Ever the Hunted (Clash of Kingdoms #1)

“You’re like me, impudent to the core.”


I laugh at her assessment. I wouldn’t mind being more like her. She’s witty and strong and agile, as well as wicked with a bow.

“Gather the greener leaves from the bottom of the plant and pick these.” She plucks an arrow-shaped mushroom from where it’s tucked beneath the chokewood bush. “Find me when you’re done,” she says.

Ask her. Ask her. Ask—?

Enat ambles away. I curse inwardly and set to plucking leaves and mushrooms. She has to go with us; if only I knew the right words to ask.

My fingers are knuckle deep in black dirt when Enat returns. “If I hadn’t already met you, I’d think you were a shy little thing. Since I know better, tell me. Why are you so quiet over here?”

I snort. “Just busy picking the leaves.” I wipe my hands on my pants and drop the last of the mushrooms into the basket.

“Busy is an understatement.” She points at the bush where it’s glaringly bald. My cheeks redden. “Have something on your mind, Britta?”

I glance up, knowing now is the time to ask. Our immediate departure tomorrow doesn’t provide the luxury of putting off this request, not when Cohen’s frantic to reach his brother. I flick my hands, shaking the tightness out of my fingers and releasing my reservations in asking this task of her.

“Will you . . . can you tell me about Channelers?” Seeds, I’m a coward.

“I’m willing to talk to you about Channelers, but tell me this: Do you want to learn about Channelers, or are you asking me how to break the curse on Malam’s king?”

“Both,” I admit truthfully.





Chapter

27


HER LIPS PRESS INTO A WRINKLED LINE. She moves to my side of the bush and begins plucking berries, her curled fingers working methodically. “All right,” she says finally. “Since they go hand in hand, I can do that.”

My hands go still over the leaves, relief singing through me. Her response makes me realize how much I want to know about Channelers. Learning how to break the bind is the cream on top. Ever since I healed the dog, I’ve been curious about what happened. If what I did is related to a Channeler gift, Enat may finally have some answers.

She examines the bush beside me. “It’s a rare thing to have an ability. Most Channelers would never use their ability to hurt another. That doesn’t mean it isn’t possible. When it does happen, it’s called black magic.”

The clergyman said Enat uses black magic. Though she doesn’t seem the type to hurt another, even if she’s all bluster.

“Most Channelers would never attempt to use their power to harm because when a gift is used wrongly, it changes the Channeler. On the inside and outside. It’s called black magic because it stains a person’s heart and mind, changing their heart’s intent and warping them into someone or something else.” The lines around her eyes deepen as she looks down at her curled fingers.

“So Channelers use their connection to nature to help people? Like a water Channeler makes Beannach water?”

She snaps leaves off a small bush that grows at the base of the massive redwood. “You know of Beannach water?”

I weave the story of what happened beside the well, explaining how I healed Jacinda’s dog and then suffered from a strange temporary exhaustion.

“You’re a lucky girl.” Enat nods thoughtfully. “Jacinda’s ability to create Beannach water is rare.”

I don’t know what’s more shocking, that Enat is familiar with Jacinda, or that she has no reaction to my story.

“So if a water Channeler can influence water, then a Spiriter can influence people’s spirits?” I ask, forging on.

“I suppose you could say that.”

“Since you’re a Spiriter, can you break the other Spiriter’s bind on the king?”

Her blue-eyed gaze turns upward to the pine needles before returning to me. “I haven’t done it before, but I believe I can. If close enough to the man. It’s a spell of proximity.”

“Then will you come to Malam with us and try to break the curse?” A sharp prick of pain in my finger makes me realize my grip on the bush is too tight. I flick the thorn from my skin, cursing silently.

Enat gently sifts through the berries in her basket. It feels like years passing in the moments before she speaks.

She meets my gaze. Hers is steady and strong. “I’ll go.”

I let out a sigh, washed with relief. Cohen will be happy he waited one more day. Though Enat’s willingness to go doesn’t guarantee Finn’s safety, it’s a step in the right direction. Now all that’s left to do is talk to the Archtraitor. If he can identify the murderer, we’ll be headed back to Malam to declare Cohen’s innocence and stop the war.

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