“Are you a god? Do you—” Gabriol butted in.
“How are you not dead?” Rydon added. “How has the emperor?—”
“Stop!” Terena yelled with a slash of her hand. Turning back to the blonde, she asked, “How is it you can see the future? Are you like the oracle? A child of Apollo?”
The woman laughed as she turned away, those fucking hips swishing and setting the small bells on her girdle tinkling.
With a wink over her shoulder, she replied, “I was Apollo’s lover.”
Chapter 20
IBROS
Sonah jolted awake. Looking around in a panic, she lifted her hands to rub the sleep from her eyes.
It was the darkest part of night. The fire had died out long ago, and she shifted, narrowing her eyes to see through the void. As her eyes adjusted, she could just make out the sleeping bodies of the soldiers.
Moving as slow as a snail, Sonah rose, wincing when she placed one of her hands on the ground for leverage, the bindings still cuffed to her wrists disturbing the wounds there. She tugged them off, her eyes still on the sleeping soldiers.
When one of the soldiers moved to his back, Sonah froze, her body positioned awkwardly. Still, she remained motionless until the man was resettled. Exhaling, she straightened and moved onto her toes, tiptoeing away from the tree they’d set her against and away from the Rivermen.
Sonah stalled for a moment, debating going back to gather some supplies, then shook her head against the idea. The longer she remained, the more she risked getting caught.
And she had no wish to see what they would do to her if they caught her escaping.
Without further delay, Sonah quickened her steps until she was swallowed by the dense trees.
An owl hooted, nearly causing Sonah to scream and her soul to jump out of her skin. Clutching her chest, Sonah’s gaze darted around. The quiet settled once more and Sonah turned, intent on putting as much distance between herself and those brigands, when she heard a low growl.
Sonah froze. Everything in the forest stilled and fell silent. She held her breath, listening. Long seconds passed and Sonah let out her breath, puffing out thin white trails into the frigid air and took another step.
The growl came again, this time from behind her.
Closer.
Sonah stumbled as she turned. She had no weapon and could not see through the thick darkness. Only shadows moved as she took another backward step, her foot crunching on the frosted leaves beneath her.
She winced when the low growl sounded again, longer this time and much closer.
Sonah stopped moving. Holding up a shaking hand, she whispered, “Who’s there?”
Her eyes widened and she brought her hand to her chest as a pair of emerald eyes shown out of the dark. The animal was large; the eyes would reach her navel, she was certain. Its pale fangs were slick with saliva.
Sonah shook all over, her heart racing beneath her palm as she swallowed. Another few steps and she could see the animal was a wolf. Its snout was black, but there were patches of white along its front legs. In the gloom of the forest, there was no way to tell for sure but, of course, what color the wolf was certainly wasn’t the issue at the moment.
“Good… wolfy,” she whispered as the animal padded closer.
It stared at her for a few more agonizing seconds, then dropped its head and nuzzled her boots. Sonah clutched her throat, standing still and stiff as the wolf nosed over her britches. She yelped when it stuck its snout in her crotch.
“Sir! That’s very inappropriate! We just met.”
As if it understood, the wolf raised its head, staring at her through those beautiful green eyes and huffed. It backed up a few paces and Sonah loosed a chuckle.
“Thank you,” she said with a sigh. “It was lovely to meet you, but I have places to be. Please don’t eat me.”
She waited another second after she’d finished speaking to see if the wolf would do anything. When it stood there gazing back at her, she backed up a step. It didn’t move or growl again, so she moved another step and another.
Sonah smiled and turned.
