21. Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-One

Tovi

A lush deep-green forest sprawled around Tovi. Ferns covered the path and ivy wrapped around fir trees. Patches of snow and ice dotted the canyon’s forest. Flurries fell from a forever gray sky above. The gentle landing of the snow greeted Tovi, and she inhaled the air of home.

Despite the mist, chill, and overcast sky, it was home. Down here in the canyon, the remnants of a Drystan winter brought back memories. The splintered, sap-scented wood as her twin brother chopped it for fires. The fresh scent of snow on Tovi’s hands as she readied a ball to throw at Riven’s head. Their younger sister’s laughter when she hit her target, and he cursed. And Sven, the youngest, hunkered unseen and most likely to throw the next.

The weight of memories puffed as a sad and lone cloud as she exhaled. That sibling fun was long gone now. She hadn’t broken the bond between them all, but she’d started the first crack. From then, it had split like aging wood. Shame shawled her ancient bones.

It had been miles since the rest of the team had joined her and Eldrick by the swamp. Like she’d predicted, Kade had urged everyone onward. For hours, they dredged the dense thicket of the brush, intent on journeying as much distance as they could before nightfall cast them in wicked darkness .

Or another demon struck.

The feel of its tough exoskeleton against her hands and the burn of its blood as she’d driven Eldrick’s axes into its head was a phantom memory sending shivers up Tovi’s spine. Its presence in the swamp and its size swirled nerves in her belly. Darkness, heavy and hungry, overtook her home like a parasite she could not destroy. No matter how many demons she killed, another would surface.

Eldrick marched ahead of her, pushing aside an icy branch she’d been too distracted to notice. She smiled softly in thanks and ducked under it. Ridiculous, unwarranted feelings rushed through her, so hot they might defrost the vegetation around them. Worse, Eldrick’s words from earlier replayed in her mind.

Tovi Verena.

He’d said her name. Not “bloodsucker.” Her actual name, and the sound of it in his voice had sent a jolt to her stomach, sparking a heat she didn’t even know she could conjure anymore. Two emotions had flickered in those gemstone eyes of his, but Tovi had been too frightened to see something she wanted to see.

But more importantly, something she didn’t need.

Eldrick had told everyone, in dramatic detail, about their account with the demon. Tovi recalled his eyes alight with awe, but the team’s reaction had stopped her short. Todd had gripped the dagger at his belt tighter. Bétar’s eyes had narrowed, and Yen’s blue eyes had widened. Eldrick’s tale had made them see her in a new light.

Gaining their trust would be harder now. She wasn’t some princess on a diplomatic errand. Tovi could fight. She’d trained with daggers, swords, sometimes axes for two decades. Goddess, she’d mastered a bow and arrow at seventeen. She wasn’t simply a vampyr in their eyes, but a trained one who’d withheld her skills. Kade, too, held an edge of new distrust. She’d not shared her fighting abilities during their time on the ship. And she’d give him no new information now. Revealing how she was trained and by who entered dangerous territory .

With their deepening apprehension, questions would follow. Tovi tensed, straightened her shoulders and continued walking. Those were questions she’d rather avoid, especially with Eldrick.

“Is Drystan always like this?” Todd asked.

Tovi paused, turning to look back at everyone on the team.

“Like what?” Her tone came off harsher than she’d intended, but days of judgmental stares, comments, and energy had begun to wear her down. They might as well have been throwing Eldrick’s axes at her, and every so often a few would graze her skin and cut her open. Her need to feed soon didn’t help either. Hunger nipped in her empty belly.

“Well,” Todd shrugged. “Wet and dark.” His eyes peered above the tree canopy. The gray from earlier shifted to a darker gray. Soon night would wash over them.

“Sadly, yes,” Tovi said. “The darkness causes the clouds, which blocks the sunlight.”

“All year?” Yennifer’s eyes went wide.

Tovi nodded, her lips thin and eyes downcast.

“What about food and farming?” Bétar asked. “How do you feed your people with no sun?”

