Page 17 of Degradation

“We had no proof of her wrongdoings, Brandle. And I feared that approaching the king was exactly what she wanted. But not us. Her.

“In the days prior to my departure, she searched all my father’s documentation and used tidying as an excuse to do the same in the attic. By chance, I found the letter and some correspondence between my mother and a caster named Elspeth—a name my mother never mentioned to us.

“Though you have questions, I doubt they compare in number to the questions I have. Why was a letter from the king and several from a caster in our attic? What did my mother have to do with a caster in a kingdom that forbids magic? And what was Maeve searching for? If it truly was this letter, then why did she want it? What ill intentions does she have planned for Drisdall and its people? And how do Eloise and I play into those plans? For, without a doubt, we do. Why else keep us alive when Maeve killed or sent away everyone else?

“I didn’t intentionally keep the letter from you. I have it in safekeeping, fearing Maeve’s intent.”

“Thank you for explaining.” He placed the sling over my shoulders. “Let me know if this becomes too heavy.”

CHAPTERFOUR

Sweat coated my back,and my thighs cramped due to the fast pace they set, but I neither slowed nor complained. Around us, twigs broke, and brush rustled, signs of the beasts’ presence around us. They remained just outside the circle of weak light cast by the stone that Garron carried. He had explained that they couldn’t use the one I’d arrived with—casters in Adele would have felt the strength of its power as we approached Turre.

The weaker stone Garron had made worked well enough. The few beasts who drew too close due to my presence quickly learned that the spears Edmund and Eadric carried weren’t for show.

We did not stop to eat or drink until we reached a very small sunlit clearing.

“This is one of the pockets of light Henry made,” Garron said as Daemon passed me a water bladder. “We’ve kept it clear by hand so no one would suspect magic.”

I looked from the rotted stumps at the edge of the trees to the packed ground beneath our feet and wondered at the time they’d spent keeping this clear.

“Why maintain this clearing? Isn’t it a clue that someone inhabits this forest?”

“It is, but it’s far enough away from our glade not to call attention to us and far enough from Turre that others are unlikely to discover it.”

“You said it was one of the clearings Henry made. Are there more?”

“There are. We visit them once each fall to clear them.”

“When we travel to Turre, we always take different routes. These clearings provide us with a space to eat and rest briefly before continuing.”

He passed me a biscuit and produced a small crock of the jam I’d previously made with some of their dried berries and sugar. I sat on Garron’s pack and ate while the others stood and consumed theirs. They gave me a moment of false privacy to relieve myself and didn’t comment on my flushed cheeks when I turned my back on them so they could do the same.

Our time resting was as brief as they said it would be, but I didn’t mind when we set out only a short while later. The sooner we arrived, the sooner we could begin finding the help we needed.

While we walked, I kept the lid on my well firmly in place and stretched my senses to search for other casters. If any were nearby, they hid themselves from my presence like I hid from theirs.

The shadows grew darker with the sun’s slow descent, and the number of beasts following us increased.

“Can other casters sense the approach of beasts like I can?” I asked.

“Not many can sense as far afield as you can,” Garron said. “But we’re careful to emerge from the forest in areas that are not populated for just that reason.”

“Which means more walking once we’re out of these trees,” Daemon said morosely.

“Does that mean the Lamb’s shepherd has no stamina?” Darian asked with a grin.

Daemon went to cuff him, but Brandle’s warning glance stopped their antics.

Walking required more care the farther we progressed as larger rocks hid beneath last fall’s leaves. My empty stomach growled loudly well before the trees began to thin and the shadows lightened considerably.

Brandle paused and turned to look behind us.

“We’ll protect her with our lives from here, sir. I vow you will see your daughter again.”

My father moved from the darker shadows, his glowing red gaze sweeping over my companions. When it settled on me, I could feel his profound heartache. Partly due to his inability to accompany me but mostly from the spell I’d cast. His memories would haunt him until the conditions of the spell were met.

“Wait for me near the glade. I will return to you as soon as I am able.”

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