Arrows of Time - Kim Falconer [166]
‘I know. Take another sip.’ She held it to his lips.
He took a few more swallows. ‘Am I being punished?’ he asked, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, his face pinched. There was something rancid in the concoction. Maybe she’d decided to poison him.
‘You’re being cured, fast. You might also take it as a reminder to avoid getting wounded in the future.’ She studied his face. ‘Teg, you have a powerful magic. Why are you so reluctant to use it? These wounds were unnecessary.’
He shrugged and looked away.
‘There’s no shame in being a Lupin,’ she said when he didn’t answer. ‘Nor in using the arcane magic. It’s a gift.’ She returned to the mouth of the portal. ‘Please run true,’ she whispered to the Entity. ‘Take us straight to Rosette.’
‘What’s wrong with the portals?’ he asked, relieved to shift the focus off his failings.
‘I don’t know. Someone’s tampering, I think.’
‘Trackers?’
She shook her head. ‘I’m not certain. Maybe.’
‘What else could cause them to run erratic?’
‘I need Jarrod to calculate that.’ She rubbed her shoulder. ‘Entropy is my guess.’
‘How do you stop it?’
‘The old school answer?’ she said. ‘You don’t.’
He smiled. ‘I’m glad you’re not old school then.’ He leaned back, staring at the ceiling. ‘Kali, it’s not shame that makes me hesitate,’ he finally said, understanding it as if for the first time.
‘What, then?’
‘I don’t actually enjoy injuring others.’
‘Even to protect yourself?’
‘Even that.’
She turned and smiled. ‘Don’t let the Sword Master hear such ideas. You’ll have a philosophical debate on your hands that’ll last aeons.’
He laughed, cringing. ‘I guess I never put it to the test quite like this before.’
‘Perhaps not. But, Teg, the test isn’t over yet.’ She straightened her spine. The whirl of colour rushing past the portal slowed, the blur coming into focus—red plains, cracked land, treeless and desolate save for the green Gaela apples. She silently thanked the Entity. ‘We’re here, Teg. Can you walk?’
‘Not on two legs.’
‘Then shift. I’m not lugging you all the way to the temple.’
He sighed, focusing his thoughts on his wolf form, and rose on all fours, favouring his near hind leg. He was surprised at how much stronger he felt. Between the potion and his Lupin form, the pain was nearly halved. His emotions were steadier too. He tuned into Kreshkali, sensing their connection. That was all he needed to feel—nothing more, nothing less. He followed her out of the portal and into the intense heat of the day. The apple trees rustled in the wind.
I’m hungry.
‘Good sign, but it’ll have to wait.’ Kreshkali stood in front of the gates, her eyes closed. In a moment the call of ravens filled the air, their jet-black bodies bearing down on them at top speed. They swooped and dived, escorting them through the entrance.
‘Rosette is here.’ She smiled.
Alive? Teg asked.
‘Not yet.’ She crouched to the ground. Meet me there.
She rose in the form of a black falcon, overtaking the ravens and disappearing in the distance. The Three Sisters squawked for a moment before shooting off after her. Teg loped, his side in a stitch. He winced, slowing to a trot. He’d been an idiot to let himself be wounded, twice. This wouldn’t go down well.
Teg!
He spun his head around, turning on his haunches. Hotha?
You’re wounded?
Not badly, and I can explain.
No time. We’re called.
He looked past Hotha and saw the scattered clan of Lupins, black and grey dots on the red earth. They approached slowly, tongues lolling in the heat.
For Rosette?
Hotha dipped his head. Blood heals blood. He frowned at Teg’s wounds. What happened to you?
Long story. Do you remember a woman named Lily?
A deep rumble came from Hotha’s throat. How could I forget?
Grayson saw the Three Sisters take off, their cries muffled by the music. He put down his guitar and left it on the stage. The ravens’ sudden departure could mean only one thing and he hoped it was good news. ‘Kreshkali?’ He mouthed the words to Jarrod and slipped out of the temple.
The courtyard was abandoned save