Page 55 of Whispers of Ruin
“You said they have a pyramid; how close have you gotten to it?”
“We’ve been really close a few times, but those fuckers always push us back before we can get inside. They’re vicious, and their poison will knock you down fast.”
“Aren’t all immortals vicious?”
“Not the light fae.”
“The light fae fought against the Lord. They didn’t wield weapons, well… one did, but they stood against him.”
Ryker’s eyebrows rose at this revelation. “Interesting.”
Brokk couldn’t stop his gaze from traveling to Kaylia’s makeshift structure when they passed it; he hoped she was getting some rest tonight. Tomorrow was going to be a long day, but it wouldn’t be the first he’d face without sleep, and it wouldn’t be the last.
As they approached one of the guards at the edge of the jungle, Brokk removed his sword from its sheath and assumed the position Ryker’s follower vacated. The leader of the amsirah army relieved a guard fifteen feet to Brokk’s left.
Brokk stepped back and faded into the shadows created by the moon. There weren’t enough shadows to conceal him completely, but it would be difficult for anyone to see him.
From behind the witches’ protection spell, the whispers continued. As much as he loathed them, they were a welcome distraction from Kaylia and everything that could never be between them.
Though the whispers mostly spoke nonsense, other than names, their insidious tone and incessant noise raised the hair on his nape. Whatever created those whispers couldn’t pierce the witches’ protective bubble without them knowing, but they were out there, watching them, and he felt their eyes boring into his neck.
Brokk ignored them as they moved closer before creeping further away again. Their mutterings grew louder with their movements, and he sensed them circling the barrier.
He’d never heard them so close before. Certain that one of the whisperers stood directly behind him, Brokk turned to search the woods.
All that greeted him was the dark, endless spaces between the trees and the jungle. Nothing stood outside the barrier, staring at him as it waited to pounce, but he could feel it beyond the veil, salivating as it watched him.
Brokk smiled. He started to turn away when he spotted red eyes to his left, watching him.
He held those ravenous eyes until they blinked, and blackness briefly encompassed where they once stood. Then the red flared back to brilliant life as it continued to watch him from the trees.
He didn’t know if these seemingly free-floating eyes were part of the whisperers or belonged to some other creature, but they continued to stare at each other until it blinked again and vanished into the night.
Brokk tried to follow its movements but soon lost it in the dense foliage. He felt it out there, watching and waiting for its opportunity to strike.
And when it did, he was going to slaughter it. He’d had enough of this valley, whispers, emotions, ghosts, and all the other shit plaguing him since arriving here.
Brokk grinned as he tightened his hold on his sword and turned to face the clearing once more.
CHAPTERFIFTY-TWO
Kaylia didn’t go outof her way to avoid him as much the next day. She was still a little hesitant to meet his gaze, and her smile was shyer, but at least she’d stopped acting like he was the enemy.
As soon as the sun rose, they packed up their small camp and resumed their journey to the crudue vine. Brokk couldn’t get the image of those red eyes out of his head as they traversed through the cloying jungle.
As they traveled, he saw no signs of the creature from last night, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t out there. It was entirely possible it stood only a foot away from him, hungrily watching, and he didn’t know because the jungle hid it.
Brokk glanced back at Kaylia, who had fallen into line behind him. He’d been keeping a close eye on her to assure himself she was still there.
She smiled, but her brow creased as she studied him. “Everything okay?”
“Yes,” he assured her.
She’d pulled her hair into a ponytail that bobbed against her nape, but loose strands cleaved to her flushed face. Loose-fitting clothes adhered to her curves.
Sometimes, the jungle was so dense he lost sight of her and the amsirah in front of him, but more often, he kept them in view. The sun reached its zenith in the sky when a grunt, followed by a shout, came from ahead of him.
Brokk stopped and held up his hand to let Kaylia know to stop too. From ahead of them came a sharp cry followed by a startled yelp.
