Page 46 of Elora and the Crow

He made a sound that was half-laughter, half-groan. “Yeah, that’s not happening.”

“Can you shift to something smaller?” Elora asked. “A bunny or a cat? Then I can carry you out of here.”

“Can’t shift,” he said.

“Because you’re too injured?”

“No, can’t shift at all. Tried earlier and…” he made a vague waving motion, “nothing.”

“What does he mean?” Cece asked.

“I don’t know,” Elora said. “But it’s getting colder by the minute. We have to get out of here before…”

“We get eaten by a cougar or something,” Cece said.

Elora grimaced as she pulled her phone from her pocket and studied the screen. “Don’t sugarcoat it, Cece. Do you have a signal?”

Cece checked her phone. “Nope.”

“Fuck, me either.”

“I used the iron,” Jonah suddenly muttered. “Saved me.”

Elora looked around until she spotted the pendant in the snow. She scooped it up, and stuck it in her pocket.

Jonah’s head drooped to his chest, and he made a thick, snorting sound.

“The good news is I’m with a fire witch, so at least we won’t freeze to death,” Cece said. “Maybe you should start a fire now. If Jonah warms up a bit, we might be able to get him moving and -”

They both heard the rustling in the trees at the same time. Adrenaline shot through Elora, and she stood up, her hands already glowing blue. She and Cece moved to stand in front of Jonah, both staring into the thick trees.

Cece’s eyes were wide, and the pine tree closest to her made a harsh creaking sound as its bottom boughs started to bend toward her. “Elora, I do not want to get eaten by a cougar or a wolf today.”

“You think I do?” Elora said.

Two men stepped into the light from the hovering flame. They were both well over six feet with broad chests and wide shoulders. One wore a dark blue cloak, and the other a hunter green cloak. The slightly bigger one on the left had a shaved head and a long goatee with streaks of midnight blue in it, and the one in the green cloak had emerald streaks in his thick, dark hair.

“Humans this deep in the forest?” The one in the green cloak grunted in surprise. “Is that usual for this area, Bones?”

“No, it definitely isn’t, Valas,” Bones said as he studied Elora and Cece before studying the ball of flame above them. “But I suspect they are more than just ordinary humans.”

“Dragons,” Cece said. She sounded terrified, but Elora’s panic had subsided.

“Thank God,” Elora said. “We need your help. Our friend is hurt.”

“It’s why we’re here. We caught the scent of his blood,” Bones said.

He and Valas joined them, and Valas nudged Jonah’s hip with his foot, making him groan with pain.

“Don’t do that!” Elora snapped. Blue light flared in her hands, and Valas eyed them with amusement.

“Your spells won’t work on me, little witch.”

She ignored him and turned to Bones. “You’re Bones, right?

He nodded, and she said, “I’m friends with Kaida and Bren. Maybe she’s mentioned me? You, uh, loaned her some clothes a few days ago for my friend.”

“You’re the witch Elora,” Bones said.

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