Shadows of the Night | BOOK 2 DRAFT

2

2.

Bastian is the first one to react. He leaves no room for discussion, dashing through the castle doors and leaving only dust behind him. Eric curses and drags a hand down his face, then looks at me.

"Go and make sure Cassia has everyone on lockdown." Before I blink, he's gone. A split-second later, I'm out the doors after him. He's exactly where I expected, ruffling through the weapons in the bunker by the side of the castle. I kneel down next to him and reach for a weapon—a crossbow.

"You can't disappear for a month then come back and boss me around," I say.

"It was stupid of me to think you might've gotten less stupid in the past month," he says, taking daggers for himself. "Let's go. Stay behind me."

A chill trickles down my spine as we move through the village. I grip the crossbow in my hands, relaxing at the smooth feel of the wood. Aliyah thought I'd do better with bows than knives, and though it took a painful few days to hit the target board, she was right. I don't have the physical strength to win knife fights, and somehow, the thought of killing is easier when you don't have to look into the eyes of your victim. That way, you can pretend you're not a murderer.

I shake off the nerves as Eric and I blur into the trees, the eerie silence welcoming us. We dodge the sticks and leaves on the ground, heading up the hill towards the east training grounds when another scream echoes through the trees, scaring the birds from their nests. Eric starts to run.

The forest passes in a blur. It's a struggle to keep up with him. I've gotten fitter, stronger, but three months of training can't beat 26 years. Eric moves with the speed and stealth of a panther and I'm like a stumbling cub in his wake. We halt atop the hill, ducking behind a boulder, the silver slither of the moon smiling down at us. Below, on the training field, a cluster of children huddle together, guarded by two wolves who stand facing the forest inches away. I step closer to Eric, heart hammering in my chest. "What do you see?"

His red eyes glow. "There are three that I can see, but I can sense more. They're staying in the trees."

"Why aren't they attacking?"

Eric's jaw clenches. "I don't know."

Beneath his skin, his bones slither. A sickening crack fills the air. I avert my eyes and swallow the nausea as his bones break and shift. Fur brushes against my arm seconds later, Eric next to me with eyes human but body completely animal. "Stay here." His voice fills my head, low and gravelly. "You'll have a better vantage point."

I crouch lower and lift my crossbow. "Be careful."

Eric creeps down the hill with grace, joining Aliyah and Bastian guarding the children. He stands slightly ahead of them, head held high as he fearlessly faces the shadows in the forest.

"What do you want?" Eric's voice thunders through our minds. In response, the hollower steps out of the tree line. He wears no shirt, chest scarred and red. I lift my arrow and keep it pointed at his chest, tension building in my shoulders as he steps toward Eric.

There's something about the way he moves that makes me pause. He stands in front of three wolves who could easily overpower him, and yet, he does not look afraid. Hollowers used to hide from the night—but he stands proud beneath the silver light of the moon.

"We've been travelling for days," he says, two hollowers stepping out to join him. "It's quite convenient that we walked right into a feast."

Eric growls in warning. But the hollower darts to the kids anyway, a knife in his hand. Within seconds, Eric's launching towards the hollower as the other two charge at Aliyah and Bastian. It's a blur of wolves and bodies that I can't differentiate. Eric throws the hollower off him and towards the tree, the body limp. He turns, tall and proud, stalking towards the other two, back turned so he doesn't see what I can.