Where Nikolai was jet-black except for his mane and tail, the Bellatis were a steel-gray color all over. He positioned himself headfirst into the cold wind and turned his head back and forth, letting his breath trail frost all over his hide.
Within moments, he was as gray as they were. If they managed to see past the Basilisk dust, all they would see is another Bellati out for a winter stroll.
At least, that was what he hoped.
Nikolai abandoned stealth and walked straight down the tunnel. His hooves clopped and echoed on the stone.
The Bellatis’ ears pricked, and they turned their heads toward him. One shook its head and snorted, blinking as it tried to focus on Nikolai.
The wind whistled past him, blowing the dust off his body. They had to see him, now, but neither guard sounded the alarm. Instead, they lost interest and looked away from him, gazing once more into the winter storm.
As Nikolai passed, one said, “Watch yourself out there. Fifty feet from thee cave, and thou will get lost. It is coming down heavy.”
“Will do,” Nikolai answered. He trotted into the storm, and turned west.
* * *
Aria squinted into the snow.
Despite the icy wind, her skin burned as though she stood too close to a fire. She’d reduced her scales to the barest minimum for comfort’s sake.
A cool hand folded around her elbow. “You’re burning up.” Cara turned Aria to face her and placed her other hand on her cheek.
Instead of pulling away, Aria surprised herself by leaning into the touch. Cara frowned in concern, and Aria sensed a soothing pulse travel through her. The heat within her abated, but only by a little.
“We need to finish this,” Cara muttered.
Before Aria could press for clarity, she sensed movement out in the driving snow.
Ash and Tyrez had gone into the storm, and now they appeared in human form, trudging through the drifts. In their wake walked a dark, four-legged form.
Nikolai.
Aria wasn’t aware of running from the cave, only of folding her arms around Nikolai’s powerful neck. His mane drifted across her face and shoulders as he curled his head around her in an equine version of a hug. His warmth, his spirit—and beneath it all, a terrifying maelstrom of emotion. The intensity robbed her of breath.
“Everyone inside,” ordered Cara.
Releasing him was incredibly difficult; it was all she could do to step out of his way. She continued to cling to his thick mane as he hauled her through the snow. Her eyes traced his body, noting the protruding hip bones and the ribs showing beneath the black hide.
Galeran hadn’t just taken a toll on his mind.
He stopped when he spotted the other two Watchers, and his horn hovered toward Cara.
“It’s okay, Nikolai,” Aria said. “They are here to help you.”
He snorted, and blackness passed across the clear gray of his eyes. So much suppressed rage—it twisted her guts into knots.
“Their help is whaat got me here.” Nikolai bared his teeth and flattened his ears.
“No, Nikolai.” Aria laid her hand flat against his neck, willing him to listen. “We need them to disable the runes. They are here to set it right.”
Nikolai’s neck was hard as rock, but the skin twitched beneath her fingers as his long head pushed toward her.
“Lucas says thaat thou can trust Cara,” he whispered to her.
“Is he okay?” she whispered back, envying his ability to mindspeak with Lucas.
Nikolai hesitated before answering. “So far, yees.”
