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YELENA

Ugh, h another puddle The wettail It packed into her hooves and coated the hair of her fetlocks with each step

Through our mental connection I sensed her tired discomfort Stop? I asked Rest?

No Iroomed formed in Kiki’s mind Home, soon

Surprised, I glanced around the forest Melting piles of snow ns that the cold season was losing its grip Rain tapped steadily on the bare branches The light faded, turning the already gray woods leaden For the past few hours, I’d been huddling under hts fixed on my rendezvous with Valek, I’d failed to keep track of our location

I scanned the area withed in the soggy underbrush and a couple of deer stood frozen, listening to the squishy plodding of Kiki’s passage No souls haunted these woods No humans within miles

That wasn’t a surprise This remote area in the northeastern Featherstone lands had been chosen for that very reason After Owen Moon ao, Valek and I had decided to move to a less well-known location near the Ixian border

I leaned forward in the saddle We were getting close and er pressed so hard on e within the hour Valek’s involvement with our friend Opal’s rescue from the Bloodrose Clan and the aftermath had kept him busy for months Finally ould have a few precious days all to ourselves before he reported back to the Co forfire and relaxing on the couch once again distracted me

Kiki snorted in aallop Behind the clouds the sun set, robbing the forest of all color I trusted Kiki to find the path in the seical connection to the wildlife nearby

In ht Move of a bow Kiki twisted under rabbed for her mane, but a force slammed into my chest and knocked me from the saddle

Hitting the ground hard, I felt all the air in s whoosh out as pain erupted Fire burned with each of ain, searching for theperson who had attacked ony, I pushed as far as I could No one

Kiki, s me

Pine Wet Mud

See ician?

No

Not good The person had to be protected by a ical null shield It was the only way to hide froic At least it also prevented theme with his or her m

agic since it blocked ic from both sides of the shield But it wouldn’t stop another arrow And perhaps the next one wouldn’t miss

I glanced at the shaft The arrow had struck two inches above and one inch to the left ofjust below my clavicle Fear banished the pain for a moment I needed to move Now

Rolling on my side, I paused as an icy sensation spread across my chest The tip had been poisoned! I plopped back in thethe cold liquid It flowed fro with the blood already soaked into my shirt

Instead of disappearing, the poison re refilled as fast as I ejected it With pain clouding hts, the reason eluded me

Kiki, however, figured it out She clamped her teeth on the arrow’s shaft I had a second to realize what she planned before she yanked the arrow from my chest

I cried as intense pain exploded, blood gushed and round as black and white spots swirled inconsciousness, I focused on the hollow barbed tip of the arrow coated with et And I wasn’t about to et another shot

Fix hole, Kiki said

I debated If I healed myself now, then I’d be too weak to defend h I still had access toas the assassin hid behind the null shield, I couldn’t touch hiic, either

Kiki raised her head Her ears cocked We go Find Ghost

I groaned How could I forget that Valek was nearby? Sirl

With the arrow still clutched in her teeth, Kiki knelt next toher mane, I pulled myself into the saddle Pain shot up e when she stood She turned her head and I took the arrow It ive us a clue about the assassin’s identity

I crouched low over Kiki’s back as she raced ho, I ai wildlife If the animals sensed an intruder, I’d pick up on their fear A sound theory, except I’d been in contact with the deer when the arrow struck I’d be impressed by the assassin’s skills if I wasn’t in so much pain

It didn’t take long for us to reach our small stable The low beckoned Kiki trotted inside The lanterns had been lit and Onyx, Valek’s horse, nickered a greeting from his stall Kiki stopped next to a pile of straw bales Relieved to be safe, I slid onto them then lay down

Kiki nudged my arm Lavender Lady fix hole

After Ghost comes I suspected I would drop into an exhausted sleep once I healed the injury and I knew Valek would have questions

She swished her muddy tail and stepped away Ghost

Valek appeared next to aze swept my blood-soaked shirt “What happened?”

No energy for a detailed explanation, I filled him in on the basics and handed him the arrow

All aniular face Fury blazed in his sapphire-blue eyes as he exa when he offered ether at that time, as well But I’d never expected it to last Then I’d wanted nothing more than to escape from him as quickly as possible

Clear liquid dripped from the hollow shaft He sniffed it “Did you expel all the poison?”