The mood of the team shifted. Bétar cursed as someone hit him in the stomach. A glance back, and Tovi found Yennifer with the end of bow jabbed into her mate’s gut, sending him a withering look.

“We’ve adapted our crops to fit the climate better, ones that like the rain and the overcast. Everything else we import.”

Again, silence stretched except for Tovi’s boots crunching on the frosted path. She dreamed of potato or pumpkin soup, the promise warming her tired bones. Her mouth watered at the thought of blueberry biscuits slathered with butter.

“It’s actually persimmon season if I recall—”

“Persimmon?” Bétar annunciated the word slowly.

“I still can’t believe vampyrs eat food,” Todd said.

Tovi stopped and whirled. “What?”

Todd shrugged. “Well, I thought—we thought—you only ate, you know…”

She didn’t wait to see the judgment, confusion, or horror regarding the fact she drank blood. She turned her back on them, continuing up the path, trying to tell herself she didn’t care. Besides, it was hard to get angry at the weapons master. Todd was far softer than his blades, a naturally kind soul.

“Also, what is it with this bloodstone of yours? Why do you have a bloodstone and others don’t?” Todd asked another question. “Wouldn’t that make the days and nights easier?”

Tovi shut her eyes and sent a prayer to the Sun Goddess to save her. “They’re extremely rare. Only a handful in court have them.”

“Like?”

Tovi didn’t think, she answered Todd’s question to get it over with. “Some of my siblings and I, of course, and some of those on the royal council.”

“Siblings?” Kade’s voice barked from behind.

Shit.

He walked up the path. “How many siblings do you have?”

“Three,” Tovi muttered.

The two Drengr brothers shared a glance, but Tovi didn’t balk. She remained still, shoulders back.

“Three? Two more than I knew of.” Eldrick asked, “And are they enemies, too? Riven’s allies? Does he have the entire vampyr court on his side?”

“No, he doesn’t have the entire court. He has Visha, the youngest of us, because he doesn’t leash her violent tendencies.” Tovi sighed. “Sven, on the other hand, is a different story. He stays out of vampyr court and royal affairs entirely. I last saw him fifty years ago, and it was only in passing amongst traders.”

“Those are rather important details you failed to mention,” Eldrick muttered, walking ahead.

“How so?” Tovi narrowed her eyes .

Eldrick threw up his hands. “You don’t have sound relationships with a single sibling. Tell me, how many allies do you actually have amongst your own people?”

“If it was an equal fight of vampyrs against vampyrs, I wouldn’t be seeking out alliances with werewolves, now would I?” Tovi said.

“Arguing is a waste of time.” Kade pushed through them and continued farther up the path. “We have a few hours before nightfall. Let’s keep moving.”

“We can’t ignore the fact she lied—”

“Lied?” Tovi scoffed. “I didn’t tell you something you never asked about. That’s hardly lying.”

“Fine. You withheld information, but what else are you withholding?”

Tovi steeled her spine and charged towards Eldrick. Singing her praises one moment, accusing her of being a liar the next. Goddess , his mood swings, his perception of her, was giving her whiplash.

“Let’s get this straight, wolf,” Tovi jabbed her finger into his chest. Someone gasped behind them, and another breathed a curse. “I am withholding plenty, because similar to how you feel about me, I. Don’t. Trust. You . Trust goes both ways. When you learn to trust me, I’ll grant you the same courtesy.”

Eldrick gritted his teeth, a growl rumbling low in his chest. “I’m glad to hear we’re on mutual ground then.”

“Splendid.” Tovi strutted past him. “Kade’s right. Let’s keep—”

A scent settled into the fog and ferns. Sharp lemon. Tovi inhaled again, willing her senses to be wrong. Her nostrils stung from the cutting smell while another more distant scent mingled with it.

Tovi whirled, searching the mists. Please be wrong. Sounds in the distance, voices, disturbed the silent canyon.

