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***

This had gone on far enough. She couldn't allow Elon to just tell them how to kill him. She leveled the rod at the Elder's chest. "I don't think so."

Elon pushed Carissa's hand down until she lowered the rod. "All is well, Carissa."

Carissa spun to face him. "All is well? You're about to give them the power to kill you. All is not well."

Elon lifted her fisted hand—the one that wasn't clenching the rod—to his lips and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. "Trust me."

How was she supposed to deny him that? Carissa uncurled her fingers, dropping the rod to the ground. "I do. But sometimes I fear you don't value your safety as much as I do."

Elon grinned. "I think one of us worrying about my safety is more than enough."

Elder Itura cleared her throat. "As you were saying, Nysian?"

Elon slipped his fingers between Carissa's before turning to face the Elder. "There are several things I'm vulnerable to. I need to breathe, for one thing."

The Elder nodded. "Then drowning would be a viable option."

Carissa stiffened, but Elon continued unfazed, "Perhaps, though I'd need to stay under for much longer than the average man. In addition, I have a weakness towards Nephesh. If I touch it, it burns me, and I suspect piercing me with one would make it rather... difficult for me to recover."

Elder Itura's eyes brightened in realization. "Ah. Of course. Any other weaknesses I ought to know about?"

Elon glanced at Carissa. He had yet to tell the woman about his biggest weakness: her. If Elon healed her from a fatal wound, Carissa feared how it would affect him.

Elon turned back towards Elder Itura. "Do I have more weaknesses? Yes. Are they ones you should know about? No."

The Elder shrugged her shoulders. "I think I have enough knowledge to do you sufficient damage should your wife fail to return tonight."

Carissa clenched her fists, suppressing the urge to pick up the tent pole and hit the woman upside the head. If something happened that delayed her return, and the Elder so much as looked at Elon wrong, she'd make the woman pay dearly.

Elder Itura nodded towards Elon. "Men, bind him lest he try to escape with his wife." She pointed to the scouts. "And you two will obtain fresh mounts and guide the Nysians. Keep them unbound." The woman spared one last glance at Carissa. "And if something goes awry, I will hold you personally accountable, and your husband will suffer the consequences."

***

Carissa was still shaking with anger as they rode to retrieve Kybelle. She nudged her horse closer to Algernon's. "They've denied us weapons. If I'm going along to protect the group against potential danger, what good would it do to have me weaponless?"

Algernon sighed. "Because they don't trust us. But you needn't be so worried, Carissa. Should you be so motivated, I have no doubt that you could rip yare wolves and Reapers apart with your bare hands. You did best me, after all."

Carissa snorted. "You speak as if defeating you posed a challenge."

Algernon began to laugh, but one of the guards rode along side them, raising his dagger towards them. "Silence, both of you. We won't have you conspiring behind our backs."

Algernon pointedly glanced behind them. "Actually, you've forced us to ride ahead of you, which means we're conspiring in front of your backs."

Carissa was tempted to laugh until the man snapped, "Silence."

She would have laughed anyhow, but there was something about the flare of fear in his eyes that gave her pause. She swung her gaze across the landscape. With the gray sky quickly darkening to black, there wasn't much to see but dirt, rocks, dead tufts of grass, and spindly trees.

She inhaled deeply and paused. There was a coppery scent on the air. The smell of blood.

The scouts pulled their horses to a halt, and Carissa and Algernon followed suit. They spent a moment listening. A faint breeze stirred the bare branches, making the clatter against each other.

Then a wolf's howl pierced the air.

The horses shifted beneath them, their nostrils flaring as their chests heaved.

One of the men began rifling through the bag. "Hurry. Get the Y'thapa or they'll smell us."

"Wait," Carissa said. "If we need to fight these wolves, the Y'thapa won't help. If we're drugged, we'll be sitting hens."

The scout drew a cloth back out of his bag. "It's the only way. Once they've smelled us—"

A chorus of howls echoed through the forest, and the scout's movements slowed.

