His eyes turned to polished ebony, his gaze steeled with the kind of deadly focus that sent a chill through my spine. Every ounce of his being shifted into that of a predator in full battle mode, his aura thick with menace and purpose. There was no room to falter now; trembling would only slow us down. Besides, I had long since learned that fear could be as deadly as any weapon if you let it sink its claws into you.
“Let’s soldier on,” I said, trying to sound braver than I felt. The smell of iron, dust, and fear filled the air, pressing down on me. “I really don’t like those arrows. They hurt worse than fire.” The words were barely out of my mouth when a ghostly memory seized me, a flash of searing pain as I remembered an arrow embedding itself deep in my shoulder. I shivered despite myse