“Does anyone—”

Tovi sprinted and laid her hand over Eldrick’s mouth. His gem-colored eyes widened as their skin made contact.

“Everyone off the path! Now!” she hissed .

The team darted out of sight, some going left, others going right. Kade hurried Bleu and Maxie farthest away, falling under the drape of mossy vines.

Heavy booted steps grew closer. Tovi cursed, pushing Eldrick off the path. They landed, tangled together in overgrown ferns, with Tovi lying atop Eldrick’s chest. She tried to fidget off, but he wrapped one arm around her waist and held her firm while the other laid a finger over her lips, silencing her. Covered by a canopy of large, wide fronds, they were hidden from sight, but face-to-face with Eldrick, Tovi couldn’t see those who now strolled their path.

With scent alone, Tovi guessed. “Vampyrs,” she mouthed to Eldrick.

He nodded, eyes trailing every inch of her face. The footsteps stopped, but so did time. Eldrick’s stare ensnared her, and for a moment, she forgot they were hiding. Her heart slowed, her breathing stopped. The rivets of green wavered like the polar lights in the far north, the dim light glinting at different angles.

Alive. Breathing. Warm.

Wonderment washed over Eldrick’s face, and unlike on the path or after the demon attack, Tovi couldn’t look away, not with other vampyrs so close. His eyes dropped to her lips, which she’d bitten to remain still. Eldrick’s nostrils flared, and a warmth spread from her belly to her toes, time and tension pushing and pulling between them.

“I swear I smell wolf,” a male voice muttered.

Tovi and Eldrick snapped to attention. Tovi released a breath while Eldrick blinked rapidly. Leaning away from him and whatever moment they’d shared, Tovi tuned into the conversation on the path.

“Of course you smell wolf,” a female voice said. “There’s five them up ahead in chains.”

Eldrick’s entire body trembled then his hand on her waist tightened with a clawed grip. Tovi chanced a quick glance behind her and internally cursed. His hand was shifting, fur sprouting from his sun-kissed skin.

“Stop,” she mouthed. “Wait. ”

Eldrick bared his teeth but listened. He breathed through his nose, in a simple one, two tempo. Tovi rose and fell on his chest as he calmed.

“I know we’re escorting werewolves,” the male vampyr hissed. “But I swear I smell more, like it’s coming from over there.”

Eldrick pulled Tovi closer to his chest, and she buried her head into the crook of his neck, molding against him. Eldrick’s heart hammered beneath her, and his scent consumed her, the pumping of blood at his neck over and over again, the way he held her fiercely yet gently, his arm around her waist. Her fangs pierced her gums, screaming to be set free and sedate her growing hunger with the delicious, warm blood coursing inches from her.

A boot stepped closer and into the brush, fern leaves crunching as one of the vampyrs approached. Tovi readied for a fight, her fangs jutting from her mouth.

“Come on, Laz,” the female vampyr said. “It’s the fog making you wary. I’m ready to get out of this cursed Void. Let’s go, we also have fighters to deliver.”

Boots retreated from the ferns and back onto the flattened path, their steps became faint, distant, and then nothing at all.

For three whole breaths, Tovi and Eldrick remained as they were, molded to each other. His heart raced like a caged bird. She nuzzled closer to him. Neither were inclined to move.

Until someone on the team whistled light like a songbird.

“Eldrick? Tovi?” Kade whispered.

Like their bodies suddenly burned the other, Tovi and Eldrick separated in an instant, rolling and standing in the ferns. Eldrick avoided making eye contact with her, and Tovi stepped farther away, creating a wide berth between them.

Kade ducked under the vines and back onto the path with Bleu and Maxie. Linx emerged from foliage, and then three other silhouettes in the fog sharpened to Yennifer, Bétar, and Todd.

“Did everyone else hear them mention werewolves?” Todd asked.

“I have the same question,” Kade said .

Before Tovi could comment, a clang of metal accompanied by the creaking of wood sounded in the distance.

