Page 52 of Magic & Secrets
“Serpent Shifters,” Calla said in almost a hiss. “I saw their kind in a great hall with the others who plotted the Haven Junction slaughter.”
“And we just happened to stumble upon them?” I asked, dubious of her dreams of great conspiracies.
“No, they’ve been tracking us since we landed here.”
“How can you possibly know that?” I balked, wondering if she had lured me into a trap.
“Because they’re moving toward us rather than away. What kind of creature would face off against a Bane Shifter?”
“Those with a death wish.”
“Or those within a cult,” Calla said and stepped away from me. “They took blood sacrifices from Haven Junction. They hope to reclaim what we’ve taken from their dead allies.”
I realized Calla’s fearful expression was on my account.
“Sweet youngling,” I mocked. “The vermin attacked Haven Junction rather than the Bane Shifters for a reason.”
“Your blood is the same. They want their blood sacrifice.”
“For what?” I asked, frowning at how she claimed to know the motivation of these vile killers.
Calla scanned the forest and stepped away from me. “The ancient ones aren’t dead, Roque. You’ve seen the world. You must feel them. They have followers. Blood sacrifices of powerful creatures like you would be a great gift to an ancient one.”
“You’ve gone mad.”
“No.”
“Then, the world has. No creature with any sense would challenge the Bane Shifters.”
“There’s only one of you. And they challenged three of you back in Arbdorre Territory.”
“We only failed because of you and your kind.”
“True, but the Bane Shifters have been gone for a long time. The world moved on with only stories of your kind. These creatures might not understand the foe they face.”
Calla spoke these final words loudly as if calling out to the Warlocks hiding in the darkness.
“The Bane Shifters once destroyed entire Warlock covens,” Calla continued, speaking louder still. “They wiped out hundreds of Shifters of all kinds.”
Calla’s praise for my kind was meant for the enemy, yet my skin warmed under her tribute. Her scent intoxicated me, distracted me, and left me lightheaded. I could barely focus on the enemy. I only felt Calla’s flesh calling out to be touched, tasted, consumed.
Calla turned to me in the darkness, feeling my need beckoning to her. Our gazes met and held. Her need for me stole my breath. My need for her made Calla swoon.
The magic between us distracted us from the enemy on the march.
A Serpent Shifter lunged from behind a tree. I had only heard of such creatures. They were rare and kept to the densest parts of Pandorium Forest. This female exuded a coiled menace. Her scaled skin was the color of moss. Her slitted pupils glowed faintly gold. From between her black lips flicked a long, venom-laced tongue.
The Serpent Shifter’s first strike with the tongue barely missed hitting Calla. A second creature appeared from the darkness and struck the warrior through her back, just below her armor.
Calla gasped, startled by the pain. Her gaze flashed to me. I saw confusion, longing, and fear. The creature’s tongue dug deep until it exited her belly. As I watched in horror, the tonguecircled Calla’s waist and tightened. The warrior was dragged into the darkness and out of my sight.
Roaring in agony, I shifted too quickly to even know my form. Nothing registered in my mind beyond Calla’s pained cries lingering in the air.
I sprinted in the direction where the Serpent Shifters dragged her away, only to feel as if I slammed into a wall. The power of the Warlocks’ magic trapped me from all sides.
The three males appeared from the darkness. The Warlocks’ faces were deathly pale and hairless. Their eyes glowed a pale yellow. When their magic flared, cracks formed in their faces, leaking a citrine mist.
The Warlocks wore sacrificial robes. Their magic stunk of the same ancient power the Sorcerer wielded. The power dug into my flesh, suffocating my ability to react.
