Nine Tails 6: Spirit Shift

by J. L. Weil

  I was going to hit him on the back of the head if he kept humiliating me, but I settled for walking over to the sparring area where Bash stood.

  “Anyone ever tell you how cute you are when you’re flustered?” Bash asked as I neared, joining in on the pick-on-Karina fun. His feet were spread apart, arms crossed.

  “Not you too,” I groaned. At this rate, I was never going to earn another tail in this life.

  “Let’s keep things simple. We’ll let you set the pace, and you can choose whatever you feel like doing. I’m mostly here to observe your powers. The dragon brute is going to be your sparring partner for the more intense training.”

  “Observing? What are you? Like a fae scientist?” I asked, partially teasing.

  “Something like that,” Bash mumbled, snapping his fingers. One by one, the many torches edging the dome took to flame, flickering amber sparks that refracted against the glass.

  “I don’t see how this is going to help, but if you insist …” With a grin, I shook out my hair and shifted, embracing the familiar tingles in my blood. The shedding of my human skin gave me a rush of pure, indescribable pleasure, and my fox jumped for joy. She loathed the restrictions that had been placed on my fae abilities, often beating against the restraints, searching for a way out.

  Five tails as pristine as freshly fallen snow fanned out behind me. Then I was off, darting from one corner to the other, sniffing at the sealed glass walls. Despite being elated at being set free, my Kitsune still wasn’t thrilled about being caged, even in a massive enclosure. She sensed the limits set by another fae and wrinkled her nose at it.

  “Her fur is white?” Bash’s eyes bugged out of his head as he muttered to Reilly.

  “It’s beautiful. She’s beautiful,” he replied, and I was grateful my Kitsune didn’t blush.

  I pranced around, curbing the itch to run laps or claw at the glass door.

  “Show us what you got, shifter.” Bash gleamed with an anticipation I found almost perverse, and it made me just a fraction more leery of the fae.

  “Be careful what you ask for,” Reilly advised, taking a step back.

  I gave no warning as lightning slashed across the glass roof, striking the ground in front of Reilly’s and Bash’s feet. My head tilted up toward the sky, and I grinned from the inside out. Without giving them a chance to get comfortable, I sent a stream of flames dancing across the floor until they were encircled in my fire.

  Reilly’s mouth twisted to the side, his eyes dancing with excitement. I could almost see the wheels of his fae mind spinning.

  The familiar coolness of shadows wrapped around me like a blanket, and I let the corners of the room fold together, transporting me from one end to the other.

  Perhaps it wasn’t wise for me to show them all my cards, but the excitement of being able to use my powers again took precedence over common sense.

  Chapter Nine

  DEVYN

  Breath curled from my mare’s nostrils as she galloped up the steep, wooded hill in the brisk air. Crestpine Forest rolled in every direction. Towering evergreens and sprawling oak trees created a never-ending maze, and for some, it would have been easy to lose their way, but I’d traveled every inch of these woods, slept in the trees, battled among the wildlife.

  Gypsy braved the slope, never slowing. She was born for speed and sensed the urgency coursing through my blood. Together, we’d ridden for days, taking breaks only long enough to drink and eat before we set off on the trail again. I didn’t bother with sleep. There was no point, not when my dreams were plagued by those last horrible moments before Karina disappeared—before she was taken from me.

  I gripped the leather reins tight in my hands, riding low as the wind and branches whipped past. Gypsy was no ordinary mount. She was bred for war, to fly like an unbridled storm, and react without command, sensing my orders from body language alone. She descended from a magnificent lineage that was coveted by royals and warriors alike. A rare breed, with only a handful left in this world, she was worth more gold than I’d ever make in my long lifetime, but I hadn’t bought Gypsy. I’d won her.

  Damn lucky for both of us.

  For a horse as priceless as Gypsy was, I’d never understood how anyone could mistreat her as the bastard I’d won her from had. The idiot didn’t even know what he possessed and was stupid enough to take the bait when I suggested he offer her up as collateral. Even the Second Moon had lowlife imbeciles. Only a fool gambles away his only means of transportation.

