In the Wake of the Wicked (Veridian Empire #1)

65. Leo

65

Leo

T he others were shocked to find me returning with my sister at my side and demanded to know what had happened. After Rissa quickly recounted her story, Horace took inventory of the supplies and weapons between the five of us. Rose’s dagger, his own sword, Lark’s broken antler mask, and mine and Salome’s collections of herbs. Without knowing how long we would be on the island, our primary focus was to find shelter away from the open clearing. Lark knew the basic layout of the area and advised we head north in the direction of the lone mountaintop I could barely make out against the midnight sky, as there were a series of caves she said we could rest in for the night.

Before we left, Rose and I gathered a handful of thick leaves and sticks and fashioned them into small containers, then bound them with a patching spell I’d created as a teenager when the roof on our cottage wouldn’t stop leaking. The containers held together firmly so that when we came across a water supply, we’d have the ability to carry it with us.

Horace and I took the lead as we journeyed through the dark forest and toward the small mountain. He cut down vines and branches with his sword while I lit several long boughs with a fire spell to use as torches. With my Shifter half still open, sounds of scampering creatures rang loudly in my ears, scents and sights of the island taking over.

I could smell a salty breeze coming from the east, carrying with it the distant sound of waves crashing against a shore. The tip of the mountain loomed ahead like a shadowed beacon marking our path. Wind whistled through the canopy above us, skimming my skin, keeping me alert.

It was impossible not to notice the serenity of this place, even amidst the danger.

As much as I loved my sister and the small family we’d made among the Sentinels, I’d grown to abhor life in the capital. The constant people, the busyness, the way nobody seemed to stop to breathe. There was always an agenda. Always something to do, somewhere to be. I enjoyed the solitude of our little cottage and the nightly patrols through the various sectors, if only because it allowed me to sit in the silence and hear myself think.

There was a sort of peace on this island, one I could rarely find in the capital. One I could rarely find in myself .

The wind shifted, bringing with it the sweet scent of lavender and sage and the image of olive skin and green eyes. My breaths evened out, my nerves settling.

She was my peace.

I’d spent the entirety of my adulthood seeking vengeance. It took one woman appearing in my life to make me see the beauty in contentment. The relief in quiet. And while I still desired retribution for my father, it was no longer the single driving force in my mind.

“What’s going through your head?” Horace asked as we made our way through the forest.

Instinctively, I twisted my neck to catch a glimpse of Rose, Lark, and my sister trailing behind us. With deft fingers, Rose tore off a piece of thick fabric from Lark’s gown, tying the corners together into a pouch and using thin vines to strap them around each of their necks .

“To carry food,” she said with a shrug when she saw my bemused expression.

I couldn’t help but smile as I turned my head back to Horace and the path before us.

He grunted. “Should’ve known.”

“What about you?” I asked. “Do you think Gayl forced you into this because he and the Guard are still suspicious of you?” I remembered his agitation from a week ago when he first told us how strangely the Royal Guard had been acting toward him, going so far as to try and trick him into drinking Grimlock. We hadn’t seen or heard from Horace much in the following days.

He scratched his scraggly beard. “I thought they’d stopped doubting me when I pretended to play along and answered their questions. They never outright asked about the Sentinels, but hinted they’d heard of restless citizens. They’re not idiots—they know there’s been more violence. They can feel a storm coming, and Gayl’s trying to stamp it out. Suppose that’s what all this is for.” He motioned to the island around us. “Just yesterday after my annual medical check, they offered me an officer position.” A snort left him. “Guess that was for show.”

“They must have used your blood from that to transport you here,” I mused.

“It’s all mind games with them. Getting you to let your guard down, then pulling the rug out from under you.”

That certainly sounded like Gayl. “And you hadn’t heard anything about this? No rumors about Gayl’s big plan?”

Horace shook his head. “Things were getting better with the Guard. Going back to normal. No more secret meetings, no more dodging me in training. Only rumors I’d heard for the last week were which of the whores at the Gold Jay they were going to screw next.”

I could make out the hurt in his voice, though he tried to sound unbothered. This job was a cover for him, but it had still been his life over the past years. I couldn’t blame him for wanting to be in good standing or even wanting some sort of relationship with his fellow Guard members; the line between duty and emotions was easily blurred.

“Well,” I started, clapping him on the shoulder. “I think it’s safe to say once this is over, you should quit.”

He barked out a laugh. “You know, I just might.”

“Are you two having fun up there without me?” my sister asked seconds before she wedged herself between us and threw an arm over both of our shoulders. I flinched at the sudden movement.

Rissa smiled apologetically. “Sorry, little brother. I forgot about your back.”

“Yes, not all of us heal as quickly as you.” I raised an eyebrow and glanced down at the hole in her pants, where the bloody gash was now only a few jagged scrapes.

“Yours looks loads better, I promise. It’s too bad you ruined a perfectly good shirt,” she joked and reached back to finger the cut edges of the fabric Rose had peeled away, leaving my back exposed.

“I’m not complaining,” Rose called from behind us. I turned and she shot me a wink. Lark let out a sigh.

“What?” Rose said. “I’ll take any entertainment I can get out here.”

Horace grunted. “How about you save the entertainment for when we find the caves?”

“Don’t get them started,” Lark said with a groan as Rissa snickered, and a wicked grin broke out across Rose’s face.

Before I could respond, my nostrils flared with a new scent, and both Rissa and I raised our heads higher. Curiosity gleamed back at me from her dark eyes.

“You smell it, too?” I asked. Musty, sweet, and strong. The wind picked up speed as clouds covered the moon and stars.

She nodded with a smile. “Smells like a good time to go hunting.”

“Catch us something good.” My twin loved to hunt in a storm. The rain softened the underbrush, making it easier to stalk through the night, and it drew out small creatures for her to find.

Within seconds, her pupils elongated, her eyes turning yellow and her canines sharpening before she lunged into the forest, shifting midair.

“Where is she going?” Lark asked.

“Hunting. We’ll want food eventually, and she’s an excellent hunter in a storm?—”

“Wait, a storm?” Lark stopped in her tracks, her face ashen. “As in, rain?”

“Typically there’s rain, yes. What’s wrong, Lark?”

“We have to get Rissa back and head to the mountain. Now. ” Lark looked up at the sky and the dark clouds moving overhead.

“What’s the matter with a little rain?” Rose asked. “Isn’t that a good thing? We need to find water soon anyway.”

“You don’t understand. This—this isn’t normal rain.” Lark strode in front of us, gripping Horace’s arm and dragging him along. Her voice was frantic, pleading. “It’s part of the trial. I didn’t think it would happen so soon.”

Thunder rumbled overhead, softly at first, then growing into a powerful boom . The birds and insects of the forest quieted their chirping and buzzing.

The hair on my arms raised.

“Calm down and tell us what’s so special about this rain,” Horace commanded, putting a hand on Lark’s shoulder.

She took a deep breath. “The rain, it—it’s poison. It takes your magic away.”

Lightning flashed, and the first drop of water landed on my skin.

The shrill whine of a fox rang through the air.