Page 56 of Rage of Her Ravens
He nodded. “A shifter stronghold.”
Shifters. My blood turned to ice. My only knowledge of the shifter race came from watching Tari and my parents deal with Adrean Lykaios, the king of the fallen shifter village. The old burned up wolf was wild and unpredictable, and he carried around a dragon-sized grudge, snapping at anyone who dared look sideways at him. He was determined to kill King Fachnan for what he’d done to Lupine, but the old shifter could never gather enough warriors for his rebel army. Instead, he thought he could rely on Tari’s magic to defeat Fachnan’s army. I feared he would get my sister killed with his insane plan to go up against a thousand dragons. Adrean disappeared after my parents told him Tari had been killed. We never saw him again.
“Oh.” I swallowed back my fear, hoping we wouldn’t encounter the crazed shifter king. “The giants won’t come there?” I asked, hoping they’d rethink their plan to stay there.
Nikkos chuckled. “Not unless they have a death wish.”
I looked over at Blaze as he flew beside us, the girls tucked in tightly, their little brows drawn in consternation. It was clear they wanted out of the sling. “Will the shifters welcome us?”
“Absolutely.” Nikkos nodded toward the girls. “We have two of their kind.”
I swallowed at that. Though I wanted nothing more than to give the children a safe, comfortable bed, I feared the cost of accepting help from the shifters would far outweigh the benefits.
Chapter Nine
We landed on the outskirtsof the forest, dark silhouettes of the behemoth trees and mountain range looming behind us—the specters of ancient giants. I wondered how many wars they had witnessed, what stories the trees and mountains could tell if we peeled back their layers.
I squinted in the moonlight at the tall grassy knoll ahead of us. “Where’s Ulula?”
Nikkos gently set me down. “Just over the ridge.”
“This is as far as we can fly,” Blaze answered, waving us forward. “We have to walk from here.”
“Why can’t we fly in?” I asked them as I stretched my sore legs.
“They might shoot us down,” Nikkos answered.
I swallowed at that, feeling less sure about their plan to stay in the shifter stronghold.
Blaze grunted, nearly doubling over when Aurora kicked and squirmed in her sling. “I want to get down.”
“Not yet, darling.” I cupped her cheek, gently stroking her face while speaking in a soothing whisper. “We need you in Uncle Blaze’s arms in case we need to escape.”
Ember heaved a dramatic sigh while hugging her doll to her chest. “I’m tired.”
“I know, sweetheart.” I brushed her bangs off her brow. “Hopefully, we can find a nice bed tonight.”