Chapter 3: The Deal
Leon's weight came down on her. Nearly folded her in half. Pain shot through her right foot, whiting out her vision. She clenched her teeth. Didn't let go.
She dragged him toward the rock crevice. Every step on her right foot felt like pressing down on a hot iron. Her breathing got heavier. Faster. Sweat dripped from her nose.
"Your name?" Leon asked.
"Cecilia."
"Cecilia." He repeated it. "What tribe?"
"Silver Spring. Winter family."
Leon's steps faltered. "What's someone from Silver Spring doing in Thornveil Gorge?"
"Got pushed."
"Who?"
"Astrid Frostfang."
Leon's slit pupils narrowed. "The chieftain's daughter?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because I found out her secret. She's not pureblood. Her mother was a human captive. If it gets out, she's exiled."
Leon was quiet for a beat. "You did nothing. And she tried to kill you."
"Fear doesn't need a reason. Fear just needs a target."
She said nothing else. Just kept walking. Her right foot left a broken trail of blood in the sand.
Leon watched that blood trail. Asked nothing more.
They reached the rock crevice. Narrow. The two of them pressed between stone walls, facing each other. Noses almost touching. His breathing was heavy, carrying the iron smell of blood. His amber slit pupils glowed faintly in the dark.
"Why didn't you run?" he asked suddenly.
"What?"
"Back there. You could've run while the wolf was focused on me."
"And then what? Alone. No weapon. No food. Injured foot. Spending the night in Thornveil Gorge. Odds of living—under ten percent."
She paused.
"But if I saved you—a tribe's lead warrior—I'd have a place to stay. Clean water. Bandages. Food. And a possible opening."
His slit pupils tightened in the dark. "You saved me for gain."
"I saved you because I needed you alive. Those aren't different things."
Leon stared at her for a long moment.
"You're honest." His voice held no praise. No judgment. Just a statement.
"Honesty is the most efficient strategy. Lies cost upkeep. Honesty doesn't."
He said nothing more. They moved through the crevice, one after the other. Only footsteps and breathing. About fifty steps in, the crevice widened. Cold light seeped through from ahead. Moonstone glow. Silver-white. Like moonlight trapped in rock.
Near the vein sat a simple camp. Three tents around a dead fire pit.
Violet helped Leon sit by the pit. When she moved her hand off his shoulder, her fingers were shaking without her permission. She turned to the tents. Found clean water. Bandages. Blood-stopping herbs.
She tossed him the water and bandages. "Handle yourself. That right arm needs stitches. I don't have a needle. Stop the bleeding first. Wait for your hunting party."
Leon caught the water. Didn't move. He watched her crouch by the fire pit and rebuild the flames with loose stones. The firelight caught her face. Lit up the gash on her cheekbone.
"Your foot," he said.
Violet looked down. The cloth on her right foot was soaked through. She unwrapped it. The puncture wound on her arch was still seeping. The skin around it had swollen to a bruised purple.
She rinsed the wound with the last of the water. The cold hit the raw flesh. She sucked in a sharp breath. Her fingers clenched her skirt.
She tore a clean strip of cloth and wrapped it again. When she tied the knot, her hands shook too hard. First try failed. She took a breath. Tied it again.
Leon watched her do all of it.
"This gap you mentioned," he said finally. "Where on the eastern defense line?"
Violet looked up. Firelight danced in her gray-blue eyes.
"Between Silver Spring and Thornveil Gorge. There's a hidden path even the hunting parties don't know. Entrance is under a dead giant tree. Three miles east of the Moonstone vein."
Leon's slit pupils tightened. "How do you know that?"
"Within three months, someone will enter your tribe through that path."
"Who?"
"An exile."
"The name?"
Violet was quiet for a beat. "Can't say yet. But everything I've told you is true."
Leon stared at her. The fire jumped between them. Stretched their shadows long across the ground.
"If your information is false—"
"If it's false, you can throw me back into the gorge anytime. But what if it's true?"
Leon didn't answer.
"Your tribe's eastern defense has a hole you know nothing about. Someone's coming through it within three months. You don't know if I'm lying. So you can't fully refuse me—you might miss real information. You can't fully accept me either—you might be used. This state. Right here. It's safest for you. And safest for me."
Leon stared at her. A long silence.
"You're interesting." No humor in his voice. Just something heavy. Like stone.
"Thanks. Can we move now?"
Leon was quiet for three seconds. Then he reached out. Palm up.
"Leon Hart."
Violet took his hand.
His fingers closed. His thumb pressed against the back of her hand. Against her thin, almost transparent skin. He could feel her pulse jumping. Fast. Much faster than her face showed.
"Your hand is shaking," Leon said.
"I know. I almost died. My right foot got stabbed through. There's a scratch on my neck that nearly opened my artery. My hand is shaking. That's normal."
Leon's slit pupils widened slightly. "You're afraid."
"Of course I'm afraid. Anyone who isn't afraid in this situation is either stupid or lying."
Leon stared at her. A long time. Then he let go. Stepped back.
"From today. You are Gray Rock Tribe."
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End of Chapter Three
She won a foothold. For now. But she's still holding the other half of the deal. The one who pushed her off the cliff won't let this rest. And the one who will appear in three months—that's the piece that changes everything.