Against the darkness, his skin was so pale it nearly glowed. "They've smelled us."

The second scout wheeled his horse around. "We'll have to make a run for it if we want to escape with our lives."

Algernon clenched his jaw. "If they've found us, they'll likely find my sister sooner or later. I need to get to her before they do."

The scout shrugged. "Or perhaps they've already found your sister. Regardless, if we want to escape with our lives, we leave now."

Algernon turned his horse to face theirs. "No. We're not leaving without her."

Carissa glanced in the direction she'd heard the wolves. When they came, she refused to be left defenseless. She guided her horse near one of the scouts and began searching through his saddle bag. As engaged as he was in his argument with Algernon, he didn't seem to realize she was there.

"We will not forsake our lives for a Nysian! If you wish to stay here and forfeit your life, so be it." The man dug his heels into his horse's flanks, and Carissa managed to back away just as he shot off down the road. The other man followed closely behind.

Algernon's expression was tight with fury. "You cowardly sons of Esmerians!"

Carissa arched her eyebrows. "They are Esmerians."

Algernon huffed. "Well. My point still stands. Now we're left out in an Esmerian forest, with night approaching and yare wolves chasing us down, and we're completely defenseless—"

"Not quite." Carissa lifted her hands, revealing a dagger in one and a bow in the other.

Algernon's face brightened. "Say, you didn't happen to snag any arrows, did you?"

"I did, though only a few." Carissa handed the bow and arrows to Algernon.

He counted out the arrows. "Five. Hopefully this will be a small pack."

Carissa's horse began to toss its head as it fought to run back they direction they'd come. Carissa tightened her grip on the reins with one hand and stroked the horse's neck with the other. She glanced up, her gaze combing the depths of the forest.

What had her horse seen that she hadn't?

And then she spotted them: twin pinpricks of yellow light in the distance. More lights flickered to life in the darkness, and Carissa's breath caught at the sheer number of them.

Wolves' eyes. And there were far too many for she and Algernon to fight alone.

As the wolves neared, Carissa's horse began tossing its head and fighting her control. The wolves came near enough for her to see their bared teeth, near enough for her to hear their guttural snarling.

Cold flashed across Carissa's skin, and she suppressed a curse. Their fear was drawing them, and the horses likely weren't helping. But if they released their horses, the pack would surely overtake them.

Carissa glanced at her dagger, feeling the cold sensation spread across her chest. It was a short-range weapon. If she threw it, then she'd have nothing else with which to defend herself. Carissa sheathed it at her belt to better grip the horse's reins. "We can't fight them, Algernon. We need to flee."

"And abandon Kybelle? I think not."

"We can flee into the forest and search for her there."

The wolves were only a few feet from the road, and Algernon nocked an arrow. "We would lead them to her."

"Then I'll let the wolves chase me, as a distraction. You find Kybelle."

Algernon took his gaze off the wolves long enough to glance at her. "That's suicide."

"So is any other option." Carissa began to lead her horse away from Algernon's. "Find your sister. Make this worth it."

The wolves' gazes were divided between herself and Algernon. That wouldn't do. She needed the entire pack to follow her.

Carissa glanced at the wolves, their dark fur, gleaming fangs, flashing eyes. If she did this for Algernon, she'd likely die. Goosebumps prickled over her skin. More wolves began to head towards her.

But it wasn't enough.

And then she realized there was one thing that terrified her even more than death: being permanently separated from Elon. If she didn't return in time, she had no doubt they'd begin killing Elon with whatever method they'd chosen.

Pain speared through her chest, fear constricting around her heart.

If he died on her account, she'd never forgive herself. The thought of being without Elon was nearly unbearable.

All the wolves were fixated on her now. Carissa dug her heels into her horse's flank, galloping deeper into the forest.

Her horse strained its neck forward, putting all its strength into running. Even so, she had to weave her horse's path around the trees, slowing them. She glanced back, and her breath stalled.

