“We are hunters for His Dark Majesty,” the leader said with a mock bow. “We are the ilken. And we have been sent to retrieve our quarry.” Those witches had dispatched these beasts for him? Cowards, not to do their own hunting. The ilken went on, stepping toward him on legs that bent backward. “We were going to let you have a quick death—a gift.” Its broad nostrils flared, scenting the silent forest. “But as you have stood between us and our prey … we will savor your long end.” Not him. He was not what the wyverns had been stalking these days, what these creatures had come to claim. They had no
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