Oath of the Alpha - Eva Dresden Page 0,91
hugging her middle tight as her gaze was drawn to a place only she could see. Even Aida could not view it, but she could feel it—a foul and corrosive place eating away at everything that came near. “It will not harm you if you remain a safe distance.”
“She cannot—”
“Silence, Tor’en,” Er’it said in a harsh bark. His topaz gaze settled upon Aida where she stood small and alone in her wagon. Nudging Kal with his knees, he brought the Phylix alongside the cart, holding his hand out to help her astride. “You will follow us at a distance. Come no farther than halfway.”
“Er’it, do not do this,” Tor’en implored, clambering down from his sturdy mule to approach. Disregarding the danger in Er’it’s wide eyes as he came beside them, Tor’en shoved his hood back to peer up at the couple with deep furrows in his brow. “Listen to your heart, my boy.”
Er’it gave no response. Setting his knees to Kal’s sides, Er’it urged him into a fast trot. His heaving chest pushed against Aida’s back, his grip painful around her waist. She did not utter any complaint. The warmth of his breath fanned over the back of her neck, somehow cooling the crimson-shaded ache at her shoulder from his second bite.
The land sped by, passing far faster than it should. Yet, Aida could detail every second of that journey. The smell of Kal and Er’it heavy around her, the sharp bite of the cold, and even the ringing of Kal’s hooves against the frozen earth ingrained itself into her memory. Not that it would remain there long.
The trees became twisted and gnarled the closer they came. They grew black and hideous as Kal broke away from the main road to travel a narrow path overgrown and treacherous. No longer hidden behind a layer of deceitful magic, the true face of the forest laid itself bare. Thick strands of some meaty vine hung over the trail. Its tendrils grabbed at them, twining around their hair and limbs in a burst of hissing growth before clamping down.
After having to pause once more to hack away at the clinging growth when it snagged at Kal’s legs and forced him to a dangerous halt, Er’it snarled vicious curses and dragged Aida down from Kal’s back.
“Go back and wait for the others,” Er’it told Kal, giving the Phylix a rough pat against his lathered neck. Though the journey hadn’t been so arduous, all of them looked as if they’d traveled at speed for days.
“This place,” Aida murmured as Kal trumpeted and brayed, voicing his unwillingness to part ways. The sound itself made the slimy leaves hiss and rattle as they withdrew into an impenetrable wall around them. As man and beast argued in a way that once fascinated her to no end, Aida drew closer to the monstrous growth. Her fingers traveled over the edge of a leaf, the thorny edge piercing soft flesh as she whispered, “It is what was done to it.”
It took no effort at all to call to her magic. There was none of the searching and wrangling Tor’en often spoke of in terms of what mages must do to access their power. Hers forever lingered just under the surface, impatient as it waited to burst forth. The icy blue glow painting her skin caused the leaf to recoil. It collapsed in on itself as she placed her palm upon the leathery stem of its vine.
Er’it’s shout echoed through the trees as the azure glow writhed through the forest. Amid a great roar of crackling wood, snapping vines, and whispering leaves, he shouted at Aida and raced toward her, Kal close on his heels. The Phylix blazed, brightening the red-gold flames building at Er’it’s hands as they reached for Aida. She collapsed to her knees, cheek scraping over the bark of the tree she clung to as it healed. With no other thought than to mend it all, her lashes fluttered as she let loose her straining grip over her power. Aida let it free, allowing it to race through the canopy of budding growth, the earth swallowing the wretched remains of the befouled greenery as it rumbled and groaned.
“Aida, stop!” Er’it yelled, having to squeeze his eyes shut against the glare of her magic as he fell down beside her. A wordless roar wrenched from his chest as he wrapped his arms tight about her.
Attempting to quiet the raging energy, he dared to touch the icy core of it.