I headed straight for the fire, my heart thundering against my ribs, bile pooling in my gut.
Just once, I’d like to catch a goddamned break.
How many times had that thought run through my head since last August?
Davon and Rory were by the fire when I got there, both looking grim as Pippa gave them a rapid-fire assessment of whatever had caused the whistling.
She must have been on watch. I spotted Matt coming from the other direction and took a deep breath.
“What do we have?” I asked.
“There’s a fog rising out there,” Pippa said, looking stricken as her gaze bounced between Matt and I. “That means the Greys, doesn’t it?”
“More than that,” I said, shivers creeping down my spine. “If the Greys are coming back, it means the Hecate is making another move against us.”
“Already?” Matt shifted uncomfortably. He was wearing the battle axe he’d forged, the one Thordin had been working so hard to teach him to wield. “That bitch doesn’t quit, does she?”
“No,” I said quietly, swallowing against the sudden tightness in my throat. At least Seamus and Cameron aren’t here. Then again, that means she’s going to focus solely on Phelan and that’s not a good thing, either. “No, I don’t think she’s going to quit until someone makes her quit.” I glanced toward Pippa. “When did it start?”
“Ten minutes ago, maybe?” She swallowed hard. “Where is Phelan?”
“He’s coming,” I said. “He had to get his staff.”
Rory touched my shoulder. “It feels wrong, y’know? Doesn’t feel like this is the Greys.”
I looked askance at him, taking in his grim but certain expression. “What does it feel like?” I asked.
“Remember that time we drove down to Cahokia with Tala and stayed at that campsite?”
I shivered. “That place was haunted.”
Rory just stared at me and my stomach dropped.
What the hell is out there?
“Where’s Leinth?” I asked, my voice suddenly hoarse.
“Here,” her voice said behind me. I twisted toward the sound and saw her coming toward the fire, a pair of daggers hanging from her belt. I blinked, realizing that I’d never seen her armed before. “It’s not the angry dead, Marin, if that’s what you’re concerned about, nor is it the Hecate.”
“Then what is it?” I asked, feeling sicker by the second. “Something worse?”
“It’s always something worse,” she whispered, then smiled weakly. “That’s the way of it all, isn’t it?”
“Yeah,” I said. Sometimes I wonder what I wouldn’t give to change that.
“Don’t think that way,” she said, as if I’d somehow broadcast the thought. “The price is always too high, regardless of how it may seem at the time.”
Matt looked at her, then at me. “What do you think, sis?”
“I think we get people on the wall,” I told him. “Has the Hunt moved to guard positions?”
Pippa hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “Looked like they were heading in that direction when I came in.”
“Who’s in the tower?”
“Jack.”
I nodded and exhaled. “Take six people and watch the ravines,” I told her, then pointed to the whistle around her neck. “Blow that loud and long if there’s something coming up the sides.”
She nodded, biting her lip. “Why does this always happen?”
“Because we were lucky enough to survive the end of the world,” I told her.
I turned and walked toward the wall.
uh oh , , , , more trouble. Doesn’t sound as bad as it did when the telling began. Maybe the Hunt guys will be strong enough to handle whatever it is.
Thanks for the new addition. Always appreciated.