From blood and ash

I rolled my eyes.

“You’re not going to read to me?”

“No. Absolutely not.”

“Maybe I’ll read to you later.”

That was even worse. “That’s not necessary.”

“You sure?”

“Positive.”

His laugh was low and soft against my neck. “How far did you get, Princess?”

I pressed my lips together and then sighed. “I almost finished it.”

“You’ll have to tell me all about it.”

That wasn’t likely to happen. I couldn’t believe he’d not only found that damn book but had also packed it. Out of everything he could’ve brought with him, he’d grabbed the diary. The corners of my lips twitched, and before I knew it, I was smiling and then I was laughing. When his arm tightened around me again, I relaxed against him.

Hawke was…intriguing.

Our pace picked up after that, and it almost felt like we were racing the moon. I didn’t have to look ahead to know that we were losing.

And then I saw it.

Ice drenched my skin at the first glimpse of red. And then it rose into sight. A sea of crimson stretched as far as the eye could see.

We’d reached the Blood Forest.

The horses carried us forward even though every instinct in my body screamed in warning. I couldn’t tear my eyes from the forest, even though it felt like a sight that would haunt my dreams for many, many years to come. I’d never seen it up close, having come to Masadonia through a different route that would’ve added days to our trip. What I saw was a twisted mass of red and a deeper shade that reminded me of dried blood. Under the pounding hooves, the ground became rockier. Something crunched and snapped. Was it twigs? Branches? I started to look down—

“Don’t,” ordered Hawke. “Don’t look down.”

I couldn’t stop myself.

My stomach churned. The ground was littered with sun-bleached bones. Skulls that belonged to deer and smaller animals. Perhaps rabbits? There were also longer bones, too long for an animal, and—

Sucking in a sharp breath, I tore my gaze away. “The bones…” I said, swallowing. “They’re not all animal bones, are they?”

“No.”

My hand went to the arm around my waist. I held on. “Are they the bones of Craven who died?” If they didn’t feed, they withered away until there was nothing left but bones.

“Some of them.”

A tremor coursed through me.

“I told you not to look.”

“I know.”

But I had.

Just like I couldn’t close my eyes now. The red leaves glistened in the fading sun, looking like a million leaves had captured tiny pools of blood. It was a sight as horrifying as it was disturbingly beautiful.

The horses slowed, and Airrick’s mount reared, shaking its head, but he pushed forward. We advanced, my heart thundering as the branches stretched toward us, their slick leaves rippling softly, seeming to beckon us forward.

The temperature dropped the second we passed under the first branches, and nearly all the sun that remained couldn’t penetrate the leaves. Goosebumps pimpled my skin as I looked up. Some of the branches were so low that I thought I could possibly reach up and touch one of the leaves shaped like the ones found on a maple tree. I didn’t, though.

No one spoke as we fell into line, two by two, side by side, following the path that had been worn into the ground. Everyone kept their eyes peeled. Since there was no crunching, I felt safe looking down.

“No leaves,” I said.

“What?” Hawke leaned into me, keeping his voice low.

I sca

“This place is not natural,” Phillips answered.

“That would be an understatement,” Airrick added, looking around.

Hawke leaned back. “We will need to stop soon. The horses need rest.”

Pressure clamped down on my chest, and my grip on Hawke’s arm increased. I knew my fingernails were begi

I exhaled raggedly and saw my breath in the air.

We rode for another hour, and then there was nothing but silvery streaks of moonlight when Hawke signaled to the group. The horses slowed to a trot and then eventually stopped, their breathing heavy.

“This seems like a better place than many to camp,” Hawke commented.

The strangest urge to giggle hit me, but there wasn’t anything fu

We were going to spend the night here, inside the Blood Forest, where the Craven roamed.