Derek set a hard pace back through the trees. Tomas didn't ask again what we were walking into. He didn't have to. I could see it in the way Derek's jaw stayed locked, in the way his hand didn't leave the hilt of his blade.
The path narrowed, the undergrowth closing in like it didn't want us there. Branches clawed at my sleeves, damp earth sucking at my boots. We weren't heading back toward the estate. We were going deeper.
"Is there a reason I'm going on this particular field trip?" I glanced over at Tomas, trying to read his expression.
"Because if you're going to be useful to me, then you need to see what we deal with. As my assassin, you'll have to understand the full workings of this kingdom. I don't plan to keep you safe, behind these walls."
"Safe?" I almost laughed. "You might have me caged, but I'm certainly not safe."
"Then consider this your lesson on exactly how dangerous life here will be."
The forest opened onto a low ridge overlooking the river. Mist hung over the water, thick enough to hide the far bank. Downstream, the moonlight caught on something moving against the current. At first I thought it was debris. Then it moved against the flow.
I didn't realize I'd stepped closer until Tomas's arm blocked me. "Stay here."
Derek dropped to one knee, eyes narrowing. "Three of them. Maybe four."
"Four." Tomas confirmed without hesitation. "And they're feeding."
I strained to see through the mist, and wished I hadn't. A body lay half in the water, pale limbs drifting with the current. Something hunched over it, shoulders rising and falling in sharp jerks. Another shape moved nearby, dragging something else toward the bank.
"Strays?" Derek asked.
Tomas's voice was flat. "Not ours."
The nearest one lifted its head. Even from here, I saw the glint of its eyes catch the moonlight. Too bright. Too fixed. Its mouth hung open too wide, teeth flashing wet in the dark.
The air shifted. The scent of blood rolled up the bank like a living thing.
"They're going to cross over." Derek said.
Tomas turned to me. "Time to prove you're not just taking up space."
"Excuse me?"
"You are going to train." He pointed down the ridge. "This is training. Try to stay alive."
"In case you missed it, those things are eating people."
"And they'll keep eating unless we stop them." He started down the slope without looking back. "Come on, little fox. Try to keep up."
The mud made picking my way down the ridge harder than it should have been. My boots slid twice, catching on roots. The sounds grew sharper the closer we got. The wet rip of flesh, the low chuff of something animal.
The first one saw us before we hit the bank. It hissed, a sound too high and too low at the same time. It backed away from the body, the fur along its spine lifting as it hissed again. It looked like a panther shifter, the body too large and broad to be entirely animal. The way it moved, though. It had a feral grace. But there was something wrong with its eyes. Madness gleamed in their depths, and I barely kept myself from shivering.
Tomas didn't slow. His blade came up in one smooth motion, catching the moonlight before it came down hard across the shifter's shoulder. Blood sprayed, steaming where it hit the water.
Another rushed him from the side. Derek intercepted, the clash of steel and bone ringing out sharp in the night.
The third came for me.
I had my blade up before I knew I'd moved. It lunged low, teeth bared. I slashed at its face, catching it across the jaw. It screamed, or tried to. The sound came out wet, bubbling.
It didn't stop.
It slammed into me, driving me back into the mud. Its weight crushed the air from my lungs. I jammed my knee up into its ribs, felt something give, and shoved hard enough to roll free.
I came up swinging. I buried my blade in its neck. The thing convulsed, claws raking my arm before it crumpled.
My breath came fast and harsh. The metallic tang of its blood clung to the back of my throat.
"On your right!" Tomas barked.
I turned just in time to see the fourth one charging. Tomas was too far to intercept. I braced for the hit. But Derek's blade came down from nowhere, splitting the thing clean across the spine.
The body hit the ground twitching before going still.
The river went quiet. The mist clung heavy.
Tomas wiped his blade clean on the nearest carcass. "Not bad."
I was still breathing hard, my grip white-knuckled on the hilt. "You planning on throwing me into the deep end often?"
"Often enough."
I glanced at the bodies. "What were they?"
"Once? People. Now? Vermin."
The casual way he said it made my stomach turn. "And if we hadn't stopped them?"
"They'd keep moving upriver until they hit something worth feeding on. A farm. A village."
Derek kicked one over with his boot. "These crossed from another territory. You want me to track where?"
"Yes." Tomas said. His gaze was still on me. "She's going with you."
That pulled my head up fast. "I just killed one of those things. I think I've done my part for the night."
"You're going with him." Tomas said again. "You wanted to prove yourself. Now's your chance."
I looked between them. Derek didn't look thrilled either, but he didn't argue.
Tomas stepped closer until his shadow fell over me. "You've got two options, Cassidy. Go with him and bring back something useful. Or go back to the estate and explain to Raelyn why you weren't good enough to stay."
The heat in my chest was equal parts fear and anger. "Fine."
"Good." He stepped back, giving Derek a nod. "Don't lose her."
Derek's mouth tightened. "Wouldn't dream of it."
We left the bodies cooling in the mud, the mist swallowing them behind us. Whatever was waiting upriver, Tomas wanted it found. And I had the sinking feeling we weren't the hunters anymore.