His lips pulled straight as his arm squeezed, just a little. “Can you stand?” he asked me.
I was shaking all over, but determined to not let this beat me. But I’d be lying if I said I could have stood without Riggs’s help. Or remained so, without leaning on him.
“Good thing they’ve changed the run for today,” Cara said briskly.
“They have?” I asked, unable to keep the hope out of my voice.
Her eyes shone a brilliant blue. “Yes. It should be a little easier for you.”
“Then we have fight class,” Riggs stated. Did I imagine the slight note of trepidation in his voice?
I didn’t think I could fight a worm, and said so.
“It’s your first class, so they’ll go easy on you two.” The Watcher stood before the arched stones and spread her arms.
The gate sprang into action, and we linked up to step through into the forest clearing.
As soon as we did so, Cara froze and held up a hand. “Wait here.” She walked toward the trees.
Puzzled, I looked around. And then I heard it. The snapping and cracking of branches—and a shredding sound, as though heavier wood was being broken as well.
And then something howled. It sounded nothing like a Dire. This had a hooting undercurrent that ended in a shriek. It echoed through the trees, wild with rage.
The sounds were getting closer. Riggs drew his sword and took a step ahead of me.
The tree came out of nowhere. A tree, not a sapling, hurtling past us to crash into the forest beside the gate.
Riggs pulled us away as I stared at the roots, shuddering with the impact—the entire tree had been ripped straight out of the ground.
A deep, rattling growl drew my attention back to the other side of the clearing—where Cara was facing off with something that towered close to nine feet in height. Covered in long, reddish brown hair, the eyes glared yellow over a flattened nose, and lips were peeled back from long canine teeth. The creature rippled with heavy muscle as it snarled down at the Watcher.
“Sid.” Awe filled Riggs’s voice as he took a long step forward.
The creature’s mouth opened, and it uttered another long, booming howl. Clearly a warning, as was the fact it raised the huge branch it held in one hand.
“Stay back,” Cara warned us. “He’s not Sid at the moment. But I think I can help him.”
I would have felt better if she’d said something more assertive, but we both froze while she took a step closer. Then her flowing white gown fluttered to the ground, and in her place stood a Unicorn.
I’d known about their beast half, of course, but it was the first time I’d seen one. Glowing silvery white, she was a thing of pure, unadulterated beauty. She stood before the Anisau, and her mane and tail waved in almost a mesmerizing pattern as she began to sing.
The wordless melody wove around all of us, and this time, recognition dawned.
It was the song Caliel had sung to me.
18
Bree
The Anisau stared down at the Unicorn, and then it dropped the branch it was holding. It tilted its head, and the lips folded over its teeth.
The song swelled in volume, filling the clearing. Birds flitted to perch on the trees, and small animals appeared through the bushes. I had never felt such peace and harmony, and Riggs’s free hand folded around mine.
Then the Anisau sighed and dropped to its knees. The muscles moved beneath its fur, and we watched as Sid emerged from the beast he’d become.
He looked from Cara to us, and buried his face in his hands.
I couldn’t stand it. I broke away from Riggs and ran to Sid. “It’s okay, Sid. It was only a few trees.”
