A Ruin of Roses

Finley’s animal senses Nyfain’s approach just before he explodes into the field in beast form. He changes to human in time to throw Finley from harm’s way but takes a hit from one of the creatures. Shifting back to his beast allows him to easily dispatch the creatures, but he is badly poisoned from the hit he took. Using her animal’s power, Finley orders him to take her to the village, knowing Hannon can help them both. Nyfain bristles at being told what to do but recognizes it’s the best option and goes. On the way, he tells Finley to let him die so she can take her family and hide as best they can from the demons. Finley refuses to entertain the possibility of his death.

With the help of Hannon and her two younger siblings, Finley gets Nyfain into her home to treat his wounds and the poison. While she was gone, her siblings checked out books on demons from the library, hoping they would help them rescue her. The specific creatures Nyfain and Finley fought are not mentioned in the book, but between that and the book on trees Finley checked out before she left, she cobbles together a list of ingredients that might make an antidote.