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Then I turned to join Goll and the others around the felled beast. Goll pulled me by the waist into his side.
“You thought we’d sent an attack on you,” Redvyr was saying.
“It had crossed my mind,” admitted Goll, “which made no sense since you’d already helped us find Grindolvek.”
Redvyr’s face and chest was spattered with the blue blood of a wolf, his claws dripping with it. I would’ve recoiled if not for the fact that our fae didn’t look much better. Goll had somehow remained unscathed.
Bezaliel stared at the dead Meer-wolf. “They were diseased—crazed. Meer-wolves don’t attack encampments.”
“Yes,” I spoke up. “I could smell something was wrong with them.”
“You could smell it?” asked Goll.
“Like bad magick,” I tried to explain more fully. “Dark magick. It’s still lingering in the air here,” I noted, shivering at the feel of it. “You don’t sense it too?”
There were a few questioning looks. Goll frowned and shook his head.
Redvyr’s expression was grim. “We’ve seen some strange things of late. This is merely one of them.”
“What kinds of things?” asked Keffa.
Redvyr shared a look with his chief. When he didn’t answer, I asked, “Signs of madness?”
The beast lord rumbled a growl then answered, “Yes. It’s usually something or someone coming down from the mountains.”
“The Solgavia Mountains,” clarified Soryn.
Redvyr nodded. “These creatures must’ve been there, come down since the weather is changing.”
“Goll,” I whispered. “The prophecy.”
“What prophecy?” snapped Redvyr, his tail twitching. So was Bezaliel’s.
Goll relayed quickly how the gods had sent a warning about madness spreading in a vision I’d found back in Issos.
Redvyr shared another look with Bezaliel, who said, “We won’t be wintering that far north this year then.”
“No,” agreed the beast lord. “Perhaps we’ll go a little farther east this year. I suggest you return to Näkt Mir, King Goll. Get your pretty mizrah back to safety and out of these wild lands.”
With that, he and the other beast fae turned and stalked away.
Goll ushered me back to camp, my mind stewing. Unfortunately, there were two dead wolves in the middle of our encampment, but we couldn’t leave while the injured were tended to. Not to mention Pullo reporting that two had died during the attack. There would need to be a funeral pyre for them before we moved on.
“We can’t go back to Näkt Mir yet,” I told Goll as soon as we were alone in our tent. “We have to go to Solzkin’s Heart and find the last text.”
When I thought he’d argue with me and bundle me off without listening, he surprised me yet again. “I know.”
“You do?” I stepped closer and pressed my hands to his chest, needing to feel his warmth after such a harrowing ordeal.
“I won’t ignore the gods, Una. They’ve set you on this task. It’s obvious we’re almost there. But we’ll be cautious heading farther north to Solzkin’s Heart.”
“Of course. We’re so close.”
“I know.” He trailed his clawed fingers through my hair then cupped the back of my head. “We’ll find it. Then we’ll head home where I can keep you safe.”
He pulled me close, holding me tight. Despite the danger that seemed to be surrounding us, I felt safe in his arms.
As I walkedwith Hava to check on Ferryn, my thoughts were a whirlwind.
