So much anger simmers beneath the surface of my skin.
I could kill him.
But we wouldn’t get the information we need, and we would lose. There would be no news on the giant king or his court, and we would be clueless about how to get humans to Enduvida.
So finally, I take the loaf.
“Meet in the northeastern yards at daybreak,” he commands before leaving.
I make to walk away from the cabin, but pause. There is a window near Melisa’s bed.
Making sure I’m not being watched, I rush back and organize a quick message with stones and sticks, just as we planned.
Once I am done, I unlock her down and hurry away. When I reach the pens, the stench of unwashed bodies lingers in the air.
Everything is damp and chilly.
There was no way in hell I would eat food from that man, but wasting such a commodity would be cruel, so I stop in front of one of the dens and throw the loaf inside.
I look for the men’s quarters. It is essentially a large building with dirt-packed floors and scraps of oiled wood to keep some sections cleaner than others. At least a hundred men are crammed into one area, and I navigate between them.
When I finally find an empty spot, I lay down and work on securing myself and my pebbles, clutching one so I won’t shift in my sleep. Then I close my eyes.
Sleep refused to come despite knowing that tomorrow would be filled with back-breaking work.
I can only think of leaving Melisa at that cabin with those monsters—but that was always the plan.
We made it to our mark. We are in Zlosa.
May the gods keep us all as we journey through this valley of darkness.
Part Two
Chapter 15
MELISA
The sound of scratching wakes me up, followed by a whine.
When I open my eyes, the weak early morning light paints the walls around me blue. I recognize the brown wood filled with knotty bulges and streaks of gray—winter elm.
Back in Zlosa.
Another high-pitched cry draws me to my feet despite my sore limbs. When I pad to the door and pull it open, a medium-sized gray wolf stands on my front step.
“Coco,” I say, exhaling. “How did you know I was here?”
She lets out a frustrated huff and pushes past me into the room. Closing the door, I stumble back over to the bed just as she jumps onto the mattress.
Once I flop back down, she curls up beside me, resting her head on my legs.
“You should be taking care of Thea and Wren,” I say sternly. She looks at me with those large, pleading eyes, and I sigh. “Yes, yes. I’m sorry. I missed you, too.”
She snuggles into me, sniffing.
“I have been to so many marvelous places,mi amor,”?1 I say, stroking the fur around her ears. “I’m sure I smell strange.” She makes a grumbling noise, as if trying to talk. “How are the little ones?”
As I rub the poor creature’s neck muscles, I feel the tension that likely has been building since I left.