I wondered. Stupid. Just stupid, although it gave me a leg up once I’d managed to crawl my way over to a tree and get behind it. I had a feeling there were four different archers. Wasn’t positive, but I thought. Judging by the various angles they were coming from and the different kinds of bolts and arrows, there were definitely at least four, but somehow I didn’t think they had a couple of people lying in wait, just to throw me off.
Regular fiberglass arrows, as well as bolts, the kind somebody would fire from some of the crossbows out there.
I’d grabbed one of the arrows closest, checked it, smelling it for some sign of poison or anything else and there wasn’t anything.
Why arrows and no guns?
Didn’t make any sense. Peering around the tree, I caught sight of a scrap of white. Another arrow whizzed by, but that was fine. I had a location now. Smiling, I reached for one of my arrows.
My aim is true—
Unlike theirs.
I heard the strangled scream and a furious swear bounce through the trees second later.
One down.
Another volley of arrows came raining around me. Sighing, I leaned against the tree. My eyes drifted to the pit. Was Kori alive—?
Couldn’t think about that. Just couldn’t.
After another twenty minutes, I found another target. The sound of his scream was like music.
Within an hour, it was down to just one.
And I was confused as hell. They were wasting all of this time, the ammo—why?
By the time I figured it out, it was almost too late. I heard them drawing near, another group coming to catch me in a pincer move. I didn’t have time to find another place to hide myself and I couldn’t leave Kori.
Damn it—
Fade—no choice now, not if they were doing what I thought.
I faded and took out the last target and then moved over to peer down into the hole at Kori.
The site of her locked, open gaze hit me like a fist to the chest. The arrow had pierced her heart, and I knew iron when I saw it. It would have killed her instantly. They’d been using fiberglass to pin me in place, but they’d specifically chosen to shoot her with iron…they’d wanted her dead. Witches were stronger than humans and able to heal, but iron weakened them. She could have healed if it hadn’t pierced her heart, but it had.
Slanting a look across the water where the archers had hidden, I narrowed my eyes.
If I hadn’t killed all of them, I would.
She was gone, so there was no reason to linger here.
Carefully, watching every step I took, I started to move. The path was littered with arrows and bolts and branches and I had to be careful not to touch them. I could hear them coming closer and closer now and they were quiet. Hunters, all of them, humans who liked to spend their days prowling through the wild in search of prey. Made a study of it.
Today they wanted me to be the prey.
No.
Absolutely no.
Once, I caught a glimpse of them from the corner of my eye and I could hear them as I made my way around the bend to where the archers had lain in wait. Four of them, just as I thought. Although one of them wasn’t dead. The arrow had gone through his lung just below the heart.
Damn. My aim wasn’t as true as I’d like.
I searched the rest of the area before I went to his side. As I knelt beside him, I heard the crackle of a radio.
“Where’s the target, Hooper?”
The man just inches away panted, scrambling for the radio a few feet from his hand. I rose away and let him roll over, grunting, whining with pain. “She’s…over. There. Saw her. Fucking bitch. Gut the bitch. Need help. Hurry.”
“She’s not here, Hoop,” a voice said. “We’re heading out. Got to find her before he gets here.”
He fell back on his back and started to cry, clutching at the arrow going through him.
He…?
I knelt down beside him and faded back into sight, smiling as I covered his mouth with my hand.
“Hello, Hooper.”
Grabbed my arrow, I jerked on it and laughed softly as he screamed against my muffling palm. “We should chat. Who is he and why is coming after me?”
It was six minutes I’d never get back.
Hooper had nothing to tell me and I ended up killing him with my knife across his throat.
It was quick, painless and easy—far easier than I’d rather give