Page 41 of Unleashed

The sky was clear, deep blue, without a cloud in sight. And the sun — which had been setting in the forest below — was almost directly overhead, marking midday.

Nina twisted to glance behind her and was struck by a second wave of disbelief. The edge of the cliff they’d scaled was still there, but it wasn’t a forest stretching out beyond it. Instead, a second valley lay below, its gentle hills sweeping toward low mountain peaks that were blurred by haze.

“How is that possible?” Vortok asked. “Where did the forest go?”

“The forest is no longer visible, I take it?” Balir asked. “I imagine it is still down there, but it is obscured by whatever illusions Kelsharn has woven.”

“It’s…all his making,” Nina said, frowning. “How could anyone have this kind of power?”

“It is his making, and we see only what he wants us to. His primary power is deceit,” Aduun replied. He sniffed the air, and his quills rose in brief agitation. “I can still smell the cave-scent.”

“It’s like he created an entire world down here.” She shook her head; the valley below looked real enough to make her doubt whether they’d come from that direction or not. “We should keep going.”

Closing her eyes for a moment, she lowered her mental shields and listened.

The voices were distant, faint, weak, barely more than whispers in the back of her skull, but she locked onto them.

She pointed. “That way.”

“We will have to follow the valley until we can find a way through the mountains,” Aduun said. She opened her eyes to find him standing beside her, gazing in the direction she’d indicated. “At least there are herds of frostfur grazing in the hills. They will provide ample meat, even for our hunger.”

Holding a hand over her eyes, Nina squinted to pick out the white, shaggy-furred frostfur gathered together on the far side of the valley. They were large creatures with heavy builds and massive horns; Orishok had taken her to hunt them a few times and explained that they had been an excellent source of meat for his people in their old lives. Despite their size and build, frostfur could move quite fast over short distances and weren’t afraid to fight back against predators.

She didn’t think that would deter her valos.

“The sooner, the better,” Vortok said. “I’m hungry enough to eat a rockfur.”

“Youarea rockfur,” Balir said.

“Exactly.”

Nina laughed and turned her attention to Vortok. He grinned at her, displaying teeth and tusks.

Though they had relieved themselves once while traveling across the branches — Nina with some difficulty — they took a few minutes to do so here. She was grateful for the boulder that granted her little bit of privacy as she peed. Once she finished, she cleaned up and hurried to rejoin her valos.

They walked together in a loose formation, picking their way down the rocky slope until they reached gentler ground. After spending so much time moving from branch to branch through the trees, the short, soft grass here felt odd under Nina’s boots, but she welcomed it; this was the easiest travel they’d had since leaving the cages behind.

The air was pleasant, carrying the hint of a chill that was counteracted by the warm sunshine. After the stress and hardships of the forest, this terrain lightened Nina’s mood. It seemed to have the same effect on her companions — they talked freely, joking with one another, and even Aduun smiled occasionally. The first time Nina saw the expression on his face, she was nearly undone; his shining amber eyes and pointed teeth lent it a wicked charm that threatened to rekindle her arousal.

It was midafternoon when a sudden, cold wind blew over them. Nina shivered, bringing her hands up to rub her arms, which had broken out in goosebumps. A huge shadow crept over the group as it sped across the valley. The sloping ground on either side gave the shadow an ominous, predatory appearance, like the gaping maw of some gargantuan beast.

Nina turned and looked skyward.

Dark, roiling clouds were building overhead and approaching with unnatural speed. They swept across the sun as the rapidly dwindling swath of clear sky shifted from pure blue to bleak, menacing gray. The wind blasted into her with increased strength. It flowed through her clothing, whipped her loose hair, and bit at her skin with teeth like shards of ice.

Shivering, Nina shifted her gaze to her valos. They wore grave expressions that only deepened when the first fat snowflake fluttered between them on the wind. Its delicate, silent landing amidst the grass seemed to trigger the snowfall in earnest, filling the air with tiny puffs of white.

“More tricks,” Aduun growled, sweeping his eyes over the valley ahead.

“Aduun,” Nina said, staring back in the direction from which they’d come. “Look.”

He twisted to do so. Most of the ground they’d already covered was obliterated by the white of fallen snow and the dark shadows of angry clouds.

“We can’t go back,” she said, worry constricting her chest. There was nothing to go back to. All they could do was press on and hope to find shelter from the storm.

The flurry intensified, obscuring their view and assailing them with freezing cold from all sides. Aduun clamped his hand on Nina’s right shoulder, and Balir took hold of her left. Vortok moved in front of them. Nina reached forward and clasped a fistful of the fur on his lower back. The snow quickly accumulated around their feet as they trudged on, soon almost higher than her boots despite the trail Vortok was breaking for them.

Balir’s pace slowed, and she swayed slightly as he leaned on her shoulder. Nina glanced back to see him trudging forward with his head down, his free arm tucked against his chest, maintaining a staggered, irregular stride. Shivers coursed through him, matching those that wracked her body.

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