A handful of Lena’s people inched forward, and one of the bears turned and snarled in their direction. They jumped back, and at that moment, Lena shot ice through its head. As she finished her move, she wasn’t aware of the one whose teeth were about to snap at her. I grabbed her arm roughly and pulled her back as hard as I could, our bodies hitting the ground as she landed on top of me, those snapping teeth just missing her.
“Fuck, Lena!” I grunted. She shot out an ice shard at the same time as Merrick, and the beast went down with a thud just in front of us. At this point, several more of her people had joined in the fight, various forms of magic attacking the creatures.
“You need to be more careful,” I panted as she pushed herself up, her hands still on my chest. Her eyes were wide, her cheeks stained with color, as she turned her head back to where the last of the bears were slayed by her people.
She went to stand, tucking a piece of hair out of her face. “I guess we both need to be on the lookout for beasts wishing to behead us,” she smirked, holding a hand out to help me up.
I blinked and knew I was blushing. I hadn’t seen that expression on her in so many years, and with her messy braid and those bright green eyes, she was as beautiful as ever.
I ignored the thoughts and laughed through my nose as I grasped her hand. She winced as she tried to help lift me. Standing next to her, I was nearly a foot taller. She looked up at me for a moment before gently releasing my hand, the feel of her hand in mine instantly being missed.
Lena went to check on her people, and when I turned, Era was looking at me with furrowed brows, Merrick was glaring at me with darkened eyes and a raised brow, silently saying,“See? I know how you feel about her.”
I ignored him. “Are you okay?” I asked Era, my hands now on the sides of her arms.
“Yes…” she drawled. Her eyes went to Lena, then back to mine.
Surely, we were notthatobvious?
“You saved her,” Era commented, then smiled softly. “That’s twice now.”
I resisted the urge to cringe. Merrick looked away. Era had never had the stomach for all the killing I did, but if she knew why I’d had a change of heart, perhaps she would not be smiling. I looked to the others: Merrick, Elowen, and Viola. Would I have taken a risk saving one of them? I’m not sure. But I would for Lena. Always for Lena.
My eyes found Lena's again. She smiled gently, and then the smile faltered when she saw my hands on Era’s arms. She bit her lip and looked away.
My shoulders sagged. “I did owe her, after all.”
Era smiled at me, and I returned the gesture, knowing it didn’t meet my eyes. It never did anymore.
Our group moved our camp over, not wanting to sleep by rotting carcasses and oozing blood. It had worked in our favor that those creatures seemed only intent on attacking us, not everyone, so we were the only ones that had to relocate.
“I had no idea animals could be affected by a necromancer,” Lena breathed.
Everyone else was already asleep, and I was lying next to Era, our bedrolls being large enough to accommodate two people. I held her against my chest, and sleep evaded me as my thoughts kept wandering. I continued to listen to Lena and Roland’s conversation with closed eyes.
Of course, those two took the next shift together.
“We’ve seen it before—in wolves. But in a bear? Well, that was especially frightful,” Roland said.
“How long have you been seeing these creatures? Any of the Undead?”
Roland didn’t respond for a moment. “The last six months or so, I’d say.”
“Gods…” she whispered. “In Ames, we all tried to stay within the town. It felt safest that way. Must be how we never encountered any ourselves.” I heard her shift. “I wish Igon would have warned me of the Undead, though perhaps he didn’t see them in any of his visions.”
“Were you close?”
Another pause by Lena. “Yes,” she murmured. “I never knew my father, never had a father figure in my life. Igon became that over the last five years.” She sniffed. “He took such interest in me, in teaching me of our kind, teaching me all sorts of things.”
Guilt washed over me. I had no idea he meant so much to her. I remember Lena telling me she never had her father in her life, and the fact I had taken from her the closest thing to it made me sick to my stomach.
“I’m sorry,” Roland said quietly.
“It’s not your fault,” she whispered. “Based on his reaction…he knew it was going to happen.”
I hated that Roland was taking an interest in Lena, hated that she was confiding in him. It was silent for a few moments, nothing but the crackle of our fire. I was nearly asleep when Roland spoke again.
“Do you hate him for it?”
