Curse Breaker (2)

18

A deep ache rocks my muscles.

I keep my arms wrapped securely around Cadence's petite form; she's stopped struggling now, her screams nothing but a mere murmur as she twitches in her restless slumber. But still, I don't release my grip.

All around us, shapes dance between the trees. A low fog hangs by our feet, half our bodies hidden. I can't tell if it's from the night chill or the ever-lingering cloud. Whatever it is, I'm grateful.

It shrouds the body lying only feet away.

The voices in my head stopped when Cadence's cries did. But despite the ache in my muscles and cramping in my legs, I'm too terrified to move.

I don't know much about the evocian disease that plagues the shifters. I've seen what it can do first-hand, but I don't know how immediate the reaction to the cloud is. All I know is Cadence and I were escorted by at least five royal shifter guards, and none of them are anywhere to be seen.

There are only low howls haunting the trees in the distance. And normal shifters can't transform without the Red Moon.

I gaze around the space, body quivering as I avoid looking down. Down at Cadence. Down at my body. Down at Raven. And then, in the distance amongst the trees, light blurs the edges of darkness. I narrow my gaze, wondering if it's part of my imagination. It only grows brighter.

Firelight.

My heart picks up but my body won't move. I scramble up the tree I'm leaning against, separately trying to cling Cadence's dead-weight body with me. She's so small but impossibly heavy. As the firelight grows closer, so do the figures behind it. I can't make out more than the shadows--but there's more than one.

"Stay back!" I shout.

The fire flickers as they stop moving closer, hesitating for a second. "Frey! Freya? Are you there?"

My stomach drops at the sound of Casimir's voice. But even as my mouth opens, no response comes out as I dart my eyes around. A fog still lingers. Panic settles deep in my stomach.

It's a trick.

"Freya!"

I squeeze my eyes shut as they call again. It's not real.

Hands on my shoulders shake rigorously, forcing my eyes open. Bright blue eyes glare into mine, so frantic and alive they can't possibly be a trick.

"Cas?" I breathe. "Cas, is that really you?"

He nods. Elex beside him holds the firelight up to his face, illuminating his sweat-soaked brow, the cut on his cheek. "Come on, we have to get you out of here. We have a carriage."

"Cadence--" My knees buckle under her weight with relief. Casimir catches me by the elbows. "She's not conscious. Please, take her."

He hesitates, looking down at her, before offering a curt nod and taking her weight from me. I watch, dazed, as he lifts her frail body into his arms, shifting her slightly so her head falls into her chest. I lean against the tree, finally focusing on the figures standing in the shadows of the fire.

Lei is the first one I notice, her hair slicked back and eyes sharp, but she's not the one who draws my attention. Killian stands a mere fraction ahead of her.

At first, I wonder if they're a figment of my imagination until Elex mumbles something as he passes Lei. Neither of them says a word as they stare at the scene before them. Lei examines the low fog, eyes narrowed at the body I know lies at my feet. Killian doesn't break my gaze.

It feels like somebody has knocked the air from my stomach. I didn't know if I'd ever see him again.

"How..." The words choke in my throat. "You're with Casimir."