Chapter 36

GOLL

Later that afternoon, we dressed to go find food.

"I can smell some tasty meal that Ogalvet's cooking outside," she said, smiling brightly as I helped her into her cloak, slipping her wings through the flaps.

"He is," I smiled down at her. "I asked him to make a hearty soup for you."

"Yum." She pushed past me and outside the tent flap.

I followed. "Meck." I nodded to him. He hadn't left the tent since I'd brought her back.

"Sire." His face flushed with relief when he saw Una. "So good to see you're awake, Mizrah."

"Thank you, Meck," she said with a smile.

Then we walked arm-in-arm toward the nearest campfire.

"Rain soon?" she asked, looking up at the gray clouds covering the sky.

"Snow, I think," I answered as we stopped where Soryn, Pullo, and Hava sat with a few other fae.

A few of the Culled were out hunting, but most milled about our encampment that was situated partway between Belladum and Vanglosa.

"Una!" shouted Hava, hopping up from where she sat quite close to Keffa on a log they'd rolled near the fire. Then she literally flew over to greet her, landing clumsily and too close.

"Easy, Hava," I snapped.

"Sorry!" She stopped herself, seeming about to launch into Una's arms as she always did, and then gripped her hand instead, worry on her face. "Are you well?"

"I'm very well." She beamed, a rosy flush in her cheeks.

She was indeed fine after what I'd thought had brought her near death. I glanced around, looking for Dalya. I needed to apologize for all my growling at her through the night and into today. I'd even accused her of not doing enough to wake her.

"I feel rather glorious actually," said Una with another bright smile.

"Ogalvet!" I called over to him. He stood cooking underneath the open tent.

He nodded, not needing to hear what I wanted, and stooped over his cauldron with a bowl.

"Good to see that you're all right," said Keffa, now standing in our small circle, Soryn beside him. "Your mate was beginning to worry."

"Was he?" Una asked with a shy smile tilting her mouth.

"He even—" Keffa stopped mid-sentence.

I smelled it, too. "What is that?" I turned toward what had caught my, Soryn, and Keffa's attention. Other wraith fae also turned their heads toward the smell and sound.

Suddenly, a shout and another rose into the air from the outer edge of the encampment. We were at the center. Without a word, Keffa, Soryn, and I unsheathed our blades.

"Get behind me!" I shouted to Una. "Hava!"

She knew what I wanted and flapped her bat-like wings to shoot straight up above us. She looked beyond the tents from her height above us where we couldn't see. There was raucous yelling, snarling, and growling, and cries of fae.

"Oh, gods," said Hava.

"What is it?" I shouted impatiently.

"Meer-wolves, Sire. They're attacking!"

"How many?" I called up.

"Three!" she yelled. "No, four ."

"What in all the fucking hells?" growled Soryn.

"Hava!" Keffa shouted up to her. "Fly to the top of that tree and stay there!" He'd pointed to the tallest tree outside the encampment.

"But, Una," whimpered Hava.

"Go!" I ordered. "Now!"

She would be one less to worry about. Keffa, Soryn, and I circled Una. Then suddenly, Meck and Ferryn were there, swords out.

"Why in all the gods' names would the beast fae send their hounds to attack us?" asked Keffa. "After they helped us only yesterday."

"I don't know," was all I managed to say, the growls and snarls drawing closer as the beasts made their way through camp.

One of the wolves howled with an eerie yip at the end, speaking to his fellow beasts. Una gasped behind me.

"Don't worry, my mizrah," I told her. "I'll turn them to dust before they get too close." I hoped that I could.

My gift of zephilim was a living kind of magick. I could wield it with infinite delicacy or like a pounding hammer. However, it was difficult to use against fast-moving targets, especially when mixed in with those I didn't want to harm. Hence, the reason we were armed and ready.

I'd hoped the beasts would round the corner of the tents one at a time. That way I could destroy them each as they attacked. Of course, my wish wouldn't be granted. And they didn't simply stalk forward. Three came barreling around the corner of the tents, one of them with a severed arm dangling from his snarling mouth. My gut clenched.

" Etheline !" I shouted, palm-out, sending a stream of fire from my body directly into the wolf at the forefront, a dark gray beast with black eyes.

The fire hit him and engulfed him from head to tail, but he kept coming, running wildly toward us, still snapping the air with his yellowed fangs. Now he was a weapon of fire barreling closer, a moving inferno coming straight for us.

"Get Una out of here!" I shouted back to the Culled.

I heard her make a sound of distress as one of my warriors carried her away.

"I think you just pissed it off," cried Keffa to my left.

"Something's wrong with them," I bellowed as I raised my sword.

Normal Meer-wolves didn't attack fae encampments. And they would've run in fear at the first sign of feyfire. These weren't, and one of them was literally burning to death as he galloped closer.

Then the beasts were upon us. I slashed through the air at the burning beast who wasn't even writhing in pain as he should be. Keffa and Soryn took the second, and Pullo and Meck went at the third.

I dove and swiveled out of reach as the burning hound twisted and snapped again and again, seeming to grow angrier. Why wasn't this creature dying?

Spinning, I sprinted out of the cluster of the fighting, leading it away and needing to the get the beast alone. As I expected, it chased after me, swiping it's clawed hand at my back, coming so close I felt the heat singe my neck.

" Etheline ," I whispered to my sword as I continued to run toward the open plain, the wolf fast on my heels.

Flames burst up the black steel of my blade. With a sudden sharp turn, I thrust forward straight between the beast's eyes, the hound impaling himself on my flaming sword. I fell onto my back, the beast gurgling as he toppled onto me, his burning head upon my chest.

Through the dying flames, his glazed, yellow eyes were streaked with black striations. Like he was infected or cursed by something.

"Nihilim," I called, extinguishing the flames.

The wolf was still, his head and body smoking as I shoved my way out from under his stinking carcass.

More shouts drew my attention back to the encampment where I could now see Bezaliel, Redvyr, and two other beast fae fighting the fourth maddened wolf without weapons. Redvyr suddenly leaped onto the animal's back and slashed nonstop at his head and throat with his claws, tearing the wolf apart with his bare hands.

Then a blood-curdling scream filled the air. A feminine one that chilled my blood cold.

" Una. "