There was already a trail of footprints from Mercie’s house to the trees. They followed it, doing their best to step within the existing prints, and kept going until the road was completely out of view. There, they stopped to catch their breath. Kyra’s stomach growled, and she realized she hadn’t eaten anything in a long time.
“Think any of the Red Shields saw us?” she asked.
“If they had, they’d be chasing,” said Idalee.
She couldn’t argue with that logic. “Flick, what does Mercie do? She lives in a cottage but dresses like a wallhugger.”
Flick chuckled. “Mercie was a thief, you could say. She charmed well-to-do men and made off with their coin. Doesn’t do much of it anymore.”
That would explain why she wasn’t afraid to defy the law, and why she’d almost seemed insulted when Flick told her to hide the blankets.
“You should go back and hide with her after the search is over,” said Kyra. “I’ll find somewhere else to go, but there’s no reason you must stay with me. There’s a cave farther out in the forest where I can take shelter.”
Flick shifted uncomfortably. “We can’t exactly cut you loose by yourself. Mayhap we could all go to the cave.”
“There’s demon cats in these forests, Flick. It’s not safe for you. I, at least, share their blood.”
“I don’t know.…Mayhap we can think of something else.”
Kyra drew breath to respond, but her answer turned into a cry of warning as a demon cat launched itself out of the trees.
It was mind-boggling, how the cats appeared out of nowhere. There had been no sound at all. Only when the cat’s shadow fell upon them did Kyra throw herself at the others, sending Lettie sprawling and landing on top of Flick. She got a knee in the ribs for her efforts, and the demon cat pounced onto the spot where they’d just stood.
“Do you know this one?” Flick yelled. He pulled his legs out from under her and hauled Kyra to her feet.
It was a sleek black felbeast. A smaller one, and Kyra guessed it was female. “No,” she said. Never had a single word felt like such bad news.
The beast lunged for them. Kyra dove out of the way and rolled. When she regained her feet, she looked in panic for the others. Flick had jumped the other way. Lettie darted for the trees, and Idalee ran after her. The felbeast fixed its eyes on Flick.
“No!” Kyra shouted. Before the beast could leap, Kyra threw herself onto the creature’s back and wrapped her arms around its neck. There was a rush of air across her arms as the beast snapped its teeth, and she held on for dear life while the demon cat twisted and bucked. Her grip started to fail.
The cat gave a violent shake of its head, and Kyra fell hard onto the ground. Her head spun. Now would be a good time to change shape, but she couldn’t even think straight.
A streak of yellow flew above her, and a cacophony of roars drowned out Flick’s yells. Kyra sat up to see a tawny-yellow cat collide with the black one. The two beasts tumbled to the ground, growling and snapping. Was the new cat Leyus? No. The beast was too small, but Kyra recognized it all the same. This was Pashla.
The two felbeasts continued to struggle, but Pashla wasn’t going for blood—Kyra had seen enough fights now to know the difference. Pashla used her weight to pin her opponent. She bared her fangs and snapped, but she didn’t aim for the other beast’s throat. Slowly, the black cat reined in its attack, and the outlines of both cats started blurring.
As the Demon Riders changed into their skin, Kyra glanced at the others. Lettie’s mouth hung open, and Idalee stared at the beasts in wonder. Flick stared as well, then raised one eyebrow when he saw Kyra watching. Kyra turned back to see Pashla crouched on the ground opposite a young woman with pale white skin and jet-black hair. The two naked women huddled against the wind as they reached into bags that had fallen at their feet. They must have been wearing the pouches around their necks when they’d been in their fur.