Kaevin groaned. What was wrong with him? He loved her. He loved being her soulmate, but he’d taken out his frustration on her when nothing was her fault. Now he wished he could take back his words. “Excuse me, Jireo. I’d best go back and apologize. Sometimes I can be a real idiot.”
Alora’s voice screamed out in shrill terror. “Kaevin! Look out behind you.”
Whipping around, Kaevin hefted his sword. He strained his eyes at the shadowy moonlight, but saw nothing.
“He’s right there! Look out!”
Alora’s panic
pulsed through his veins. His heart raced and his muscles trembled. Still seeing no one, he swung his sword from side to side at some imaginary enemy. He was surprised when his blade met resistance in mid air. Something stung his arm, and he noticed blood beading up. How did I cut my arm? As he stared at the dark red liquid, his vision blurred and the blade fell from his grasp. His chest cramped, and he clawed at his throat, attempting to breathe. The world turned sideways, and his body impacted the ground before he blacked out.
Alora almost fell to her knees as she shared Kaevin’s excruciating pain. But as the burning sensation receded, she spotted the Water Clan warrior hiding in the nearby shadows. Could no one else see him? Was he like the wendt?
She picked up a sword from the ground, surprised by its unwieldy weight. What am I doing with this thing? I don’t think I could ever stab anyone. But there’s nothing to keep him from attacking again, and I’m the only one who can see him. Unless… maybe the men from Montana can see him.
She transported all three Montana men to her, along with Raelene who’d evidently been touching Uncle Charles’ arm. Speechless, they took in their surroundings, attempting to make sense of the sudden move.
“Alora, what’s going on?” Wesley was the first to recover enough to speak. She jammed the hilt of the sword into his hand and pointed at the evil warrior.
“Do you see him? He’s invisible, like the wendts, and he attacked Kaevin.”
“I see him. Dad? Do you see him?”
“Sure, I can see him, but what do we fight with? We lost our arrows.” Brian Franks scowled toward the warrior, whose eyes widened.
“Grab another sword from someone and keep his attention. I’ll circle behind him,” murmured Charles as he retrieved two ceramic blades. The invisible warrior backed away as Wesley took a few steps in his direction. Then the warrior’s face distorted into a weird frozen smile. He turned his attention to Graely, kneeling beside Kaevin. The warrior moved.
Brian recognized the danger. “Graely! Get back! You can’t see him, but he’s coming for you.”
Graely stiffened, raising his sword and sharpstop. “I’m not retreating.”
From the ground where she knelt beside Kaevin, Raelene looked up. “Graely—he’s been poisoned. You can’t let the blade touch you.”
Brian wrenched the sword from Wesley’s grasp, moving to intercept the warrior before he could reach Graely.
“Get back, Brian. I know you mean well, but you don’t know how to wield a sword.” Graely grasped his elbow, but Brian shook him off.
“At least I can see him.” Brian raised his blade.
The dark warrior stopped, poised on the balls of his feet, lifting his sword to strike. Alora cringed as the scene unfolded before her. Mr. Franks didn’t even have a shield. She couldn’t tear her eyes from the warrior, his swarthy face sporting a malicious grin, the vileness shining through his pupils. His blade sliced through the air. Brian dodged, narrowly deflecting the blade with his own. The warrior quickly drew the sword back, and plunged the tip toward Brian’s unprotected chest.
But the blade flew from the warrior’s fingers and clamored to the ground at Brian’s feet. The warrior’s eyebrows flew up and, for a moment, he stood frozen, his mouth open wide in a silent scream. Then Alora saw blood on his neck—a lot of it, and he crumpled on the dirt. Where the warrior had been stood Uncle Charles, wiping his knife on his pants.
Alora jumped when her grandmother called out. “Alora! We must take Kaevin to the healing house at once.” She dropped down beside her soulmate, shocked to find his face swollen and unrecognizable. He’s unconscious. That’s why the pain is less intense. Without another word she moved, with them, to Laethan’s feet.
The healer seemed cool and composed, as always. But Alora could sense the fear creeping into the edge of his words. “Is… is that Kaevin? What happened to him?”
“Some invisible warrior cut him on the arm with his sword, and this started happening seconds later. I don’t know what’s going on, but I know it hurts because I feel his pain. And he’s making wheezing sounds and struggling, so I think he can hardly breathe.”
“It’s surely some kind of poison,” said Raelene.
“Can you help him?” Alora asked. “Is it magical poison? Do we need Nordamen or Bardamen?”
“I’m not certain—”
“What happened?” Beth appeared behind Laethan, peering over his shoulder. “Oh no! Is that Kaevin? I barely recognize him! That looks like an allergic reaction. We’ve got to get him to a hospital right now.”
“But what if you’re wrong? What if it’s a magic thing that can only be fixed here?” Alora glanced uncertainly at Laethan.