  Gypsy had become more than my friend and trusted companion through my training and the battles I’d endured in Thornland. We understood each other in the only way you could when putting your life at risk: blind trust—the kind you couldn’t force or whip into submission. It was earned and gifted.

  It had taken a few days to reach the borders of Ashland. Not long after entering Crestpine, the woods that took me to the boundary of Orangeoland, I’d received Kai’s message about Karina being at Salvotory Castle. If Ryker thought his fortress, his court, or his militia could keep me out, then the man was stupid and had sorely underestimated me and the link between his niece and me.

  My abilities were stronger here than in the mortal world, which included my bond to Karina. Tracking her should have been so simple. Although long distances did weaken the thread tying her to me, it was Ryker’s goddamned voodoo castle that was scrambling my ability to get a good signal. I should have known he’d take her there just to get back at me—the one place Karina wouldn’t be able to use her magic to protect herself.

  He was so dead.

  Gypsy tossed her head, releasing a snort of warning. We weren’t alone. Something was watching us. I’d felt the tingling feeling on the back of my neck of being watched for the last mile of our trek through the woods, but I’d hoped it was only some other traveler passing by.

  Afraid not.

  I tugged on Gypsy’s reins, just a slight pull to the right, a command that had her shifting our course ever so slightly, riding toward the burnt orange and crimson horizon. In another hour, the sun wouldn’t be visible at all. The perfect time to strike. If this bandit meant to rob me, they’d picked the wrong fae to fuck with.

  Now was not the time.

  It could also be one of Ryker’s sentinels sent to watch me, but if so, they were doing a sloppy job for someone trained to be silent and invisible.

  Gypsy’s hooves pounded the soft dirt as the soggy leaves slipped beneath her. Days of hard travel still laid before me, and the nuisance of having an unwanted companion irked me, not that being alone was necessarily better. It gave me too much time to think. I kept Gypsy at her grueling pace as I strained to pinpoint the intruder's location, intent on my hearing.

  There.

  Not far above me in the treetops a buzzing circled in the branches as if the intruder was jumping from limb to limb. My gaze went upward, and the humming went quiet.

  I continued to listen while urging Gypsy to press on, who had slowed, having sensed the rigidness in my body. My eyes monitored the canopy, waiting … listening …

  A glimmer zoomed through the leaves, tiny wings beating with such swift movements that even with fae eyes they were almost undetectable.

  Goddamn pixie.

  “Belle!” I bellowed, my voice thundering through the woods as I yanked back on Gypsy’s reins, halting the horse from her steady gait. Her powerful muscles tensed under my legs.

  The thorn in my side fluttered down to land on my horse’s mane, her hands placed on her hips. “And I thought you were supposed to be stealthy. The entire forsaken kingdom heard you scream my name.”

  “What are you doing?” I demanded, irritated by her presence and even more so by her disruption of my task.

  She clucked her tongue. “Helping you, obviously.”

  “I don’t need your damn help. Now, stay out of my way!”

  The pixie didn’t budge. “I have seen your so-called rescue attempts. Aren’t you curious about how they end? Or perhaps wh
ich one will give you a higher chance of success?”

  I hated that she dangled the choice in front of my face. “You know I don’t mess with fate or the future.”

  “Not even if it means saving the woman you love?” She was a tiny temptress.

  “I do not—” I took a deep breath. What was the point in denying it? Especially to her? “You’re wasting my time.” Without waiting for the smallest of faes to torment me further with her prodding, I gave Gypsy the order to move, and the beast blessed by the gods took off like a streak of lightning, leaving a burst of wind in her wake.

  I’d forgotten how fast pixies could fly. She kept pace behind us, and after another mile, she made no signs of giving up chase. Why me? Couldn’t she find someone else to pester? Someone far, far away, like on Earth?

  Hunger gnawed at me, but I pushed aside the pain, determined to get in a few more hours of riding, especially after the unwarranted delay. But the vexatious little pixie’s words rolled in my head. She had managed to get her claws in me, taunting me with Karina’s life. She knew I wouldn’t be able to resist if it meant getting her out of that castle alive. I shoved the thoughts away, concentrating on one thing only.

