After a while, Pashla asked them to wait while she and Adele changed shape. Once in her fur, Pashla threw her head skyward and roared. There was a distant roar in response. Pashla’s ears perked toward the sound, and she loped off in that direction. Adele was a slender shadow next to her, almost flowing over the snow. Kyra noticed the black cat’s eyes going often to Flick as they traveled, and Kyra surreptitiously inserted herself between the two of them. Pashla might have promised to watch over him, but a few extra precautions wouldn’t hurt.
Eventually, Kyra spotted shapes through the trees. She recognized Leyus by his height and commanding posture. In the light of day, he was less frightening, though no more approachable. The clan leader stood talking to Havel and Zora, the Demon Riders who had come upon Kyra in the field. There were others scattered throughout the trees in their skin and their fur—fewer than twenty total, but that wasn’t surprising. The Makvani came together only when necessary. Adele sniffed the air as they approached, then left them to join the others.
Kyra looked to see how her friends were holding up. Lettie held tightly to Idalee’s hand, staring unabashedly at the Demon Riders. Idalee’s jaw was set in a stubborn line, and Flick stayed protectively close to the two girls, one arm loosely resting on each of their shoulders. Around them, the Makvani started to notice the humans. They didn’t approach, but they certainly looked, and whispered to each other.
“You’d better be right about us being under your protection,” Kyra muttered to Pashla. She thought she saw Pashla’s ears twitch in response.
Leyus’s mouth tightened in displeasure when Kyra came closer. He turned to Pashla. “Why did you bring her here?”
“I’m here with a message from Forge,” Kyra said as Pashla regained her human form. “I’m sure you’ve seen troops in the forest already. They’re just the first step of preparation for a forest offensive meant to hunt all your people down, and it will surely result in unnecessary deaths on both sides. The Defense Minister asks you to consider negotiating peace.”
“I’ve seen one of these so-called units in the forest,” said Leyus. “We have nothing to fear from them.”
Flick’s group hadn’t impressed Kyra either, though the unit this morning had looked more formidable. “You’re right that many of them are untrained,” she said. “But they outnumber you by far, and eventually they’ll overwhelm you with their numbers.”
Something registered in the back of her mind, and Kyra took a closer look at two demon cats lounging beneath a nearby tree. One beast was lying down, and Kyra saw that blood matted its fur. The other was licking the injured cat’s shoulder, cleaning the wound as Pashla had done before for Kyra.
“How did that cat get injured?” asked Kyra.
Leyus followed her gaze. “That is none of your concern.”
“He was wounded by humans, wasn’t he?” said Kyra, plunging ahead. “Though the humans were weak, their spear struck true.”
“Enough.” The edge in Leyus’s voice was sufficient to make Kyra stop. “The soldiers present no danger, and your city insults us with their quality.” Leyus turned to Pashla. “Take them back to where they came from.”
Pashla bowed, running three fingers down the front of her throat. Before Kyra could say anything more, Leyus and his two companions disappeared into the trees.
“Leyus has spoken,” said Pashla.
“But—” Kyra began. The clanswoman silenced her with a glance. Kyra swallowed her words and followed. The others fell into step behind her.
The injured demon cat growled as they passed. Kyra thought it was growling at them but then realized that its ire was directed toward the beast tending its wound. Adele was with them. She’d changed back into her skin, and she called Pashla’s name, followed by a string of words Kyra could not understand. Pashla circled back and nudged the standing demon cat aside so she could crouch next to the injured one.
“The muscle is torn, but it will heal,” said Pashla. “Just keep cleaning her wound.”