Page 50 of Wolf Queen Ruin
The corners of his eyes crinkled.“Would you prefer that?”
“No, I’d prefer honesty.Are you sure you’re okay to go on?Maybe we should camp here, let you adjust to the boundary’s effects first.”
His eyes met mine, something fierce burning in their blue depths.“There are people counting on us.On both of us, your family and mine.Every hour we delay could be critical.I won’t allow my discomfort to jeopardize their chances.Besides, I’ve survived far worse than a dead queen’s lingering spells.”
That loaded declaration struck me hard.Damien clearly cared deeply for his maker.And the fact that he’d included my family in the same breath…
“Right,” I managed, adjusting my pack.
“The path should be this way.”
I peered into the dense foliage.“Uh, what path?”
Damien pointed to subtle markings on certain trees, old notches grown over but still visible to observant eyes.“The smuggler’s route.They’ve been using these trails for centuries.I spent some time tracking a particular blood trafficker through Panama in the 1890s.The routes haven’t changed much.”
“Blood trafficking… Well, I learn something new every day.What is it you do when you’re not masquerading or walking into jungle death traps with me?”
“My line of work, you mean?”he asked.
“Uh-huh.”
“You hunt down artifacts.I hunt down people.”
“Like a private investigator hunts down people?”
He opened his mouth and then paused as though considering what I’d said.“Accurate assessment, yes.”
We pushed into the jungle, the air closing around us like a physical presence—hot, damp, and vibrating with unseen life.Despite the oppressive heat, I shivered as we crossed another invisible threshold.The amulet at my neck pulsed in rhythm with my heartbeat.
“You feel it too?”Damien asked.
I nodded.“Like we’re being assessed.Theo mentioned the boundary wards would determine if we’re threats.”
For nearly an hour we followed the faint trail, both of us hacking through areas where vegetation had reclaimed the path with our machetes.The deeper we ventured, the more I noticed subtle changes in our surroundings.The plants here were not like those we’d passed earlier, their colors more intense, their structures altered, as if evolving along a different path.Birds with impossible plumage watched us from branches, and once I caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a snake with too many heads slithering into the undergrowth.
“The boundary between worlds is thin here,” I murmured, recalling Eduardo’s words.
Damien didn’t respond.When I turned to check on him, I found him braced against a tree trunk, sweat drenching his shirt and his normally perfect posture slouched.
“Damien?”I moved quickly to his side.
He straightened with visible effort, a flash of annoyance crossing his features, though whether at his own weakness or my concern, I couldn’t tell.
“The Wolf Queen was thorough,” he said, his voice rougher than usual.“Her magic is more potent than I anticipated.”
“Is it getting worse?”
“With every step.”His honesty surprised me yet again.
“Can we counter it somehow?”
He shook his head.“Not unless you happen to have the ability to rewrite centuries-old spells woven into every living thing around us.”
“Fresh out of that ability, unfortunately.”I studied him while I retrieved a water bottle from my pack.“How bad is it going to get?”
Damien exhaled, clearly weighing how much to reveal.“My strength and speed are already diminishing.Soon my enhanced senses will follow.Eventually, I’ll be—“
“Human?”I suggested, offering him some water.