  Karina.

  She was all that mattered.

  If the pixie wanted to follow me, that was her problem.

  For the next hour, I rode toward the sound of water flowing over rocks. The River Averia flowed through Crestpine forest before emptying into the Flemmere Bay, and from there, I would follow the coast until I reached the harbor of Orangeoland.

  Getting to the river meant I was that much closer to Karina.

  Ashland and Orangeoland bordered one another, but Ryker’s kingdom covered twice as much territory as Ashland, which meant more distance to travel.

  I had stopped tracking the pixie’s whereabouts some miles back, but she was still there, flying along with Gypsy in the trees. The buzzing of her wings was a repetitive melody in rhythm with the mount’s hooves. Of all the companions I could have traveled with, a pixie was not on my list.

  My bones sighed at the sight of the river when it came into view. Fresh streaming water glistened silver in the evening mist. I slowed Gypsy down to a reasonable gallop, intending to give her a welcomed drink and rest when the first guttural shriek echoed. The forest went as silent as a graveyard.

  My body locked up, and Gypsy came to an abrupt halt, nearly unseating me. If it hadn’t been for my quick reflexes in the saddle, I would have flown into a tree. My other senses picked up the impending trouble before I saw the dark shadow.

  A Wraiser.

  Shit.

  Wrath and Fury appeared at my back, but I went for one of the daggers strapped to my thighs. Palming the weapon, I tracked the beast through the breaks in the thick canopy, unable to get a clear shot. Its mighty wings beat the air, tipped with sharp, sleek black talons. Those were what made the Wraiser lethal. One swipe with its poisonous claws and its prey went down like being hit with a thousand volts of electricity, all twitchy and shit. Not a pretty sight.

  Dismounting from Gypsy with soundless steps, I didn’t dare breathe too heavy. My body groaned from the endless hours of riding horseback, so I rolled my neck and shoulders to work out the kinks. Gypsy didn’t need to be told to stay silent; she was very aware of the threat hunting us.

  Neither one of us wanted to be the Wraiser’s next meal.

  The Crestpine Woods might have been the quickest route to the coast, but it also posed greater risks. But it was nothing I couldn’t handle.

  Ducking under a latticework of branches and leaves, I drew the beast’s attention to me and away from Gypsy. The last thing I needed was to be caught without a ride when I still had days left to travel.

  “Gods, I didn’t think you were ever going to stop,” panted a little voice in my ear.

  I whirled, my dagger slicing through nothing but air and a trail of pixie dust. Belle fluttered near my face, batting her big eyes at me. “I almost cut you in half,” I hissed at the little devil in disguise.

  Any advantage I had of killing the Wraiser with covertness was crushed as the winged beast dove straight for us.

  Son of a bitch.

  “Why are you acting—?”

  It burst through the trees, taking a chunk of branches with it and leaving behind a giant hole in the canopy. Gypsy let out a neigh of warning as she reared up on her hind legs, her midnight coat gleaming under a ray of moonlight. I leaped out of the way, the curved talons swiping at me. The beast’s claws tore through the back of my tunic, shredding the fabric.

  Because of the pixie’s ignorance, we were probably going to die.

  I hit the ground and rolled, landing back on my feet in a crouched position. The Wraiser thumped on the ground ten feet in front of me.

  “Oh, my God,” Belle squeaked from where she landed on my shoulder. “Kill it!”

  “What do you think I’m doing?” I snapped, contemplating if I should flick her off into the air. “It’s not like you’re helping.”

  “Since when does the Sin Eater need help?”

  True.

  I flipped the dagger in my hand, watching the beast eye me. It closed in, sizing me up, not concerned in the least about the fluttering pest. “You’re an ugly bastard, I’ll give you that. It’s been a while since I’ve had to come face to face with your kind.”

