Free Feudlings in Sight by Wendy Knight

snarling at her, but he couldn’t yell without giving them away.
    “I’m not letting you go alone. I’m not letting him face this alone! Now move it, Cousin.”
    Shane’s mouth opened and shut like a deranged, very confused sea creature. “Okay,” he said finally, and spun toward the woman standing next to the spark of the portal. Charity knotted her skirts in her hand and climbed the small rise, staring in hopelessness at the battle before her. There were dozens and dozens of warriors, and the smoke was already so thick it threatened to choke her. “How are we going to find him, Shane?”
    “Your vision. Tell me what you saw. Look for landmarks. Think , Charity.” Shane sounded strangled, his eyes wild with panic. He wasn’t afraid for himself — she knew him better than that. He loved Hunter like a brother, and right now his brother was somewhere out there, in the fire and ash and screaming and blood, waiting for the Edren monster.

 
    Chapter Seven
     
    It wasn’t that Hunter had a death wish. He was fairly positive, in fact, that he wouldn’t die but would gain valuable combat experience while having someone to take his frustrations out on. And while he’d been at school, fighting the Edren Prodigy had seemed like a good idea. But now that he was faced with the possibility of actually running into their demon, he wasn’t entirely positive this had been such a great idea.
    Hunter, as the Carules Prodigy Guard, was more powerful than everyone else in the world, except the Prodigies themselves. And maybe the Edren’s Guard, although their monster Prodigy never had help. Probably no one trusted him enough to fight for him — or alongside him. Hunter leaned against a boulder that scalded his skin even through his t-shirt, and watched the battle. He really wanted to fight. A lot. The flames in his blood begged to be set free.
    But he also didn’t want to die. A lot. And he could see that the warriors in this battle had more training than just their seer friend reading spells to them out of an ancient book. He almost called Shane to do a saldepement spell so he could go home. He pulled his phone out and hit the button, but then he remembered the dance. And Conner. And Charity, looking like an angel in someone else’s arms. He swore and shoved his phone back in his pocket. Pushing away from the boulder, he stormed across the desert sand, kicking viciously at a cactus. The whoosh of red flames blew past his face before he realized he had company. Cursing, he dove to the side as another spell flew over his head.
    He hit the ground and rolled, ending in a crouch. There were three of them, Edrens. They looked just like any Carules except for the red flames licking their fingertips. He stood slowly, feeling sparks blaze from his hands. He burned the spell into the air, just about to push it at them, when there was an explosion behind him.
    The Edrens in front of him stumbled backward and ran, fear shadowed in their faces. He spun, thinking it had to be Shane — those Edrens wouldn’t run from their own Prodigy, would they? But they were brilliant red flames coming from the hooded figure standing in the center of the battlefield, surrounded by burning bodies and bloody ash. The Edren Prodigy moved so fast, Hunter’s eyes blurred. His bright scarlet spells spun through the air before Hunter could even think of diving for cover.
    For the first time in his life, Hunter knew true terror. He was going to die. He was going to die without ever telling Charity…
    But the Edren Prodigy hadn’t seen him yet. He was too busy attacking the Carules who were stupid enough to fight instead of run. Slowly, so slowly, Hunter backed away, blending into the darkness. He stood motionless next to his boulder, watching the Prodigy move. He wasn’t human. There was no way that anyone, even a sorcerer, could move like that.
    Hunter realized something as his terror abated enough to let coherent thought enter his poor brain. The