He saw the burning eyes in the night a bare moment before one of the Dirae tore him from the saddle. Jacqueline shouted at him, her horse rearing again as his began to panic. Cameron hit the ground rolling away from his mount, yanking a knife out of his boot and stabbing at the clawed hands that grabbed for him as he tried to roll out of their reach. He heard an angry hiss and knew at least one flailing strike had hit is mark.
“Ride on!” he yelled to Jacqueline as he came to his feet, trying to get his bearings. “Phelan needs you! Ride on!”
There were three Dirae, one of them now nursing a slashed arm, and they were creeping toward him with malice in their eyes. Jacqueline squinted at him past the shadowy figures, almost invisible in the night.
“What about you?”
“I’ll be fine,” Cameron lied. “Go!”
Caliburn rasped out of its sheath and glowed with a fire all its own. He sucked in a pair of breaths, risking one more glance toward Jacqueline, who was making no moves to ride on. “Dammit, Jac, go! If these bitches are here, Phelan’s got bigger problems than the skinchangers!”
She stared at him for half a moment, then kicked her horse into motion again and rode on. Cameron sucked in a deep breath. Thank god. He squared his shoulders, fingers tightening around Caliburn’s hilt.
He focused on the golden-eyed hags just in time because they were on him as one, screaming in a language he didn’t understand and threatening to drag him under like an undertow. He backpedaled with a curse, feinting to his left and leading with an edge of the blade, leaning toward the nearest of the Dirae.
What the hell are they doing here? We weren’t supposed to see them again anytime soon.
The blade bit into the Dirae’s flesh and she shrieked, leaping backwards as he jerked the blade back and free of her ribcage. He shifted slightly, just barely ducking a swing from one of her companions, one threatening to open his throat.
Don’t let them hit you. Remember what happened last time?
He yanked the knife free of its sheath and threw it at one of them as he backpedaled, blood dripping from Caliburn’s tip.
He heard the sound of shattering glass not far away. His opponents shrieked as one, their gazes suddenly turning south, down the roadway.
Cameron took the opportunity to spin and throw himself back onto his horse’s back. Before the trio of Dirae could react, he was on his way down the road again.
Damnation, could this night get any worse?
