“The old king is dead,” Krug states. “You have no claim.”
“We haveeveryclaim,” the harpy snarls. “Just because he’s dead does not mean our treaties are not upheld. You are trespassing on our territory.”
I peek over Grim’s shoulder, taking in the harpies around us, who are clearly getting more riled up by the moment. Nero squeezes my thigh in warning, but I can’t help but look at the creatures.
“We mean no harm,” Zetros soothes. “We’re only passing through.”
The harpy’s eyes focus on my kraken, her head twisting in a birdlike movement that makes my skin crawl. “And what is a creature of the sea like you doing so far from your home?” She takes a step forward. “Are you the source of the magic that drew us here?”
Zetros tenses. “It matters not. We ask for safe passage. Nothing more.”
I’m looking at the harpy, barely peeking over their shoulders, when my eyes land on one of the other creatures. This one is painted in shades of deep blues and whites, and it would be beautiful if not for the harshness of her expression. Our eyes meet, and I realize my mistake the moment she screeches an alarm.
“There’s a human!”
The others join in, and even though I duck back into hiding, it’s too late.
“A human!”
“There’s a human!”
“Nolia, there’s a human in their midst!”
I close my eyes and cling to my monsters, wishing I could take back my curiosity.
“A human?” the leader, Nolia I presume, repeats. “You dare bring one of those pests into our territory? You bring the very thing that trapped us here?” She inhales. “She’s the source of the power you harbor.”
“I suggest you get her scent out of your mind,” Bracken warns, and although he’s usually carefree and happy, there’s a seriousness in his tone now, a threat. “She is not for you.”
“A female human,” Nolia says, and when I peek out again, her eyes move to me. “The hunt this far inland?” Her gaze focuses on Grim. “What have you done, minotaur?”
There is no other warning. One second, we’re standing around, speaking to each other, and the next, Grim springs forward with his morning star, swinging it toward Nolia. One would think a being with wings and claws for feet would be slow on the ground, but the harpies are anything but. Nolia is gone before Grim can get near her, and her movements are so fast, I can barely track them.
“Stay close,” Nero commands, his coils forming a barrier around me, but that does nothing for beings with wings.
I crouch down between his coils as the others raise their weapons and attack. They made quick work of the other creatures, but the harpies are something else entirely. They are brutal and strong enough to fight, and it quickly becomes a gruesome dance of monsters. Zetros slams into one of the nearest harpies, pinning her against a tree. He doesn’t kill her—either because he doesn’t want to or because he physically can’t—and instead, he rips a branch from the tree and slams it into her stomach, embedding it into the tree and leaving her to flap and screech like a pinned butterfly. His eyes meet mine briefly as he turns before he’s rushing forward to help Grim with Nolia.
Bracken is nearly as fast as the harpies, if not faster. I watch as he and the blue and white harpy dance, clawing at each other. Her talons get far too close to Bracken’s stomach, but my fey is clever. He ducks out of the way, rolls beneath her as she flaps her wings, and jams a sword into her spine. The screech nearly makes my ears bleed.
Panic fills me as I watch my monsters fight the brutal creatures that seem to be greater foes than any of the others before. Krug swings a sword toward them, spilling blood and splattering it on the trees. Nero hisses at a harpy that dares to get too close, his expression fierce.
And then I hear it.
“Come, little human, an adventure awaits. Give in to temptation and agony. Step free of your chains and move into the light, only then will you be wild and free.”
Such a beautiful voice. A feeling of weightlessness overcomes me until I find myself climbing over Nero’s coils in an attempt to follow it.
“Cora, no!” Nero shouts, but a harpy attacks him, distracting him and keeping him from following. “Bracken!”
The fey turns and sees me moving as if in a trance, my eyes on the orange and brown harpy who’s currently singing. Her teeth flash as she drags me in.
In the distance, through the fog, I hear Grimus roar, Zetros shout for the others, and Krug spout off orders, but all I can do is watch the harpy.
“Come, little creature, we’ll break you free. This cage was not meant to hold such power. Follow my voice, and you will know who you’ll be. It’s time for you to cower.”
I blink in confusion but still step forward. The magic under my skin buzzes in warning, and it clears some of the fog, but no matter how hard I try, that magic doesn’t wake up. I can’t fight it, the trance is too strong.
“Come, little creature,” she coos.
