Page 97 of Oaths & Vengeance
The final baying sound filled the woods, much closer this time.
“It’s a Cù Sìth.”
Shock filled her gaze. Most fae could go their whole lives without seeing one, but they were a bedtime story told to children so they wouldn’t wander off alone. Everyone knew about them. We just hoped they stayed a myth and never made an appearance.
I pulled my dagger, knowing we’d get no further warning. A Cù Sìth moved without sound and didn’t appear until the moment before it attacked. According to the stories, they were black, shaggy dogs the size of a cow with glowing silver eyes. Their unkempt fur hid powerful muscles underneath that could tear a person apart. No one knew why they came out sporadically to attack, as there was no discernible pattern to their prey.Men, women, young, old, strong, and weak, all were vulnerable to the fabled creature.
“As soon as it attacks, take the horses away quickly,” I ordered in a low voice.
“But…”
“Just do it, Rynn.”
Gathering my magic into my non-dominant hand, I prepared myself. A flash of black came from the corner of my eye. I pushed a torrent of wind in that direction, hitting the massive dog in the face as it appeared between two mighty burchar trees to my left. Its forward momentum slowed, but it didn’t stop. The sound of horses galloping away sounded behind me. I didn’t dare look back and kept my full attention on the Cù Sìth.
I’d never encountered anything that could resist such intense wind power.
The beast was exactly as described in the stories, except nothing could have prepared me for the cold, feral look in the animal’s eyes or that they were nearly level with mine. The shaggy dog was so massive that it could probably eat Rynn and me and still be hungry.
Step by step, the Cù Sìth edged toward me as the wind buffeted its fur, and its dripping jowls rose to show the pink gums underneath. It was only ten feet away now. I didn’t see how my dagger would do any good against the raging beast, so I quickly sheathed it. With the same hand, I concentrated hard to pull my light powers—desperate times called for desperate measures.
But before I could aim, the massive dog leaped. It moved in slow motion as I continued to push torrents of wind with all my might. It was hard to focus on a second magical ability simultaneously. He clamped onto my left arm, sharp fangs digging deep into my flesh as blood poured from the punctures. I screamed as the heavy gale I’d been pushing died, and I transferred all my power into my other hand, focusing it into a single beam of amber light. It cut through the Cù Sìth just behind its front shoulders, cleanly slicing the dog in half.
Loudcracksandcrashessounded beyond that, but I ignored them.
My gaze met the creature’s silver one as I let go of my magic before the rest of the forest came apart. A flash of relief came over its eerie eyes before they dimmed to dull black. The back half of his body fell to the ground with athump. Slowly, his jaws loosened, and the fangs pulled from my arm as his front followed the rest of his body.
I fell to my knees, heaving ragged breaths. My stomach curdled at the sight of the beast cleaved into two parts, with dark blood soaking the earth. I turned my gaze away from it, and I clutched my wounded arm. The look in the massive dog’s eyes at the end disturbed me. It was as if I’d freed it from some horrible existence, and it was grateful for what I’d done. Perhaps there was more to the Cù Sìth legend than anyone knew or bothered to learn.
“Aella!” Rynn screamed, leaping off her horse to run toward me.
I’d noted the hoofbeats running away when the dog attacked, but she must have come back as soon as the fight ended. I was grateful she’d listened to me. She wasn’t equipped to deal with such a creature, though healers did have offensive measures at their disposal. Those were never taught until they’d mastered their primary talent of helping people. Otherwise, they’d become something else—a dark and twisted version no one wanted to see. She was years from being ready to learn those skills.
“I’m okay,” I said, breathing through the pain.
She glared at me with her blue eyes. “No, you’re not.”
Blood seeped from the fang marks on the top and underside of my forearm, dripping to make a separate puddle from the Cù Sìth’s. Each bite wound was as wide as my fingertips. The creature had gouged so deeply that it nearly struck bone, and I grimaced at the sight.
“It could have been worse.” I was lucky, very lucky, all things considered. Several of the trees in the woods couldn’t say the same, where they lay broken on the ground. The ones near us were massive, and my light power had sliced through them like they were bread. At least they’d fallen away from the path.
“Yes,” Rynn agreed, crouching to study my wounds. “And I think I can heal this.”
I frowned. “You can?”
She’d been practicing her healing powers for four months now, and Briauna had reported that my cousin was quite powerful and advanced, but it still surprised me. Most people with her gift needed a year before they could do more than repair cuts and scrapes. Not to mention, she was supposed to be specialized in handling incurable diseases, not wounds.
Rynn placed her hands over my arm, brows drawing together in concentration. A tingling sensation came over me where she focused. I gasped. Before my eyes, the puncture wounds began to close. The pain eased at the same rate as my skin knitted together, fang marks vanishing as soon as they healed. It took her all of a few minutes.
“There, done,” she said with a weak smile.
It must have taken a lot out of her. “I can’t believe you did that.”
She shrugged. “Briauna thinks I would have been a healer anyway, which is why I have stronger powers than normal. It’s still exhausting. She says it will get easier with practice and as I get older.”
“You’re amazing.” I gripped her shoulder. “Never let anyone tell you different, including our uncle.”
Rynn nodded. “He’s a chicken arse.”
