Part 20

Ardon padded back into the camp during the early hours of the morning. The sun was just beginning to rise, though the trees easily muted its warmth and brightness. She hadn't slept, and was certain neither had Ronan. The night had been spent in quiet, contemplative silence. It wasn't until Ardon's eyes glanced in their direction that she felt the familiar pang of dread she'd quickly learned to associate with the sinister wolf king. Maybe it wouldn't be long now, she couldn't help but think. Maybe today would be the day he killed her. When it came down to that moment, whenever it happened, she wouldn't make it easy for him.

Ardon called the pack to attention before sidling toward her and Ronan. He unceremoniously tossed a canteen at their feet. She heard the water sloshing around inside, reminding her of the cottony feeling in her mouth. Neither moved for it right away, though, stubbornly staring up at him. This only seemed to amuse him.

"It's not poisoned, I swear. It's too soon to do any real killing," he tutted. "Besides, I find poisoning to be very...uneventful." His eyes glinted with mirth, but Zara didn't share his humor. When still neither moved for the canteen, he clucked his tongue and nudged it with the toe of his boot. "Come now, drink. We have a long day of traveling ahead. If you can't walk, I'll drag you. Your choice."

He waited. Finally, Zara leaned forward and grabbed the leather canteen. It was slick with condensation. As she sat back with it in her lap, she subconsciously reached for her sleeve and tugged it further over her wrist. Ardon didn't seem to notice, though, instead flashing her a grin.

"Good girl."

With that, he stalked off, barking order at his pack. Zara waited until he was on the other side of the camp before unscrewing the lid and taking a long sip. For some reason, the idea of letting him see just how thirsty she was made her wary. He was already in control of so much as it was. She passed it off to Ronan.

"Where do you suppose he's taking us?" He asked before pausing to take a drink, wiping his chin with the back of his hand. His wrists were still bound, the skin around the rope now turning a soft dusky purple. Flecks of dried blood clung to the yellow twin. Her eyes hardened, wondering why Ardon had yet to bind her hands together too. Perhaps she hadn't caused enough trouble for him yet.

Zara sighed after a moment, taking the canteen back to screw on the lid. "I don't know...nowhere good."

Ronan pursed his lips in response. There was a question poised on the tip of his tongue, but he seemed to think better of it and swallowed it back. She had a feeling she knew what it had been, though. While it was clear what Ardon wanted with Zara, he still hadn't said a word about why he was dragging Ronan along with them.

"I'm worried about Annika," Ronan sighed under his breath, brow creasing with worry. "That he's done something to her."

It was the first time his sister had been mentioned since the truth had come out about their quest. Zara wasn't sure what she had expected to feel at the sound of the girl's name, maybe anger or another wave of betrayal. Instead, she found herself worrying with him. But she wouldn't say so. She wouldn't tell him it was alright either, that Annika was alive and just fine, waiting for him to come and fetch her. False hope seemed worse than saying nothing.

"I know."

They were the only two words she gave him, but there wasn't time to say more. Not that Zara was sure what she would have said anyways. It had been a long, long time since she'd comforted anyone. Since she'd been close to anyone for them to seek out her comfort.

There was a low whistle and Zara glanced toward the pack just in time to see Ardon jerking his head toward him, a signal to move out. She stood, grabbing Ronan by the arm and helping to pull him to his feet. Ardon was waiting for them, standing stoically in the center of the camp as his pack prowled around him.

"Day two of our death march," Ronan muttered sarcastically.

Zara didn't answer, but silently agreed with him. The dread pooling in her stomach seemed to agree too.

The air around them seem to thrum with the steady hum of magic and the forest seemed more wild in this area than any other. Dark moss grew and spread over thick, gnarled tree trunks, the branches twisting toward the sky like a dozen arms only to be cut off from the sky by a thick canopy of leaves. More than once she could've sworn she heard a whisper, too definite to be just the wind or a figment of her imagination. And despite the fact that it was day, this part of the forest made it feel like dusk. Not enough sunlight kissed the ground, leaving exposed tree roots twisted, dry and rotting. The ominous feeling shrouded her like a wet, clammy cloak, uncomfortable and sticking.

The magic of the forest had always fascinated her as a child. There had never been much of it around her village. Her gran had always said it was skittish, like a wild animal, fleeing from humans and those that could harness it. Since the wars had long since forced the humans to abandon the woods, it seemed the magic of the forest had started to reclaim its rightful place.

They came across the deep green moss covered remains of a fallen tree trunk in their path. The wolves nimbly jumped over top of it. She moved to help Ronan, but he shook his head and gently shrugged her off. He braced both hands on the log before swinging one leg over, then the other. Ardon watched him with an indifferent expression before smoothly stepping onto the trunk himself and dropping onto the other side. He held out a hand for Zara, but she ignored him, climbing over without so much as a glance toward him. The idea of touching him, of placing her hand in his for any reason, made her feel slightly squeamish. Just his presence alone was enough to keep her insides curled into knots. It wasn't even that he looked strong, but he exuded the kind of strength and dominance that made you fearful of turning your back on him. She hated that. She didn't want to be afraid of him. A small voice reminded her it would've been foolish not to be.