One of the wolves was practically nipping at the horse's tail; she hadn't realized they were so close.

Carissa dug her heels into the horse's side, but it did little in quickening the its pace. The poor creature was already running as fast as it could. Unless something changed, she had mere seconds before the wolves downed her horse and devoured her.

Carissa studied the tangled web of branches above her. If she could grab one and climb into a tree, the wolves wouldn't be able to reach her.

She steadied herself before placing her knees on the saddle. While holding the pommel, she eventually straightened until she was standing. Each hitch in the horse's stride threw her off balance, making her heart squeeze with fear.

She reached out for a branch. One whipped past her, scraping her palm. She'd have to be faster. Carissa reached out, and as soon as she felt the branch, curled her fingers around it. Her feet were yanked from the horse's back as it continued to gallop.

A few of the wolves continued to pursue the horse, while the majority slowed to stop beneath the branch she dangled from. It seemed the wolves thought she was more afraid than the horse.

Under other circumstances, she would have laughed, but as it was, her palm was damp, the cut stinging as her hand slipped from the branch. Carissa stretched out her other hand to gain a stronger hold on the branch, only to hear a sharp snap. She stopped, eyeing the branch above her. A crack ran down the wood. She had to climb onto the main tree limbs quickly, or else—

The branch she clung to snapped again. Carissa swung her arm out, managing to brush the branch with damp fingers. And then she fell, her heart lurching as air blew past her.

It lasted for a fraction of a second before she crashed into the ground.

The impact stunned her for a moment, knocking the breath from her lungs. She couldn't breathe. A wolf snarled, and hot pain sliced through her shoulder. She blinked up at the dark shapes above her.

One of the wolves snarled at her feet before tearing into her leg.

White hot agony tore through her calf, and Carissa screamed—half out of pain, half out of anger. She drew the dagger from her belt and threw it with everything she had.

The hilt thunked against the wolf's head, but it was enough to stun him.

Carissa lunged to retrieve her dagger, but not before she felt a row of teeth dig into her back. Carissa's hand curled around the dagger, and she slashed in front of her, drawing blood from more than one wolf.

They jumped back from her with yelps and whimpers. One wolf began to approach her again, and she left a deep cut in its muzzle.

While the remaining wolves kept their distance, Carissa limped towards a tree and placed her back against it, watching the wolves lest one should try to attack again.

She could feel hot blood soaking her clothes and running down her skin—from her shoulder, back, and calf. If the liquid weren't so warm, she could have mistaken it for sweat. Adrenaline pumped through her veins, dulling the pain and making the end of the dagger waver as she trembled. She thought of the healing Elon would have to do and winced.

But of course, that would only happen if she made it back in time. And judging from the wolves surrounding her and the blood pouring from her, she might bleed out before she could make it back.

The wolves drew near in response to her fear, and Carissa swiped back and forth with her dagger. The wolves stopped, neither approaching nor backing away.

Out of nowhere, she was struck by a sense of déjà vu. This situation mirrored that of a few hours ago—when a mob of villagers had surrounded her and she'd kept them at bay with a tent pole. For a brief instance, angry villagers replaced the wolves, and laughter bubbled up from Carissa's lips.

She blinked and realized how near the wolves had drawn. The laughter faded from her lips as she pressed herself more firmly against the tree—only to wince when the bark dug into her raw wound. What was wrong with her? Was the blood loss making her delusional?

She was shaking harder than before, and the adrenaline from earlier was ebbing away. How long did she have until she collapsed?

She focused on holding herself upright for just one more moment longer, then two, then three. Just as she feared she might pass out, the wolves' gazes snapped away from hers.

Algernon was charging towards them atop his horse, shirtless with his eyes glittering darkly. He looked like a nomadic warrior.

It was her last thought before her legs buckled, bringing her to her knees. And then the wolves descended upon her.