Wounded(5)

Erik answered her before Bert could even process the question. “Because the veil is not truly opened to the demons, not yet. There are things that must happen. Signs that must be fulfilled before the hordes can come through. The four horsemen are second only to Orion in strength. The generals will need to possess strong bodies, supernaturals that will be difficult to take, but also have a great deal of inborn power. The necromancer will have to help them with that. And maybe even your friend.” He looked at me when he said ‘friend’. Of course, he meant Milly. She’d stayed behind, bound once more by Orion.

I wasn’t so sure Talia had the strength to force people through the veil and make them prisoners. But Milly did. My heart twisted, knowing she was trapped there. She was due to give birth in a couple of months, and we had no way of getting her out. Bound to Orion, she would be dangerous to have near us, as dangerous as she was away from us. I pulled myself together, though by Liam’s glance, he was the only one to notice my mind wandering.

“Answer Berget’s other question,” I said. “Why doesn’t Orion come through?”

Bert gave a little laugh, though there was no true humor in it. “Didn’t you hear me? He wants the humans to love him. He has to save them to do that. Of course, he doesn’t have the body he wants, or needs yet, either. That’s coming as soon as the witch gives birth. He needs that body if he wants to fulfill the demon prophecies. Once he has it, he could take another body. But he must start with the child. A child of great power.”

His words stabbed through me. He was talking about Milly and her unborn baby. Liam’s hand was on the small of my back, subtly supporting me, his words quiet and only for my ears. “You could do nothing more. Milly made her choice to save you so you could stop Orion.”

The words that flowed out of me were words I’d read out of the gray-skinned book of prophecies what seemed like eons ago. Before I’d truly understood what we were facing. “Orion shall twist the magic of the Great One, and shall bring her to her knees with his lies. For when he possesses the heart of her soul, salvation shall fall to one bound by oaths to stay his hand of death over the world. The Tracker must break her oaths to save the world, or we will all be doomed.”

The courtyard was very quiet; everyone was looking at me. I didn’t even blink, though my eyes burned with unshed tears. “Milly, she’s the greatest witch the world has seen. And the heart of her soul, that’s her baby. That’s what the prophecy meant, what it means. She asked me to do what I had to do. She meant killing her child if I had to. That would break my oath to protect children.” Why, oh why did I have to understand that prophecy now?

Nikko stood and he walked solemnly to me, his horn lowering to touch one shoulder.

All the prophecies will be fulfilled, Rylee. But we cannot always see in what way until they are upon us.

Erik cleared his throat, drawing everyone’s eyes to him. “Be that as it may, we still have the four packs to deal with. I believe Bert here.”

Bert stood a little taller as Erik clapped a hand onto the smaller man’s shoulder.

“But that doesn’t mean Orion’s plan hasn’t changed.”

Bert slumped. “I don’t think he knows yet, that I’ve … umm.”

Okay, it was damn weird to see a demon stumble and stutter over his words. But I knew what he was getting at.

I lifted an eyebrow. “Orion doesn’t know that you’ve defected.”

“Exactly.”

“Well,” I said. “I guess there’s only one thing to do.”

All eyes swung my way once more. Probably was going to have to get used to that.

I gave them a smile that I knew was easily as cold as the wind tugging at us. “Time to go demon hunting.”





Chapter 2



WHILE THE COUNCIL argued over the best way to take out the demon packs, Liam found his way to Berget’s side.

She blinked up at him and gave him a soft smile as her eyes searched his face. “You save her, you know that, don’t you?”

“What do you mean?”

“She doesn’t have your patience, or your ability to hold back when she needs to. Of course, it is more than that. You are her heart. Without that, she would be far crueler than she needs to be.”

He thought about her threats to Bert. “I don’t know about that. She seemed plenty cruel with the demon. As she should be.”

Berget shook her head, blonde hair tossing lightly in the wind. “No, that was necessary. She needs to make a strong impression, and while she might not understand it, her instincts to lay into him run true. It was good, not only for him, but also for those who follow her to see she will do what she must, no matter how gruesome. Too many leaders fail when they are afraid to do what is right because it is hard, or they are afraid of how it will make them look.”