"F-Father?" She dropped to her knees and yanked at the thing's tunic, ripping it open to see the scar on his chest bone. Then she screamed, a wail of horror and grief wrenched from deep inside her.
Ronan grabbed her, his hand slapping over her mouth to silence her. She fought him, kicking and twisting. Tried to bite him, too. But he held his hand there, tight, whispering, "I know, I know. But y
ou can't scream. You can't. Shhh."
She caught sight of Tova now. The hound was lying beside her father's body, his muzzle on her father's arm, not interfering with Ronan, just waiting, eyes pleading with her to stop screaming.
She did. And the moment Ronan released his grip, she shoved him aside and looked around. There, next to her father's body, was what seemed like another figure. As she fell on it, she felt the soft fur underside of a cloak identical to her own.
Moria's cloak.
She would have screamed again, if she could. But when she opened her mouth, the pain doubled her over and stole her voice.
It can't be. If she was hurt, I would have known.
The cloak was sticky with blood. She snatched it up and--
There was nothing beneath the cloak. She scrambled over on all fours, looking about wildly. Then she raced to the sleeping mat. She looked all around it before turning to Ronan.
"She's not here."
He paused, then said carefully, "There's blood on the cloak, Ashyn. Quite a lot. It was clutched in his hand. He must have attacked her."
Her heart stopped as she imagined the scene, their father going after Moria. Attacking her. Trying to kill her. Moria going through that, alone.
No, not alone.
"Daigo wouldn't leave her," she said as she walked back toward the door.
"He might have gone with her, if she turned into one of those."
It took a moment for his words to process. He thought Moria had become a shadow stalker. That's why he hadn't questioned the lack of a body.
No. There was an equally logical explanation. Her sister had been injured but escaped, shucking her cloak and running.
Running where?
There was no question where she'd go.
"She's headed back for me, and we've missed her."
She started for the door. Tova finally rose from his place beside their father.
"Ashyn . . ." Ronan said. "There's a lot of blood."
"Then take supplies and go. I'm finding my sister."
Sixteen
Everyone's dead.
The thought looped through Ashyn's mind as she walked down the dark and empty lanes.
As they'd made their way to the barracks, she'd insisted on checking each house they passed. She listened for survivors while Ronan looked.
"One man in his third decade and a younger woman," Ronan reported as he walked from a bedroom of the last house.
"You don't need to spare me. I asked for a thorough accounting, and you haven't given one yet."