Chapter Forty
Serena runs with the King's Guard. There is no more formation. Here they must stick to the shadows and avoid any altercations until they get deep enough into the forest to draw the entire pack out. There is the occasional werewolf that must be brought down, but casualties are minimal and their bodies are hauled to the trees, hopefully to remain concealed.
Serena spots a low branch. She hands Murphy her trident, and leaps, pulling herself up. Kai and Murphy pause to watch. They cannot follow her, their extra weight too much for the thinner branches to handle.
Murphy tosses her trident up to her and the trio continue to move forward. Serena glides through the trees like a soundless bird, with Murphy and Kai clinging to her shadow below. Ahead, she spots a cluster of men. Some are in Ungainly form, some in wolf form.
More groups of werewolves are spread throughout the area. They have made their own barrier. Any farther and the Undine might reach Ungainly roads and settlements. This is where they will make their stand. She makes a low click in her throat, giving warning to Murphy and Kai.
Serena leaps higher into the next tree and finds a solid crook where branch meets trunk. She removes each arrow from her quiver, laying them in a row in front of her. Up high, leaves obscure some of the view, but her skill with the bow has improved quickly—even more so than her skill with the trident.
The forest goes quiet in the cold, early hours of the morning. Huddled around fires, even the wolves settle into silence. Their backs face the threat and tired eyes stare at flames, but Serena can see ears flatten against their heads, listening. It is the calm before the storm.
Serena takes a deep breath, and lets it out slowly. She has to force her arms to relax, pushing all thoughts of the king and the prison out of her head. She thinks of Cordelia and her hymn. Serena imagines Cordelia singing not to a doll, but to an actual swaddled Undine calfling, the first in eighteen years.
To her left, the sound of a twig snapping in two breaks the silence. All heads turn toward Ervin, werewolf and Undine alike. Through the twisted branches, littered with leaves, Serena can see his eyes go wide. He probably misjudged his steps. If he hasn't self-corrected his awkward gait in the water by now, it would only be exaggerated in The Dry.
There is a brief pause and then a sudden flurry of action. Many werewolves begin their transformation, the sound of bones popping out of joints resonating throughout the forest like the echo of the snapping twig. Those already in wolf form sprint toward Ervin.
An arrow whistles from treetop to ground, burying its pointed tip deep into the wolf's brain through his ear. The lead wolf is dead before his head hits the ground. He skids to a stop at Ervin's feet.
Serena lowers her bow, nocking the next arrow.
Another wolf nudges his dead comrade with his snout. There is a whine that morphs into a growl. More wolves join in with their own growl and half the pack turns toward Serena's tree.
The enemy divides, giving Serena the chance to loose one more arrow and help Ervin. When it, too, hits its mark, she tries not to think which maiden's son it is. At the base of her tree, Kai and Murphy flourish their tridents, revealing their presence in order to force the wolf pack to split even further. Serena moves out on her limb so she can keep both guards in her view.
Closer to Ervin, she can spot two more guards jumping into the trees. They begin felling werewolves around Ervin with their arrows even before their feet hit the solidity of the branch. A growl draws her attention back to Kai. Two wolves are closing in on him. As they leap, Kai hits one square in the jaw with the stem of his trident. There is no time to defend against the other wolf and its claws dig into Kai's chest, knocking him back. They both roll—fur, scales, fur, scales—moving out of Serena's sight.
"Kai!" Breath catching in her throat, Serena follows, leaping to a lower branch. Out of the corner of her eye she can see Murphy dealing with two more himself.
Murphy can handle it, she tells herself. He has to. Kai needs my help.
Kai and his wolf are still rolling. Serena nocks an arrow. Behind her, Murphy throws a wolf off him, directly into the trunk of her tree. The tree shakes right as Serena looses an arrow toward Kai's wolf. Her aim is thrown off and the arrow shoots harmlessly into the ground next to the dueling pair.
Damn it, thinks Serena. She has to make every arrow count.
One more roll and Kai is on the bottom. His hand reaches out, grabbing the arrow Serena shot. The wolf rears up, gaining momentum for a thrust straight at Kai's throat. Serena freezes, all too aware of how it feels to be pinned beneath a werewolf.
Kai jams the arrowhead straight into the side of the wolf's neck. The dog goes limp. Arms shaking, Serena jumps down from the tree. She helps pull at the beast, rolling it off Kai.
Serena glances at the dead wolf's snout—no crescent moon.
"What are you doing?" Kai asks, his eyes skipping around the forest.
"You're welcome—again," says Serena.
He shakes his head, pulling the arrow from the wolf's neck and handing it back to her. "This isn't a competition," he says.
"Right, but if it was—I'd win," Serena takes the arrow from Kai and replaces it in her quiver.
A small smile lifts the corners of his mouth. He steps toward Serena, pulling a leaf from her hair. "Just stay close, okay?"
She nods but before she can say anything a lone howl echoes through the forest. Most of the fighting stops as the wolves turn. Many of the Undine cover their ears. It is bone-rattling, reminding Serena of Murphy's signal underwater. But this one sends shivers down her spine, and she knows it is Alaric.
The howl stops and the wolves turn back to their enemy. They stand taller and move slower, with more confidence.
"What was that all about?" whispers Kai. His hand goes to Serena's arm like a leash.
"A call," says Serena, remembering Alaric's howl when she was spying on the camp, "for reinforcements."