Page 13 of Shadow Caster
Animosity aside, we gathered around to stare at the map.
Map reading wasn’t my forte. Everything looked the same to me, and the Geographical History of Supernaturals on Human Realmsclass was my go-to place for a nap. The tutor, Master Braun, had a voice that could tame the wildest hellhound and put it into a coma. He also happened to have a face like a hellhound, but that was beside the point.
Yeah, so maps were not my strong suit.
Minnie, however, was in her element.
She tucked her hair behind her ears, which, with her pixie features, should have been pointed. But nightbloods didn’t have pointy ears. Wait, what did she just say?
“It looks like a twenty-mile hike,” Thomas said.
“Yes,” Minnie agreed. “The forest stretches for ten miles, and then we have flatlands that bleed to mountainous terrain, and finally, the body of water we’re headed toward.” She tapped a red X marked on the map. “Here. We have to get here.”
“In the middle of the water?” Oberon said, brow crinkled.
I sighed. “It’s probably a small island. There’ll be a boat.”
“Unless they expect us to swim,” Thomas added.
Minnie opened the pack so we could examine the items. “Water purification tablets, energy bars, a tarp, an empty flask – looks like we have to get our own water – oh, and a pouch filled with green goop.”
“Healing everness. Nice,” Harmon said. “Should knit wounds if we get hurt. Which I do not plan to do.”
“Okay, so we have basic shit,” Thomas said. “I’ll carry it.”
Minnie finished putting everything back into the bag and then hauled it onto her shoulders. “I’ve got it,” she said tersely.
God, we were a fucked-up bunch.
I broke away from the group. Now that Minnie had read the map and pointed out the path, it was burned in my mind.
“Let’s get this over with.” I set off. “I’m already bored.”
Minnie jogged to catch up to me as I crossed the clearing and dove into the gloom of the forest proper. Sounds erupted around me—chirps and shuffles and the smell of life. Okay, this was good stuff. I almost believed this was real.
“We’ll need to make camp before the sun comes up,” Minnie said.
“Why?”
“Because … Because we’ll be vulnerable.”
“And you think sleeping during the daytime, out in the open, is safe?” I gave her a flat look.
“Hate to say it,” Harmon said gruffly. “But killer here is right.”
Killer? My chest tightened, and my skin prickled. I could imagine the blood draining from my face. How could he know? The council had promised to keep the reason for my sentence a secret.
Maybe it was just a figure of speech? But still … “Don’t fucking call me that.” My voice cracked.
“Why not?” Thomas said. “It’s true, isn’t it?”
Okay, not a figure of speech. “You don’t have a fucking clue.”
“Then fill us in,” Thomas pushed.
Nothing was sacred. Nothing off the table. He was a Carmichael. Nephew to council member Carmichael, and nightbloods loved to gossip.
He knew.
