Page 50 of Bound By Blood
“How dangerous is it out here really?” she asked.
“How do you mean?” He guided her a little to the left, and a branch scraped over the side of her head.
She glanced up into the sky again, even though she couldn't see it through the thick branches. "This time last year and even up through the spring, there was just so much more life and danger in the skies. You couldn't walk out here hardly at all. But for weeks now, I've scarcely seen any monsters at all. It's as if there aren't any predators about at night. Is that just out near the boundary markers, or is it true of this place as well?"
"There's been a lot of strangeness. I haven't seen the predators either," he said. "Sometimes the wind tastes faintly of magic, but I've never been able to place it. There haven't been as many monsters, but there has been more travel through these parts. The footpaths to the west and north are all more worn down than they were even a week ago. Do you not get many travelers through these parts? I don't know whether it's more or less for you than usual."
"It hasn't seemed like there are more travelers recently." She frowned. Traelan had arrived a relatively short time after that started. Perhaps that was part of what brought him here? He'd been talking with Povro who specialized in protection charms and wards.
She continued. "We get travelers in all seasons, but these parts have never been heavily populated. And never so many that it disrupted the creatures. What's odd is that there just haven't been many creatures about."
"Well, I wouldn't say that this area is heavily populated," he said. "And I haven't actually spoken with any of these people. I only see them from a distance. Watch your head. Come a little closer to me now. There's a boulder there."
She could vaguely make it out, but it didn't bother her that he was walking her through the path. "I suppose your nights have been rather occupied."
"Perhaps a little." It sounded as if he was smiling.
"What do you think is leading to the gryphons and such being gone then? Any thoughts?"
"It seems to me they just might have moved on. It hasn't tasted or smelled like anything that would destroy them, and I haven't smelled blood. It would be hard to kill them without creatingat least something of an odor."
"I suppose so. Not that I miss being terrified to go out at night. Buttons has certainly enjoyed getting the extra exercise."
"He'll have lots of fun roaming through the castle. Even with it only being a fragment of what it once was, there's plenty of room to explore. It's part of the reason I don't like being there when it's just me. It's too big." He halted, then moved his arm around her waist. "This log may be a little tricky."
As he pulled her snug against his muscular body, her heart fluttered faster.
Tricky was one way to put it.
She let herself nuzzle against him and breathe in his cedary scent, her feet scraping over the log as he lifted her up and over. As he set her down, she got her footing once more.
"What happens to you if you are out when the sun rises? You can't touch the ground, but can you be out of the castle and just not on the ground?"
"Oh. No. With my magic as it is, I can't be away from the castle for long. The curse will evaporate me and pull me back down into some deep dark place. I can't get out right before the day ends most of the time."
"Does that hurt?"
It sounded awful.
He shrugged. "Sometimes, it's worth it to stay out long enough. When my magic is stronger, I'll be able to fight it. Quinn tries to help me reconstitute or guide me back as the situation requires. But when I'm sent to that place, not even Quinn can reach me through more than words."
"So Quinn isn't in all of the castle?"
"No. Quinn is—well—Quinn does what Quinn wants for the most part. I'm not sure I fully understand it. Before, they could be in a few rooms. They've been trying to deduce some way to end this for almost as long as they have been a part of the building. And being separated from the rest of my family hasn't weakened their resolve. They get upset when they can't figure out how to make it all work."
She frowned as she contemplated this. Sometimes, he had waited until close to dawn to leave for his home. It wasn't something she'd really considered until now.
"Have you gotten…evaporated because you stayed with me too long?"
"If I could do it over, I'd have done it more often."
She could just imagine that soft little smile on his face, but she didn't like that he avoided the question.
"Were you hurt?"
His arm tightened around her waist as she continued to hold Buttons. "The real curse is when it keeps me away from you."
The underbrush started to thin. The sky above lightened to deep blue streaked with the dark branches. They were nearing a clearing or the end of the forest. Fewer weeds and ivies snaked around her boots. Buttons wriggled with excitement. His barks grew louder, his wings twitching.
