We’ll go tonight, after I’ve gotten some more rest.”
“Noc, Kost, and Ozias won’t be back until late.”
I raised a brow. “Where are they?”
“Training.” Calem folded his arms across his chest. “I don’t think we should do this without them.”
“We don’t need them, but we will need some stuff.” I patted his chest then strolled toward the stairs leading up to my room. “I’ll make you a list. Once you’ve got everything, we can go.”
* * *
When pallid-purple hues claimed the waning afternoon sky, I opened my bedroom door to find Calem waiting, bulging duffel strapped to his back. The muscles in my body protested at the thought of a taming, but the sluggishness was gone. Power hummed beneath my fingertips.
“Got everything on your list.” Calem tossed a glance down the hallway as I closed the door behind me. Flickering lights lined the wooden doors, and I spied the two rooms closest to the stairs. Oz and Kost. Calem’s jaw ticked. I’d asked a big favor of him, going on this hunt without them. But the Effreft only came out at night, and I wasn’t willing to dally any longer.
Reaching out, I grazed his forearm. “Don’t worry. Nothing bad will happen. This beast won’t physically harm me if something goes wrong. It’ll just leave.”
His shoulders tensed, but he didn’t move away from my touch. “You still haven’t told me what this beast does.”
“It’s a surprise.”
Glancing down his nose at me, he huffed. “Let’s go.” Hand gently placed on the small of my back, he pushed me toward the stairs. Two Zeelahs stood at the ready, tied to a post with leather reins.
We didn’t need to travel far—there was an open plain about a thirty-minute ride from Ortega Key. With a full moon raised high in the night sky, it was a prime time and location to lure the Effreft. Crisp air tinged with salt nipped at my skin, and I ran my hands along my arms as we brought our mounts to a stop.
“Leave the Zeelahs here. We need to create the offering.” I slipped off my mare and looped her reins around a thin tree before picking my way across the field. Calem followed close behind, bag bouncing in time with his gait.
In the middle of the field rested a flat oval slab. Raised above the grass with a polished surface, it made a perfect offering table. I nodded toward it, and Calem sank to the ground, upending the bag and dumping the contents onto the stone. Fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, and fish bombarded our improvised altar, followed by a heaping stack of reeds and broken-up palm fronds.
An apple rolled onto the ground. Calem snatched it and placed it on the precarious pile of food. “Now what?”
“Now we work. Quickly.” Grabbing the reeds and stripped palm leaves, I began weaving a basket in the shape of a horn.
For a beast that brought bounties of plenty, a feast was needed as part of the bait. Once the makeshift cornucopia was constructed, we stuffed the food inside, leaving scraps around the mouth for easy visibility.
Brushing my hands along my linen pants, I stood and surveyed the trap. “That should do it.”
With Calem dressed entirely in black, it was hard to decipher the shadows from his clothing. But they were there, lurking around his ankles and steel-tipped boots. Following my lead, he wiped his hands across the front of his black trousers.
“Here’s how this is going to work.” Pivoting to face him, I cracked my knuckles. “You need to stay right next to me. I’m talking inches. Keep yourself hidden until I call you out. And when I do, push me to the side and touch the Effreft as fast as you can.”
Calem narrowed his eyes. “I’m not going to push you.”
“I’m serious. Effrefts bond immediately. It’s not normally an issue for Charmers, but since I plan on handing off the beast to you, you’ll need to be its first point of contact. If it sees me first or otherwise associates me as its master, I can’t give it to you. Breaking a permanent bond between beast and master could result in the creature’s death, and I won’t risk that.”
I placed my hands on my hips, daring him to contradict me. Shifting in place, he rocked on his heels. The muscles along his jawline ticked as he weighed his options.
“A little dirt won’t kill me. Just pretend we’re sparring again.”
Red eyes skewered me. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”