Page 51 of Claimed By Night

EILISH

I wake with a start.

Sitting up, I find myself on the opposite side of the wards of our camp and I can’t explain what I’m doing out here. Suddenly afraid, I immediately stand and hurry into the safety of our protected enclosure.

It’s then that I realize I’m no longer exhausted. Instead, I feel strangely invigorated. It’s the first time I’ve felt… good. Well, thefirst time that I can remember, anyway. Yet I also feel strange. Yes, I’m stronger and that horrible exhaustion seems to have disappeared, but there’s also a cloudiness in my head that I don’t understand.

I notice Cambion sitting at the far end of the encampment. He’s still deep in his trance, his palms face up on his crossed legs, his eyes white and unseeing.

In the distance, beyond the lines of the wards, I hear something. I glance out into the darkness and imagine I see numerous eyes staring back at me from the depths of the dark trees. But then the eyes are gone, and there’s nothing there but the forest.

Kkkkk-krick

When I hear the sound again, I back up. A hand presses to my mouth as an arm pulls me against a hard, but warm chest, and my heart starts to pound.

“Shhh, Eilish,” Dragan whispers into my ear.

Immediately, I feel relief. He releases my mouth and I turn around to look at him. He’s crouched and attack-ready. We lock eyes and he slowly raises a finger to his mouth.Shhhh.

He must have heard the same noise I did. His wings are flexed behind him, black and foreboding. There’s no sign of Thoradin.

I nod solemnly and look towards the woods, but I see nothing beyond the darkness. I know Dragan possessesDarkvision,and I wonder if he’s able to see whatever’s out there. I bring my gaze back to Dragan and notice how tense he is and powerful. His eyes are fixed on something in the distance.

In the dim light of the dying fire, I can see only the thick trunks of two trees.

Dragan stands and takes a quiet step forward, his jaw clenched in deep focus.

Another sound, from behind a nearby tree. It’s followed by still another crack, and I feel my heart slide up my throat as I realize the sounds are coming closer. Whatever is out there is maybe two feet from us now. The seconds pass as if they’re hours and a moment later, Flumph emerges from behind the tree, his arms full of acorns.

“Flumph,” I say on a sigh, half relieved, half annoyed to see him.

“Angel,” he replies, looking pleased with himself.

My shoulders deflate and I turn to see Dragan, who appears irate. “Fucking sprite!” he hollers in exasperation. In response, Cambion’s eyes roll forward and his posture loosens, and Thoradin suddenly appears from beyond the darkness on the opposite side of the camp.

Flumph stops walking toward the fire. “What?” he asks innocently. “I got us some grub.”

“What the fuck are you doing, wandering off?” demands Dragan. “Do you understand where you are?”

“Yeah, we’re in the forest.”

“The Raven Forest,” Dragan corrects him.

“Raven, Hawken, Eaglen, Sparrowen, what frickin’ difference do it make?” Flumph asks with a frown.

Dragan inhales deeply and his eyes narrow on the sprite. “The Raven Forest is haunted, you fool.”

“Haunted, like ghosts, haunted?” Flumph asks, his previous candid manner now evaporating.

“Ghosts, banshees, imps, ghouls, goblins, the list goes on,” Thoradin answers with a shrug.

“Why do you think I told you not to allow the fire to go out?” Dragan continues, pointing at the fire which is nearly nonexistent. “What if someone or something saw you? Or followed you?”

I’m suddenly reminded that I awoke on the opposite side of theGlyph of Warding. I wonder if Dragan saw me, but I assume not. I then realize how lucky I was not to have been taken away by some awful creature.

Flumph looks worried, glancing over his shoulder like he’s afraid something did follow him and is standing there now.

“I thought you said you put a shadow cloak or somethin’ like that on us?” the sprite argues. “I thought we was invisible.”

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