Maiden's Wolf (In Deception's Shadow Book 3) by Lisa Blackwood Read Free Book Online Page B

pursue this lupwyn, she’d reduce their bodies back to
base elements.
    Beatrice would
have been concerned by her Larnkin’s bloodthirsty essence, but the cost of
using the death magic was creeping up on her body. The cold, the stabbing pain
in every muscle and joint, the nausea and the drumbeat taking up residence in
her head would soon render her useless.
    She forced
herself back to her feet and made a relatively straight line to the gelding. Once
there she removed his tack and pulled out a heavy blanket from one of the
saddlebags and then bundling it around her shoulders, she laid down and curled
onto her side.
    Her vision grew
dark as she slipped into unconsciousness.
     
    *****
     
    Cold, damp grass was
a poor pillow, Beatrice decided as she sat up. Looking around, she quickly
spotted the gelding still grazing in the small area his lead allowed him to
reach.
    The unnatural
cold, nausea, and bone-deep pain were not gone, but diminished enough that she
could function. Unfortunately, they were now kept company by the more mundane
aches and pains caused by sleeping on the bare ground for a few candlemarks. A
glance at the sky showed the sun had continued its track west, and it was now
mid-afternoon. Beatrice stood and hurriedly refolded the blanket and shoved it
back in the saddlebag.
    While she sought
out the lupwyn with her healer’s senses, she tacked up the gelding. By the time
the horse was ready, she had a location on the lupwyn.
    To her surprise,
he was only a candlemark’s walk to the south of her position. He’d made
surprisingly good time considering the condition he’d been in when he’d started
out. Now he seemed to be unconscious. Likely a result of pushing himself too
hard escaping the acolytes.
    She tipped the
gelding’s nose in the direction of the lupwyn. It didn’t matter what condition
he was in. As long as he had a heartbeat, she could fix him.

Chapter Eight
     
    Beatrice followed
where her magic led. At long last, she finally reached a small glade. This
particular one wasn’t easy to find, well away from any paths or game trails.
But there was a small stream nearby and near its bank, the rather large body of
the lupwyn lay sprawled just above the water line.
    Reaching his
side, she continued to scan for danger, but saw nothing and her healer’s magic which
allowed her to ‘feel’ other living beings near, told her there were no living
creatures nearby more dangerous than a deer, a warren of rabbits, and a few
chattering squirrels.
    Even if there had
been other dangers close by, she would still have helped him since he was
wounded and in desperate need of aid.
    From this angle,
it looked like a wolf had collapsed after taking a drink from the stream,
though she knew he was a lupwyn.
    She’d never seen
one up close, but she’d spotted this one in the distance a few times, or more
likely he had allowed her to see him. She knew he was a male because her magic
shared such details with her, and she always thought he was the same one—likely
a scout on patrol. He never attacked or came closer, and she never felt
threatened by him, so they’d always just allowed each other to ghost through
their territories.
    As Beatrice got
closer to the fallen male, she saw he didn’t share a resemblance with the one
she’d seen a few times at a distance. This one looked far more human.
    He didn’t move at
her approach. Her Larnkin confirmed he was still unconscious. From what she
could tell, he had collapsed at the edge of a small stream, driven there
by dehydration, but after he’d quenched his thirst, he had lost the battle
against exhaustion and blood loss.
    Well, Beatrice reflected, at least having water close at hand would
make cleaning him up an easier task.
    Casting a look
around the small clearing, she mentally mapped out the highest and driest area
where she would need to construct temporary shelter and light a fire.
    If she had a
choice, she’d forgo the fire, but she would need one to sterilize