Page 62 of Once the Skies Fade

“Thanks, Isa, and please give the healers my gratitude as well.”

“Of course,” she said, smiling kindly. “I’ve also informed the kitchen to ensure you have a kettle of water brought up twice a day. They should be bringing it with your breakfast this morning.”

I was about to thank her again when a shrill shriek in the distance pierced my senses. Both of us turned to stare out the window.

“What are your plans for the day?”

“I thought I might go for a walk.”

Her sharp gaze burned into mine. “Promise me you won’t go in the forest, Calla.”

I stayed quiet, though, unable to make such a promise. Before she could rattle off her lecture, another scream pulled our attention back to the window.

Chapter 30

Matthias

We should be nearing the edge of the forest by now,” I muttered, mostly to myself as I double-checked the compass, but Oryn grunted like a bored adolescent behind me.

“How long have we been in here, do you know?” he asked, throwing his head back to look up at the canopy. “I can’t see the sun to tell.”

“Good thing I have this.” I dug into my pants pocket and pulled out my old watch, a gift from my sister. Now it was my turn to groan. “Two hours. Barely.”

Oryn sighed loudly in defeat. “Two hours and nothing? No medallions, no sign of anyone else. How is that?—”

Something buzzed past my ear so fast, I couldn’t see what it was until it struck Oryn in the shoulder.

His hand flew up on instinct, and he stumbled backward, barely staying on his feet. I ran over to him, my hand already drawing my dagger from my belt to dig out whatever dart or spike the forest had spit at him.

I skidded to a stop, a growled “fuck” flying from my lips.

It was nothing from the forest; it was a fucking dagger, identical to the ones we’d been issued.

Whirling around, I shoved my weapon back into my belt and scanned the forest for the attacker, focusing my hearing for any hint of a heartbeat or breath or footstep.

There.

One pulse—no, two—thumped faintly in front of me.

Oryn groaned behind me. Looking back over my shoulder, I barked out an order as if he were one of my soldiers instead of my competition.

“Pull the blade out! Before you begin to heal.”

I couldn’t wait to confirm he’d listened to me, because our attackers’ heartbeats grew louder in my ears.

I spun back around in time to watch another dagger fly past and land somewhere in the grass behind me.

“You missed!” I called out.

Silence.

Someone darted behind a tree.

My hand hovered over my own dagger, not from fear of the forest’s wrath since the pendant protected me, but I sure as fuck was keeping my newfound immunity a secret for as long as I could.

“You really are a piss-poor shot,” I taunted, easing my way forward.

A male stepped out from behind a tree to the right with an ugly sneer plastered to his face.

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