And there was no way Poppy was going anywhere with her.
Poppy’s claws slid out.
Then she leaped at the warlord.
Chapter Fifteen
Brodin cut down another Zhylaw cat. He was splattered with blood and gore.
He shook his head. The blood of Zhylaw beasts always reeked, and the rank odor was stuck in his senses.
The rest of his cleavers were finishing off the last of the cats.
He glanced around the field, looking for Poppy.
His chest locked.
There was no sign of her.
He strode toward the trees and breathed deeply.
“Sire?” Gwenna said.
“Find Poppy’s scent.”
It was hard to sniff past the Zhylaw stench.
There.
He saw claw marks on a tree and branch. There was a muddy patch on the ground, and he spotted her footprints leading into the forest.
Followed by the prints of two cats.
“On me,” he roared.
He ran as fast as he could, following the trail.
I’m coming, Poppy.
Poppy was smart. She’d find a way to stall until he got there.
The sounds of fighting ahead caught his ear. He pushed for more speed, pulling ahead of his cleavers.
He broke through the trees in time to see Poppy and Candela collide.
The warlord’s poisonous hair hit Poppy’s face and neck, turning Poppy’s skin gray.
She ran her claws into Candela’s gut.
That was his fierce woman.
Candela grunted. She wore slick, black armor that Poppy’s claws didn’t penetrate, but he knew she’d feel the blows.
Brodin smiled grimly and started forward. He watched Candela swipe out with her clawed glove.
Using Damari quickness, Poppy dodged.
Suddenly, one of the mutant cats leaped at Brodin with a vicious snarl.
He grabbed the animal, gripping its fur hard. It snapped its jaws and hissed. He strained to keep its fangs away from his face.
He gripped the mottled fur harder and slammed the beast into the ground.
Gritting his teeth, he held the cat and twisted. The beast’s neck snapped with a crack. He shoved the body away.
Cleavers streamed in, taking on the other cat.
Candela and Poppy whirled. The warlord slashed with her claws and Poppy jumped back, tripping over a small log.
No.
She fell on her back.
Candela smiled.
Then, her arm moving so fast it was a blur, Poppy threw her dagger.
It cut into Candela’s left eye. The warlord screamed and staggered back.
Poppy scrambled to her feet.
“Poppy,” Brodin roared.
She ran to him.
Candela spun, clutching her injured eye, and saw him. She yanked the dagger out, blood pouring down her cheek. Her cry filled the clearing.
Then she lifted her whistle and blew.
The resulting sound was piercing, and Brodin winced. He heard his cleavers curse.
Two new cats bounded out of the forest toward the warlord.
As they got close, Candela sank a hand into the fur of one and swung onto the animal’s back. The cats sprinted into the trees.
Poppy reached him and he clasped her to him.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
She nodded, clutching him tightly. “I’m fine.”
He pulled her close and pressed his face to her hair. He’d been terrified, but she was alive, and unhurt. He let out a shuddering breath.
“Sire, should we give chase?” a cleaver asked.
Brodin scanned his pack. A few were bleeding. All of them looked battered and weary. He shook his head.
“Let’s return to the meeting point. We’ll deal with everyone’s wounds, recuperate, and wait for Annora and the captain.”
Brodin lifted Poppy off her feet.
“Brodin, I can walk.”
He ignored her.
She rolled her eyes, but didn’t say anything else, just slid her arm along his shoulders.
They jogged through the trees to the prearranged meeting point. If Annora and Thadd found anything, they would meet them here.
Brodin stopped at a particularly huge tree. It had an absolutely massive trunk, wider than a vehicle.
He set Poppy down and pressed his palms to the bark.
A moment later, there was a click and a small doorway opened in the trunk. The inside of the trunk had been hollowed out, and a ladder stood inside the space.
Poppy gasped.
“Tolf, go first,” Brodin ordered.
The tracker disappeared up the ladder.
“Gwenna and Jennete, you’re on sentry duty.” They were two of the uninjured cleavers. With nods, they melted into the forest.
“Up you go,” he told Poppy.
She gripped the ladder and climbed. Brodin helped the injured cleavers up, and closed the door to the hideout behind him.
At the top of the ladder was a huge platform, ringed with a wooden railing, and hidden in the dense foliage of the tree.
Their medic was already treating the injured.
Poppy wandered to the railing, peering through the branches. “What is this place?”
He pulled her against him, grateful that she was okay.
“It’s a tracker hideout. They can use it for shelter, or to monitor the forest and animals. We have them dotted throughout the forest.”
She nodded.
He stroked her face, his fingers gently brushing the gray patches where the poison had killed her skin.
“It doesn’t hurt,” she said quietly.
“Another thing for Candela to pay for.”
“Let’s just be thankful Candela’s hair isn’t dipped with the Damari poison she’s cooking up.” Poppy gripped his wrist and stroked. “I gave her a few bruises.”
Brodin smiled. “My bloodthirsty woman.” He lowered his head and kissed her.
He made the medic check Poppy over. The man put some poultice on the poison spots on her face. Brodin could see they weren’t too bad, and were already healing.
When the medic assessed her ribs, Poppy winced.
“Um, I fell out of a tree.”
Brodin frowned.
The medic checked her more thoroughly. “Nothing’s broken, luckily. You’re just bruised.”
Finally, they all settled in on the platform, eating jerky rations and drinking water.
“What now?” Poppy asked.
“We wait for Annora and Thadd.”
“God, I hope they find whatever rock Candela is hiding under.”
With that, they rested. The quiet of the forest was punctuated by the rustling of leaves in the gentle breeze, the chirp of birds, and the hum of insects. Some of the cleavers dozed, used to catching quick naps when they could.
Suddenly, the trap door opened, and one of the sentries appeared.
“Sire, I spotted the First Claw and Captain Naveri. They are headed this way and moving fast.”
Brodin rose.
Moments later, Annora and Thadd climbed onto the platform.
“You’re both okay?” Brodin asked.
Annora nodded. She scanned the injured. “What happened?”
“Candela. She had a pack of Zhylaw cats.”
Annora’s mouth flattened. “We found the base.”
Brodin looked at Thadd.
The man nodded. “I could easily track the energy signatures.”
“Where?”
Annora straightened. “In the lake.”