\u201cLeinth!\u201d<\/p>\n
Phelan grabbed her arm when she didn\u2019t respond, which\u2014in hindsight\u2014he realized was a mistake as she spun, nearly laying his face open with one of the nasty blade she was dual-wielding. He lurched backward, carefully honed reflexes the only thing saving him this time.<\/p>\n
Leinth grit her teeth in a snarl, her hand dropping. \u201cIdiot,\u201d she spat. \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong with you? We have a battle to win.\u201d<\/p>\n
Phelan glanced toward the score of the Wild Hunt that plunged through the wards and down into the ravine, watching one spit a dirae<\/em> that had been invisible up until the moment of its untimely demise. \u201cWe have bigger problems,\u201d he said. \u201cThe Hecate is here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m aware,\u201d Leinth said, her voice as cold as a winter wind.<\/p>\n \u201cWe lost track of her,\u201d Phelan said, hoping against hope that the words would somehow sink in and that Leinth would listen to what he said next. \u201cWe\u2019re afraid she\u2019s inside the wards and headed for camp. Headed for Cameron and Neve and Marin.\u201d<\/p>\n Leinth stared at him in stunned silence for a moment, her expression slack and eyes widening a fraction. \u201cHow did she get inside of the wards?\u201d she asked, her voice a bare whisper, like a skate\u2019s blade scraping on ice.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re not a dome,\u201d Phelan said. \u201cWe never pushed them that high. We haven\u2019t been able to. Marin\u2014\u201d he broke off, throat tightening. There was no delicate way of saying it, not that came to mind in that moment. \u201cMarin\u2019s not in any state right now to try to do more than she\u2019s already done. Those wards are her workings more than they\u2019re anyone else\u2019s and I\u2019m afraid if she tries to do more, it\u2019ll kill her outright.\u201d<\/p>\n Neither of them breathed for a few seconds as they stared at each other and the Hunt did the dirty work of defense, covered by some of the others, who remained safely behind the wards\u2014their inivisble wall that the Hecate may or may not have violated.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re wasting time,\u201d Phelan whispered. \u201cIf she\u2019s there, I need you with us.\u201d<\/p>\n Leinth swore and shook herself, then brushed past him on her way back to the tents.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cLeinth!\u201d Phelan grabbed her arm when she didn\u2019t respond, which\u2014in hindsight\u2014he realized was a mistake as she spun, nearly laying his face open with one of the nasty blade she was dual-wielding. He lurched backward, carefully honed reflexes the only … Continue reading