  Dark blue leathery skin covered its body, and it dug those fatal claws into the dirt, waiting for the opportunity to strike. All it had to do was pierce my flesh and it would be over for me.

  Honed muscle shifted under the beast’s tough skin, which glinted beneath the two moons. Anticipation glowed in its golden eyes.

  Tired of the dance, I moved faster than even the beast could detect. Power rippled off me in waves, and then I threw my weapon, metal singing through the woods. My aim had will and death behind it.

  My blade embedded in its neck. I spun and kicked it farther home. No other sound came from the Wraiser, except for the steady dripping of its tar-colored blood, thick and foul in the air. A wild smile danced in my eyes. “Fury, Wrath, it’s time for dinner.”

  The twin snakes gifted with power by the god of death himself needed no other encouragement. Together they lunged, sinking their fangs into the beast’s flesh.

  When they had drained every drop of life from the Wraiser, they slithered up my back, reclaiming their perch around the blades there. I sought out the pixie sitting on a nearby branch, her feet dangling over the edge. “You almost got us killed,” I snarled in her face, the power of it resonating through the woods.

  She didn’t so much as blink, her chin held high. “How was I supposed to know there was a Wraiser stalking you?”

  “You’re a fae,” I pointed out.

  “True, but not all of us are killers.”

  I shook my head. “I am. And this killer is about two seconds away from murdering you.”

  “You wouldn’t dare,” she huffed. “The queen would never forgive you.”

  “She doesn’t have to know,” I taunted, flashing her a half-feral grin.

  “I don’t know what she sees in you,” Belle mused.

  “My irresistible charm.”

  “Hmm.” She pursed her lips. “I highly doubt that.”

  I dropped down by the riverbank to cup the crisp water in my hands and drank deeply. Gypsy was already lapping her fill. She shook off the days of travel, her dark mane coated with dust. We both could use a bath but would have to settle for the stream instead. I splashed water onto my haggard face.

  “You need to eat, to rest, if not for your sake than your mount’s,” Belle said in a calm voice.

  I ignored her mothering.

  “You will do Karina no good if you’re dead before you arrive.”

  “Hunger and lack of sleep won’t kill me,” I grumbled.

  “You’re a stubborn ass, aren’t you? I always knew you were annoying, but a stupid fool as well …”

  “Are you still here?”

  “Yo
u need my help, as hard as that is for you to accept.”

  I snorted, stretching to my full height. “That’s where you’re wrong. I don’t need anyone's help.”

  She sighed and then zoomed through the air like a pesky fly. I was about to tell her to buzz off when I felt the softest touch against my temple. It was followed by the familiar tang of magic going up my nose, like inhaling a shot of pixie dust.

  “Belle,” I growled, but it was too late. Her vision had already sucked me in. It played through my mind like a movie. I’d never get used to seeing myself in the future, but it only lasted a few minutes.

  My jaw tightened, a part of me wishing I’d never seen what Belle had shown me. I wanted to ram my fist into something. A tree would have to do. The trunk cracked under the impact of my fist, bark flying off the tree. I didn’t care about the pain or my bloodied knuckles. “I have to get her out of there,” I snarled.

  Belle eyed me with clarity. “Yes, but not by storming through the front gate. You see that now, don’t you?”

  I grabbed Gypsy’s reins and ran my hand down her neck, staring southward. “What your vision showed me is that I need to travel faster. And I never should have trusted that asshole.”

  He was next on my kill list.

  Kai had just put his name right under Ryker’s.

  Chapter Ten

  KARINA

  A knock sounded on my door, pulling me out of my nap. I had only meant to lie down for a few minutes, but time had slipped away from me. It was Kai’s fault. Again. If I hadn’t been so tired from letting Bash observe my training sessions and the late nights going over the book with Kai, searching for answers that didn’t seem to be there, I wouldn’t have needed a midday nap.

  With a yawn on my lips, I padded to the door that led into the sitting area and turned the handle, perplexed to find it unlocked. I hadn’t heard the jingling of keys to notify me of someone’s arrival, but any unease working its way into my system was snuffed out in one swift breath.