Daivad was no stranger to bad days, but this was the worst one he’d had in quite a while.

He and Ben had headed out on Maxea and Drauge as soon as they made sure that everyone was back in their homes, safe, and the doubled guard was in position. They gave the Wolves a good sniff of Aleaza’s tunic, but any scent would be hard to pick up thanks to the rain and all the forest beasts that were rising for the night.

Daivad had fetched another cloak to cover him while the other was occupied containing Kitten, but the feeling of damp, heavy fabric on top of him, around his neck, wasn’t much better than soaking in the cool rain. Kitten, who Daivad would swear was already ten pounds heavier than he’d been a few days ago, was currently tucked under one of his arms, growling and squirming every time a nightbeast so much as rustled a bush. And this forest was nothing but beasts rustling bushes.

But Daivad wasn’t about to let the little beast out of his grasp. Much as he cursed himself for it, he’d made a promise.

Ben and Daivad split up and searched for hours. Daivad would call Aleaza’s name, then wait, sifting through the wet, earthy, monstrous scents of the forest while he strained his ears for a response. But all he ever heard was the chittering of beasts. Luckily, the local monsters knew messing with the Wolves or any of their riders was a bad idea, so few of them gave Daivad any trouble—but they wouldn’t be so afraid of a lone human like Aleaza who had only just begun training in combat magic.

Anger burned through Daivad’s belly, hot enough to curdle the guilt that sat heavy in his gut. How had he let this happen? He had never lost one of his people like this before. They were supposed to be protected here.

A howl pierced the night, high and eerie, from the other side of camp. Daivad needed only to shift his weight, and Maxea took off toward the familiar sound. Ben and Drauge had found something.

But it was nothing good.

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They came upon Ben, crouched beside his glowstone lantern and examining something on the ground while Drauge paced around, snuffling at the wet underbrush for any hint of a trail to follow.

Daivad swung off Max, keeping the squirming Kitten pinned tight to his side. He was careful, as he knelt next to Ben, to keep the beast’s snapping mouth far enough from Ben’s elbow.

Their find wasn’t much, but it spoke volumes. An upturned basket and scattered berries and nuts. Without a word, Ben pointed to a thorn bush—it had been half uprooted, and Daivad could smell the traces of blood still on the thorns.

He lifted the lantern to examine the bush more closely. A chunk of the branches had been ripped out completely—he could imagine Aleaza grabbing at anything he could as he was dragged away. Why else would he grab a handful of thorns and pull? But … there were no drag marks.

Ben pointed up, into the branches.

Not dragged away. Snatched up.

~*~*~

Daivad’s very bad night turned into a much worse morning. All they had learned was that Aleaza had been taken—by what, they had no idea. Daivad had climbed all over that tree and found no hints to what kind of beast might brave the daylight to hunt so close to camp. No odd claw marks, no trail of blood, no traces left of a clear scent. And if it hadn’t been a monster, that was worse. That meant people had found them.

But that wasn’t even close to the worst of it. He had barely reentered camp, a now-comatose Kitten slung over his shoulder as he stepped off the lift, when Edra strode up to him. From the grim look on his face, Daivad knew to brace himself. Had they found Aleaza’s remains? Or—Daivad didn’t even want to think it—was someone else…?

As usual, Edra didn’t bother to beat around the bush. “Ori’s gone. Stepped away from Rux’s side to piss—and vanished.”

Before Daivad could even register the ice-cold cannonball that dropped into his belly, anger lit him up so bright it blotted out everything else. A single thought pierced through the rage.

“No.” He said it calm and sure and brutally sharp.

No. Not his camp, not his people. He would not let this happen. Whoever or whatever had the bright idea to come for them had made the last mistake they ever would.

Daivad said, “Show me where.”