to get around.

Dirk nodded over his shoulder, keeping us moving. He was moving a bit slower, probably trying to keep us going in the right direction. I had no idea if we were going deeper into the forest or back toward a safer area.

I trust Dirk with my life. I trust Landon with my life. I can’t throw indecision into this now. We can’t stop moving, or we’ll get caught no matter what we’re trying to do.

I kept repeating that to myself as Dirk ran in the lead, me in the middle, and Landon taking the back, running just slow enough not to clip my heels.

“Can I Change? Perhaps it might help,” I asked after some time, getting the words out between breaths. Dirk’s head shake didn’t come with a response, but I didn’t pry after that. We could find a spot to stop later and hopefully talk it out.

We reached a river, taking me by surprise because Landon and I hadn’t crossed one when we trudged through the forest to find Dirk.

“Shit!” Dirk snarled as we skidded to a stop at the edge of it.

“What is it?” Landon asked, looking at Dirk with a frown. “What’s going on?”

“We can’t cross this,” Dirk said, stepping back. “Never cross the water without a bridge.”

“Reciting an old rule of Niko’s?”

“There are things that live in the water,” Dirk said darkly. “And I’m not going to find out what tonight.”

“Where does the path go from here?”

“The other side, but whatever connected where we’re stopped and where it starts over there is gone. There might have been an old bridge here or maybe a fallen tree a long time ago that the werewolves used to safely cross,” Dirk said, pointing directly across the water to the other bank.

“Geography changes over time, too,” Landon pointed out softly, nodding. “Do you think we could find another or maybe one of the human paths?”

“We might be able to,” Dirk said, followed by a growl of frustration. “But the longer we spend off a safe path, the more likely we are to never find one.”

I leaned over the water, looking up and down the river for any natural crossing, but there was none in view.

“Dirk, please don’t panic. So long as the three of us stay together, we can find a way,” Landon said quickly and quietly as Dirk’s breathing grew heavy.

“Don’t panic? Do you know how many years I lived down here with Niko and followed every rule? Even at my worst, I never fucked with this place. Even when I was human and barely knew what was really going on, I knew this place wasbad. Niko would always get this haunted fucking look in his eyes whenever—”

“I’ll make a bridge,” I said, cutting him off as I turned away from the river to find the closest tree that might work for what I needed. I had no idea if I was actually strong enough to do it, but it was the best option. It was a physical solution that didn’t require us to aimlessly wander in the forest. I didn’t pick the tree for its size or sturdiness. I needed it to come down, and if it wasn’t the most stable bridge, we’d just be careful over the water.

“I’ll help,” Landon said, moving to my side. “Dirk, take a deep breath. Together, we can solve this. Remember that. We’re pack. This is what we do.”

Dirk only nodded, watching us get behind the tree I wanted. Landon pulled out his sword and started to chop into its side, and while it wasn’t made for that job, the blade held up and did some work while Landon provided more power than a human ever could. I started pushing once there was even the smallest notch, hearing creaks and cracks. Landon kept chopping, and I snarled with anger as I kept trying to push it over. With a roar, I felt the final snap, and the tree began to come down, its top crashing into other trees. I climbed up the side, adding more weight and trying to bounce it down.

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