Ardon smirked at her. "Your disdain is amusing. We are family, though. Perhaps you can find it in yourself to find one redeeming quality in me. Maybe my honesty?"

"You mean the honesty about the horrible things you plan to do? Starting with killing me and using my blood for dark magic? Certainly." She quipped.

"Not horrible, no." He corrected. "Revolutionary. You're looking at things all wrong...You should feel proud, Zara. You must know how special you are, being my missing piece and all."

Missing ingredient is more likely, Zara thought to herself bitterly. She fell into stop with Ronan, hoping Ardon would leave her alone then. To her dismay, he continued to walk behind the pair of them, taunting her with his words.

"I must tell you, it was not easy to get you here. I spent ages searching for you. When I found out you were in the guard, I was elated. Thought it was only a matter of separating you from the others, especially that partner of yours, and well...look how that turned out." He said in a voice filled with mock sadness.

Zara's eyes flashed, but she gritted her teeth and refused to give him the satisfaction of her anger. He meant Gray, of course. His words only solidified what she had already been beginning to believe. His death hadn't been an accident. "You killed him."

"He got in the way."

She squeezed her eyes shut at this confirmation, before opening them again. It did nothing to alleviate the guilt. If anything, it felt heavier. After all, now she knew. The wolf had been after her. If only she hadn't crossed the boundary, if only Gray hadn't followed her. If only, if only. Pointless words.

"You don't have to listen to him, Zara," Ronan said under his breath.

How could she not, though? How could she not listen as Ardon finally revealed to her the truth about what had happened that night, about how it all had truly been her fault. Her hands were shaking. She felt like gunpowder, and Ardon's words the fire. She couldn't decide if he was trying to get under her skin, or just simply talking

"Naturally, I wouldn't have acted so brashly had I known my actions would take you further away from the forest." Ardon continued with a sigh, though it was a touch too dramatic to be real. "I thought I lost you for good. Until you just fell into my lap. All thanks to your brave, strapping Huntsman. The thanks I owe you...if it were up to me, I'd let you and your pretty sister go just for that."

Ronan reacted before she did. At the mention of his sister, he whirled to face Ardon. His calm demeanor had shattered into pieces, revealing the anguish underneath. "What have you done with her?"

Zara's heart leapt and she skirted in front of him, placing her hands on his broad shoulders. "Ronan, no. Please don't," she pleaded. The skin beneath his eye and lower jaw had swollen, turning into a deep purple rimmed in a sickly yellow. A reminder of what had happened the last time he had tried to fight back. She didn't think Ardon would let him get away with it a second time, regardless if he needed Ronan alive or not.

For a moment, he didn't even seem to see her in front of him. He only had eyes for the wolf king. "Why not?" he said between gritted teeth. "For all I know Annika could be dead, and this-this monster is just playing with me."

The bite in his words almost stung even her, and she saw for the first time just what the loss of his sister had done to him. He had concealed his pain from her so well, burying it beneath layers of false bravado. She could see now that he was hollow. That he was a man who had lost enough to make him desperate.

"Ronan," Zara warned again.

She had no idea what to say next, how to calm him down. It didn't matter as suddenly all she could hear was Ardon's laughter. His low chuckles that carried far more threat than she thought possible for laughter. Zara turned, keeping her back to Ronan's chest. She could still feel his rage rolling off him in waves.

"Do you really think I care about a poor, little village girl?" Ardon asked as he chuckling tapered off. The rest of the pack had stopped, and she could feel all eyes on the three of them. "What you must understand is that life is all about bargaining. It's about giving and taking. You find what you want and you do anything to get it." His voice lowered an octave as he stepped closer, hands clasped behind his back.

Neither Zara or Ronan said a word. Her skin was crawling with dread, her body trying to prepare itself for the next words out of his mouth.

"You and your sister are nothing more than pawns to me. I took her to get to you. Really, it was an easy trade. Two lives for an eternity of power. And the fact that you chose my niece as your guide? Well that was just fate favoring me." Ardon licked his lips, relishing the moment. "Now I get what I want...and the witches get what they want."

There was a pause, Ardon watching Ronan expectantly. Zara blinked, her mind spinning and leaping as it tried to fit the pieces together. And when it did, her stomach dropped. She whirled to face Ronan, her eyes wide. His face went pale as the blood drained and he looked unsteady on his feet.

"Witches?" The words were a breathy gasp from his lips.

Ardon grinned his carnivorous smile. "The next time you go on a witch hunt, try to be more thorough." He walked past Ronan and slapped him on the shoulder as if it were all just a good-natured conversation to him. "The Shadow Coven is looking forward to seeing you."