Page 56 of Forged By Heart and Claws
My heart expanded as I watched him take charge and calm the panic. In that moment, he reminded me so much of my sister that it hurt.
Veralt dragged a boulder from farther up in the cave toward the mouth of the tunnel with a grunt. It wouldn’t stop a horde, but it’d buy us time.
I hobbled over to check Quen’s wing. The damage was worse than Vad’s had been from the spear. Skin was shredded, and the leathery membrane punctured in multiple places, with blood drying in streaks. She wouldn’t be flying anytime soon. Thalenand Silus were in similar poor condition, but Quen’s was the worst.
Vad dug through the bags we’d managed to keep and took out Elara’s medicine and the vials containing the hair samples. He laid them beside the bandages.
Vyraetos crouched beside him, inspecting the supplies. His brows pinched as he picked up one vial and held it to the light. “What’s this?” He lifted the vial and tilted his head as he studied the one with only half the hairs glowing.
“Physician Morlo was analyzing the samples. He suspected Kaylen had been consuming Elias’s magic. Half her hair confirms it. The rest may still be reacting.”
Quen leaned into Elias as Vyraetos began cleaning her wing. “Didn’t you see who was taking your magic?”
Elias’s voice was quiet. “They siphoned it into vials. I was usually blindfolded. Sometimes I heard a woman in the next room. But I never saw her. She needed more blood than just mine… They talked about taking from other prisoners, too.”
Quen’s jaw tightened. “Kaylen, then. No question.”
Myantha raised her hand slightly. “Is the sample from when your bracer got stuck in her hair?” She tugged at her own locks. “Calla Lily was next to you, remember?”
From across the space, Thalen lifted an eyebrow. “I thought you were focusing on other things when Vad got the hair.”
She blushed but didn’t look away. “I can multitask.” She tilted her head, voice softening. “Besides… it was kind of funny. Her face, when her hair got stuck like that.”
“If Calla Lily mixed her hair in with Kaylen’s…” I bit my lip, piecing it together aloud. “That could explain why some of the strands are glowing while others aren’t.”
Elias sat on Quen’s other side, his hand brushing hers.
I turned to him. “Elias, is there anything else you remember? Anything about who was consuming your magic?”
He shook his head. “No. I’m sorry.”
I tried to give him a reassuring smile, but it felt closer to a wince. “Don’t be sorry. None of this is your fault. And it’s not like any of us have magic, so whatever Kaylen or Calla Lily absorbed won’t help her. Not yet, at least.”
“That’s assuming it evenwasone of the bridal candidates.” Silus sighed. “We have no idea how many traitors are embedded in the court. I wouldn’t put it past them to use others as cover without Kaylen’s knowledge.”
Vad’s voice sliced through the uncertainty. “We’ll figure that out later. Right now, we move. We need to get somewhere secure so that all of us can start healing.”
No one argued.
In the dim light, we worked quickly. Wounds were bound with the remaining supplies. Not wanting to use them up, I shifted the most agonizing shift I’d ever done before. My bones cracked, and the skin stretched around my injury like it wasn’t going to heal.
I whimpered in pain, but somehow, the skin closed enough not to destroy my leg. However, as soon as I inhaled a breath of relief, my wolf began to retreat from me, and I realized that I could be stuck in this form. Shit! I would need to be able to talk to the others soon.
Before she receded too far, I forced another shift back into human form. My body contorted in ways that it never had before, and I cried out.
What’s wrong?Vad appeared beside me, his eyes wide.
I wanted to answer, but I couldn’t. My bones broke and reformed brutally, and fur remained on my arms. I shifted into some weird combination of human and wolf, the magic trying to surge and retreat, warring with itself. I’d never experienced pain like this, not even during my first shift as a child.
“Vyratoes!” Vad said loudly just as my body completed the transformation.
I shifted into my wolf form again, long enough to heal, and then returned to human. The slip retained some of the wedding dress’s magic and went with me. A small gift from Fate.
I’d have traded it to have Thalira, Yuki, and Velessa back.
“I’m fine,” I gasped. “I just need to let my wolf magic recharge.” That made sense. Shifting back and forth like I’d just done was dangerous, but we had to keep moving.
Quen blew out one of the oil lamps and poured its contents into the remaining one.
