Page 67 of Wolf of Ashes
I give a growl of frustration that he’s only now offering me what I came here for.
“Truce,” I snarl.
“Good.” He begins to nod, but it only serves to bring his neck closer to my claws and he immediately stops.
“I’m going to withdraw my claws,” I say. “You’re going to withdraw your sword. And then we’re going to back away from each other.” As his blade moves at the corner of my eye, I warn, “Slowly.”
The blade barely shifts, moving in the most infinitesimal increments, while I carefully lift my claws at the same excruciatingly slow pace.
As soon as the sword lifts clear of my throat and I can be as sure as possible that he won’t flick it into me, I jump backward, landing deftly several paces away. Checking my neck wound and finding that it’s healing already, I edge toward Diavolo, who is stepping carefully toward me.
He pauses on the way past the chair where Jonah flung his jacket and shirt, scoops up the shirt, and rips a strip off the bottom of it.
“Hey,” Jonah growls.
Diavolo snaps back. “It’s the least you can fucking do.”
He reaches for me, extending the strip of material with a quiet, “For your eyes.”
I quickly wrap the material around my face, breathing a sigh of relief as the pain in my head abates.
I catch both Vanguard and Jonah watching with creases in their foreheads and curiosity in their eyes. I imagine they thought Diavolo was going to wrap the cloth around the wound on my neck.
The keeper’s own clothing is torn and blackened with soot where his form expanded and, whereas he towered over me before, now his presence engulfs me. I don’t mind. The scent of smoke and ash wafting off him overpowers the scent of fire on Jonah’s shirt material.
I keep my claws extended and my teeth bared when the panthers join us only moments later. I’m glad they didn’t try to get involved in my fight with Jonah or the interaction with Vanguard.
On the floor in the background, the writhing snakes finally stop moving. Luminous energy glimmers across their skin as every one of them becomes translucent again, the pieces of their bodies rise off the floor, and their transparent forms meld together.
I’m a little disappointed when their newly healed forms glide across the distance toward Vanguard.
I was hoping we’d permanently ended those fuckers.
They fit themselves back to his chest and arms, where they reform tattoos across his skin, a seething mass of ink once more.
Vanguard rolls his shoulders, closes his eyes briefly, and when he opens them, his expression is brighter, as if some of his energy has returned.
Daring to turn away from us, he crosses to the other table, reaches for his shirt, and begins to pull it on. “Well, now I understand how you survived my sister’s traps.”
I want to ask him about her power and tease out more information about her, but it could be unwise. After all, he thinks we conquered her magic, so we should have some knowledge of it already.
Vanguard pulls up a chair and takes a seat.
Jonah, on the other hand, collects several bowls off the nearest tables, empties what looks like nuts out of them, and pours clear liquid into them. I have no idea what he’s doing until he places the bowls on the floor a good distance away from all of us and says, “Water. For your dogs. They’ll be thirsty after that fight.” He exhales before muttering, “Least I can fucking do.”
The panthers are quick to avail themselves of hydration and the fact that they don’t hesitate eases my mind that this volcano man isn’t trying to poison my beasts.
I give Jonah a grudging nod before he returns to Vanguard’s side.
After folding his arms across his chest, Vanguard turns his attention to Diavolo. “You’re an enenra masquerading as a warlock.”
A what-ra?My forehead creases as I rummage through my memories of all the supernatural species my mother told me about. I’m perplexed that I don’t know what an enenra is. I try to hide my confusion, but Diavolo seems to understand exactly what Vanguard is talking about.
“I’m a demon of smoke and ash,” he says, as if he’s acknowledging Vanguard’s proclamation, but I’m certain he’s only spelling it out for my benefit. He’s too perceptive not to have caught the press of my lips and my flash of confusion.
He continues to Vanguard. “I’m sure you can understand why I like to keep that to myself.”
Vanguard nods. “Indeed. Enenra are rare and dangerous enough to be a target for those wishing to make names for themselves.”
