Page 15 of Wolf of Ashes
He surges ahead, nearly at the pedestal that sits in the center of the courtyard, and I make myself keep up, even though my thirst is unbearable.
I’m surprised when he slows his pace and pauses at the pedestal. He crouches briefly to the floor and lays his right palm flat against it. His head tilts a little to the side as if he’s trying to sense something.
When I draw level with him, he says, “Death happened here. But not the death of dark magic creatures. Light magic is heavier around this location.”
He gestures at the wall we’re headed toward, and his brows draw down as if he’s warier now. “A battle raged all the way to that wall, beyond which I suspect it probably continued.” His eyes narrow and he appears deep in thought. “Or perhaps it started from that direction and moved over here. Then back again.”
I follow his line of sight. Maybe if I weren’t so hungry, I would be able to discern the danger he senses. “How can you tell?”
“I can follow the streams of magic like footprints. They cross the courtyard multiple times and sometimes leave the ground.”
As he finishes rising to his feet, the dark light in his eyes becomes intense and a sheen of golden scales forms across his skin. Dragon scales or serpent scales; I’m not sure which.
“Winged creatures fought here,” he says, sounding very certain and more than a little unhappy. “Powerful ones.”
I speak aloud the conclusions I’m drawing from his body language. “You’re concerned.”
He nods. “This battle was recent. It could still be raging out there or it could be over. It’s unclear what we might be stepping into when we pass through to the natural world.”
He chews his bottom lip and turns back toward the way we came. “The level of power I’m sensing is worrying. We should avoid these beings at all costs.”
I’m surprised that any creature would give the keeper of dark magic a reason for pause. The fact that he seems to be contemplating heading back the way we came tells me he’s serious about the threat level we could face.
But his words also trigger my anger.
I may be tired, thirsty, and starving, but I step up to the keeper as he considers me quietly. I’m so close to him now that I have to tip my head back to see his face. “I’m not afraid to fuck with powerful creatures. I lived my life imprisoned by one. If I meet that Sentinel again, I will kill him. No matter the cost to me. Even if he burns me to the bone. I’m done with fear.”
The keeper’s nearness is intoxicating and the crown-shaped ring he’s wearing radiates power that only serves to feed my anger.
“I will fear no more,” I say.
He stares down at me, his eyes grazing my face, a disconcertingly intense study. Then his tension fades and his lips rise. “No more.”
CHAPTERFOUR
Without taking his eyes off me, the keeper inclines his head at the far wall—the one that extends all the way up into the haze and will provide our exit. “Let’s go. Be prepared.”
He walks straight toward the stone, and the panthers follow him.
When he reaches it, he stops. “I’ll walk through first,” he says. “Count to ten and then come after me. I will have either subdued any threat by then or drawn them away from you.”
Without waiting for my agreement, he steps into the wall as if it’s made of nothing but air and disappears through it. The female panther darts after him.
“But—” I’m left with the three male panthers, who gather close around me like guards. Their heads are held low and they growl at the wall.
I wish I had names for them, but names carry power and must be chosen carefully. I promise myself that once I’ve reached a safe place where I can breathe easily, I’ll figure out what the panthers should be called.
In the meantime, I force myself to count backward from ten, murmuring each number beneath my breath.
Finally, I reach one and I hurry forward, not wanting to admit to myself how much it has unsettled me to lose sight of the keeper. I’ve been alone for so long that having this man and all of these panthers near me feels as necessary as breathing.
I extend my arms and squeeze my eyes shut as I approach the wall, half-expecting to find it solid, but the air tingles around me and that’s the only feedback I get before I realize that I’ve stepped all the way through.
I’m prepared to find myself among enemies—attackers on the other side of this stone—and my claws are extended in readiness.
There’s nobody else here but the keeper and the panthers. The female pads up to me, nudging my hand with her head, as if to reassure me.
“We’re alone,” the keeper says. His visible skin is covered in black scales that extend from his cheeks down his neck and bare chest and arms like armor. “For now.”
