Page 76 of Shadow Caster
“Who.”
“The fir bolg. They wish to bring down your poison posts and will kill any fomori-touched they come across.”
Fomori-touched? He must mean the shadow marked. “And you? Why are you here? Why did you save me?”
He sighed, looking almost weary. “I search for salvation, the blood that will free us.” He frowned. “But instead, fate led me to you. To save you. No woman has found her way into the poison lands before, not that it would matter to the fir bolg. They would take you for sport.” His lip curled in disgust at the thought before his expression cleared. “Why would the fomori-touched allow a woman into the poison lands?” He canted his head as if pondering his own question.
He didn’t realize I was a shadow cadet—one of the fomori-touched. I guess the fact I was wearing a uniform didn’t matter. Probably best to keep it that way.
Ignoring his question, which had seemed more reflective anyway, I looked to the mouth of the cave. “I need to get back. They’ll be searching for me.”
“Fomori-touched will be looking for you?” There was a calculated look on his face then. One that sent chills up my spine.
I shuffled away from him. “Look, I appreciate you saving me from these fir bolg creatures, but I need to go now. Okay.”
He opened his mouth to speak, but a hacking cough emerged instead. He said something I didn’t understand, but it had the inflection of a curse word.
His hand went to his chest. “Out of time.”
The mist was affecting him. “You better get out of here.” I stood and backed away from him, and he looked torn. “You’ll die if you don’t.”
He clenched his teeth and shook his head. “The fir bolg can last longer. If they catch you—” He broke into a cough again.
He was one of them, a fomorian, but he’d saved me. “Will you be all right?”
There was sadness in his eyes. “I—"
The sound of a horn drifted in through the mouth of the cave again.
His jaw hardened, and he pulled himself up. Fuck, he was tall. A giant. “Fomori do not harm women, but fir bolg revel in it. I will lead them away. When the sound of horns retreats, run.”
And thenhewas the one running—out of the cave and into the mists. The sound of horns rose in the air louder, excited, and then they began to drift away.
They had him. They were chasing him.
Dammit. None of this made sense. He was supposed to be the bad guy. Wasn’t he? I needed to get back to the barracks and warn the others. There had to be an explanation for all this.
The world had gone silent as I ducked out of the cave and into the mist. I ran south, toward the barracks, checking my compass and wishing to hell that I’d brought my axes with me.
Not far now. Probably a quarter of a mile out. It looked like the fomorian had carried me almost half a mile.
A howl to my left was followed by boot falls behind me.
My chest tightened then relaxed as the boot owner’s scent hit me.
Brady. I slowed my pace, relief expanding in my chest.
“Justice.” Brady grabbed my arm and turned me to face him, his concerned gaze raking over me. “Fuck. Where are they?”
Two wolves appeared out of the mist. Dark and shaggy, their heads as high as my shoulder.
Devon and Aidan sniffed me and growled. They could smell the fomorian on me.
“Justice, where did they go?” Brady asked again.
Shit. “Um, north.”
I pointed in the direction the fomorian and the fir bolg had run. Devon and Aidan bounded off before I could stop them.
