A huffing sound came from the death hound mother and I quirked a brow at her, shocked to realize that she was laughing, amusement sparkling in her bright red eyes.
“You played your card now, Sadhbh. I am on to you.” I winked at her and winced inwardly at the soreness it caused.
Shaking it off, I peeled our bag of supplies from my shoulder, and reached in feeling exactly what I was looking for. My shadow brother was more clever than I thought, an enchantment on the bag delivering whatever my thought desired. Opening a canteen of water, I knelt before Riella and handed it to her. "Drink, my cub. Your body will heal soon. When you are done with that then walk around to ease the soreness."
Riella nodded, her crown creating reflective rainbows on the silver surface and white sands. I frowned, weary of the beacon its shimmer created but admittedly was inclined to heed the death god’s words. If the crown served to protect her then it stayed on her head no matter what. There was no telling what kind of creatures lurked here.
Standing I handed Remnant a canteen, noticing she was scoping the area just as much as I had been since we stopped. She took a long sip watching the shifting sands and glittering twilight before handing it to me.
"It's calmer out here than in the city," Remnant said slowly, watching as the waves of sand crested up to the silver path and then crashed back down away from us. Then her eyes fell on Riella. Our daughter was walking around the happy cù-sìth pup scratching and petting her into a panting slobbering mess.
Taking a long swallow of the sweet clear water, I capped the canteen, grunting. "I've noticed some flickering lights out upon the sands but just as my eyes settle on them they disappear, could be wisps but you are correct. Even the cosmos above us seems quieter, the star dust less."
"I've noticed them too and I don't think they are wisps," she frowned and tilted her head. "They have an enticing pull, as if they want us to come towards the light."
I snorted, offering the water to Sadhbh who shook her dark head at me and laid down with a soft huff, her red eyes closing to rest. "Well that just sounds like trouble we don't have time for." I tossed the canteen back into the bag and reached for a pen and paper and began scribbling my thoughts upon the parchment.
She eyed me curiously. "Taking notes, shifter?"
I shrugged, holding my face impassive, "Someone needs to keep adding to The Unaccounted Life of the Last Shadow Fae." I blew on the paper, this was only partially true. What I was writing was much more important.
She snickered and looked away, her gaze getting lost in the distance. Folding the parchment and I placed it back into our pack and slung it over my shoulder, watching as her dark brows furrowed deeper on her beautiful face.
Chuckling, I shook my head. "You're thinking about investigating them aren't you?"
When she didn’t answer, I stepped closer, cupping her face to look up at me and eased the frowning wrinkles away with my fingertips.
"I would be the first fae to volunteer to go with you on this, little umbra. But we have a job to do and very little time to get it done. Besides, your father said to stay on the path."
Her emerald eyes glittered mischievously. "And you were planning on following his orders were you?"
I grinned ferally down at her. "Of course not, but the first part of what I said is still valid."
"I can't help but feel like they are important somehow." She sighed, ensnared by the distant horizon again.
"Riella, don't step off the path," I scolded seeing our daughter step a small foot onto the shifting sands.
Startled, her head snapped up with wide eyes but her voice was strong, "I know father, but look, I see something."
Instantly, Remnant and I were by her side, following where her small hand pointed straight ahead to a high sandy dune in the distance.
"There atop that far hill," she whispered, "Do you see?"
Sniffing at the air, I smelled the forest and sun first, then I spotted what she had. My fangs bared and my claws unsheathed, I reached over my head to the pack where two swords launched into my hand. "I do," I said softly, handing the second sword to Remnant, all the while not taking my gaze off my target in the distance.
Two crystal blue eyes stared hard in our direction and just like the pull Remnant described moments before, it was almost like it wanted us to come to it.
A gentle pat on my leg from my daughter's delicate hand gained my attention.
"I think it wants us to go to it," Riella said softly to me, her swirling green and gold eyes wide and innocent.
Remnant raised her sword, her dark hair falling over her shoulder, her body shifting defensively. "Emon…"
Looking back at the penetrating blue eyes, I snarled. My entire being wanted to take care of this threat head on and I knew Remnant felt the same, but we had Riella now.
"It seems content with just watching us for now," I growled. "Let us rouse the hounds and move on." I frowned at them, surely they would have been alerted to it if it truly was going to harm us.
Remnant nodded, lowering her blade but not her stare. "I agree."
