Grace of a Wolf by Lenaleia

Chapter 46: Caine: Inane Argument

CAINE

The warlock is an annoying companion on a long drive, but his ability to track the girl’s presence is little short of miraculous.

"I’m telling you," Jack-Eye says, gesturing wildly in the cramped backseat at Thom, "a woolly mammoth would absolutely destroy an elephant in combat. Thicker fur, larger tusks—built for the ice age, man."

Thom shakes his head. His glasses slip down his nose, and he pushes them back with trembling fingers. "Elephants have superior intelligence and agility. African bull elephants can weigh up to seven tons and reach nearly thirteen feet. Your mammoth would be too slow."

"Too slow? Are we forgetting they hunted in packs?" Jack-Eye counters.

This conversation has lasted at least the last thirty miles. It started, oddly enough, with a conversation about chickens.

"We’re discussing a one-on-one arena battle," Thom says, voice steady despite his physical weakness. "Not a pack hunt."

Their absurdity grates on my nerves, and I clutch the steering wheel harder. "How much longer?" I ask, interrupting their inane debate without guilt.

"Three point seven miles, still in the same location," Thom answers, not missing a beat.

"Even without the pack there—"

"This entire discussion is idiotic," I say through gritted teeth. "Woolly mammoths are extinct."

Fenris’s voice is a low grumble. They’re just trying to pass the time. Not everyone broods in silence like you.

I don’t brood. I contemplate.

how to approach the

signs flashing past in the darkness. Three point seven miles. There’s a tug in my chest, almost a whisper of premonition telling me I’m close. The distance between us has become physical

about now?" I

Your Majesty. The girl

"And the interference?"

"Still present."

she in danger?" I’ve asked this a

so. It isn’t malevolent,

forward, grabbing onto my headrest. "What do you think, boss? I still say

growl. "Your hypothetical fight between extinct creatures

I feel a slight pang of regret—not for silencing them, but for revealing how tightly wound I

are desperate, Fenris chides.

of course, the silence doesn’t last. Not with my beta

a moment, turning to face Thom. "Your tracking. Is it

Everything that exists occupies not just physical space but essentialistic space as well. Every living thing disrupts the essence of an area simply by existing within

"Like mana? In those, what

his lap, trembling. "But it all boils down to the energy something holds within the world. Your... Grace... has a particularly distinct essence. Bright.

piece I don’t yet know where

something so clearly. We lose scent trails

"It comes at

bluish veins visible at his temples. His eyes are sunken, rimmed with dark circles. Hours ago, when I first dragged him from Forest Springs, he’d been merely

hands tremble more violently as he shoves his glasses up his nose again.

I can’t see it, but I can feel it in the back of my head. He probably feels bad for Thom, but I can’t pretend to

You should care more,