“Move!” a voice hollered deep into the fog.

Metal chimed like chains being rattled together. Tovi’s gut churned, and she hurried up the path.

“Stay quiet,” she whispered to the others.

Eldrick scowled so hard Tovi feared his jaw might crack his molars, but he moved without a word, staying quiet as Tovi instructed.

The canyon walls shrank to scattered boulders, the fog and mists lowering and lowering until an army of fir trees stretched for miles.

Flattening herself against a boulder, Tovi peered out into the forest, finding the snaking path through the patches of snow and layered pine needles. Ahead, the worst of her fears manifested, and a stone, as heavy as the boulder she pressed herself against, plummeted in her belly.

“Stars above,” Kade whispered at her side.

Five werewolves walked in unison, one behind the other, chained together. Ten vampyrs surrounded the formation. Tovi swore their taloned hands glared black in the dim light.

“ Moons , did we stumble upon the missing werewolves?” Bétar asked, his ruddy cheeks as red as his beard.

Yennifer gripped his shoulder, tears brimming in her eyes. “They’re in chains.”

“You knew this was happening, didn’t you?” Eldrick’s voice trembled behind her.

“What?” Tovi seethed.

His golden-brown hair was matted to a forehead sheened with sweat, and he shook with rage. Hatred laced the rivets of his green eyes.

“Don’t pretend like you didn’t know.” He stepped towards her, a hand on his axe .

Tovi shook her head. “I didn’t know, I swear.” Her voice came out shriller than she expected, desperate. “I’ve been away from Drystan for months.”

“You’re a liar.”

Eldrick’s constant doubt of her was worse than any blade carving her skin. Each attack left a mark, scarring her battered heart and dampening her resolve.

Yet, Tovi hadn’t known. Amongst so many secrets, this was the truth. Never, not even when Tovi was at her worst, would she have placed werewolves or anyone for that matter in chains.

“I am not a liar,” she said, back straight and poised.

“You never mentioned your siblings or your ability to fight. Both would’ve been nice to know on our end. What if this is another detail you’ve chosen to withhold ?” Eldrick asked.

“If you recall, my ability to fight saved your life hours ago!” Tovi yelled. “What difference does it make if I told you or not?”

She and Eldrick had met step for step and now stood toe to toe. Jade clashed with emerald. Winter eclipsed spring. Their wills warred. Fog dissipated around them, their heated argument raising the temperature of the air.

Tovi’s chest rose and fell. Only moments ago, it had risen against Eldrick’s under a canopy of fronds as their bodies molded together. Now, there couldn’t be enough distance between them, miles apart from seeing eye to eye.

Hot with rage, Tovi’s fangs pricked her bottom lip, and the tip of her talons pierced her fleshy palms. She may not shift into a wolf, but a monster lay in Tovi just the same. Goddess , this werewolf unraveled her and threatened to unleash that monster at every turn.

Tovi tightened her fists despite the cuts. The pain kept her balanced and in check. This journey was supposed to be difficult. Traveling across the Void, through Drystan, encountering demons. Not to mention everything they faced when they arrived at the castle.

Yet, Eldrick made everything worse. How could Tovi solidify this alliance if she was up against this stubborn, suspicious werewolf at every turn ?

Stepping closer, he whispered, “How can we possibly trust you when there are so many secrets?” Eldrick gestured towards the werewolves. “Or that you knew this was happening—”

“I didn’t—”

“Stop!” Kade roared and stepped between them.

Tovi shut her mouth, shame washing over her.

“We don’t have time for this bickering.” Kade eyed each of them. He tied his hair into a small bun with a leather cord, slicking his damp hair away from his face. “We’re freeing those werewolves, understood?”

All of them nodded, and Tovi shifted from foot to foot. Her people had chained theirs. She swallowed bile, digging her nails into her palms once more, and refused to meet Eldrick’s hateful stare.

She wanted to claw at his face and wipe that hate right away. But she had a worse enemy to fight at the moment—her own people.