Page 28 of Daughter of the Darkened City

Dressing quickly, she grabbed her pack and ran down the halls, swerving around servants who gasped and cried out. She threw a “Sorry!” over her shoulder as she continued to the courtyard, comingto a stuttering halt at the circle of people waiting. Kaemon stood at the helm of the group, a brow raised, the barest hint of a smile on his lips.

“We were about to send a search party,” he said.

“Hah. Hah,” Enid replied.

The scene was tense, and her stomach dipped. She wouldn’t hear the end of this from Dryston. Looking at him, she expected a reprimand, but his attention was locked in the opposite direction. She followed his gaze.

A Hunter.

She wore silver armor with intricate swirls and lines along the breastplate. The signature dusty blue cape drifted in the breeze behind her. A long blonde braid fell over her shoulder.

The woman looked familiar… It took only a moment for realization to hit her. It was the woman from the Tipsy Tavern over a week ago. The one Dryston had tried to chat up and had almost cut his hand off.

Oh shit.

She was the ranger. When Leeth had said he knew a human, she hadn’t expected it to be a Hunter. Her hand drifted to her stomach, over the scar. A phantom throb radiated there, and she had to swallow her fear, forcing it down before it strangled her.

“This is Onora,” Vasu said, cutting through the tension. “She’s a ranger who has often worked with the elves to maintain peace in Nemus. She and I have a long history of working together, and I’m certain we can all find common ground to ensure this expedition goes smoothly.”

Vasu’s words almost convinced Enid.

But visions of blood on leaves and mingled with dirt, of her mother’s lifeless eyes and Kaemon tied up, flashed behind her eyes. She met Vasu’s gaze and saw sympathy reflected there. Surely if Leeth thought they would be fine with Onora on the trip, then she could believe him.

Even if her stomach tilted at the sight of that cape. Even if she felt like vomiting all over the cobblestones.

The trek from Elf Glen to the forest took a little over an hour. Flying would have been quicker, but one look at Onora’s face silenced that suggestion from Enid’s lips. Vasu might suffer the indignity in exchange for the speed, but Onora seemed inclined to slice them all into little pieces given the slightest provocation. To her merit, she was doing an excellent job of completely and utterly ignoring them.

Which angered Dryston more than any threat could.

“We’ve done nothing to her, and she treats us as an enemy,” he muttered.

Onora took the lead, being the ranger and the most familiar with the area, while Enid and Dryston patrolled the rear. Thankfully, Onora’s human senses wouldn’t have been able to pick up on his words, even if everyone else would.

“She’s a human, Drys,” Enid said. She didn’t like the fact that a Hunter was with them any more than Dryston did, but that was just her emotions. The logical part of her understood the existence of Hunters and their hatred of demons, perhaps even understood why they had tried to kill her family. She swallowed that truth down. “She’s weaker than us, and the humans experienced the worst of the Cruel Lord’s oppression.”

Dryston made a sound like a sigh of agreement and dissent simultaneously, and Enid marveled at it.

“Fine. You make a fair point.”

Enid raised her brows. Dryston was making a habit of admitting she was right and it felt wrong. Like breathing underwater or walking on her hands.

They stopped by a stream at the edge of the forest, and she knelt down, filling up her waterskin. The wind in the trees groaned, thesound skittering along her bare arms, swirling in her hair, tickling her ears like a whisper. She shuddered, staring into the darkened wood, thick with leaves, vines, and something else.

Something that stared back.

An icy chill encased her, and she hastily looked away, warmth returning immediately. Avenay knelt nearby, staring at her, hand over her own waterskin in the river, letting the water flow over it with abandon. But when their eyes met, she straightened, striking her chin up imperiously and focused all her attention on filling the vessel. Enid moved next to the seraphe, offering her a small green tablet. Avenay eyed it curiously, never quite making eye contact with her.

“Put it in the water. It’s an herbal supplement that purifies and helps keep you hydrated with less.”

Avenay took the offered tablet, her attention darting to the pin on Enid’s chest. “You’re a flight leader?”

“I am. How do you know about that, Little Bird?”

Avenay pursed her lips. Enid suspected she hated the nickname. Well, too late now to take it back.

“I… Uh, well, I became very interested in demonology about eight years ago.” She stood, gripping her waterskin with both hands,wringing them around it in an agitated way. Her eyes finally met Enid’s, a question there that she couldn’t decipher.

“That’s an interesting hobby for a young girl. What got you into it?”

---