Snap.
My eyes spring open, and I stop breathing. The silence is deafening. I strain my ears, listening for anything suspicious as I scan the cropping of trees around us. The search for something or someone comes to a halt several times when I swear I see movement in the brush. I squint to make sense of the shadows,concluding they are crooked branches and swaying leaves. My fingers curl around Kyron’s tunic, ready to shake him awake at the first true sign of a problem. But time creeps by and nothing more happens.
I loosen my grip on the fabric of Kyron’s shirt and press closer to him.It’s just my imagination playing tricks on me, I chant over and over in my head. But no matter how many times I say it, I can’t get past the feeling that we are not alone out here.
Twenty-Three
KYRON
Something is not right, and I know I’m not the only one who feels it. Ashavee’s ears sit high on her fuzzy head, and the horizon has Greer captivated. The moments of light-heartedness have vanished, replaced by unease. It’s too quiet, too serious, too alarming.
Nothing is truly out of the ordinary. The higher the trail takes us, the colder it gets. The wind picks up, blowing over the thick blanket of snow. Hundreds of naked trees reach for the dreary sky, tall and ominous, like white bony fingers reaching out of the ground. Not one living creature has crossed our path—no birds, no small animals, not even an insect. Which has me asking, are we the brave or the foolish? My guess: we’re a little of both.
Terro holds the map in front of him, searching for any proof that we’re on the right path. “I suggest the next person in your family line who creates a map be more detail-oriented,” he mumbles, lowering the parchment to scan the land ahead of us.
“Is it the map or the navigator?” Greer asks, raising an eyebrow.
It isn’t Terro’s fault that he’s struggling. We’ve all taken our turns attempting to read it. It’s impossible with everything under inches of snow. A blank sheet of paper would be more accurate. And fuck, if it doesn’t feel like we are wasting time.
We’ve been gone from Pliris for almost two full days, with no communication. Our kingdom could already be under attack or worse. I grapple with the thoughts about our people. The only reason I don’t turn us around is because I know this is our only hope. Returning home empty-handed will not help the situation. If anything, it will make it worse.
Ashavee stops several feet in front of us. Her ears twitch while her feline gaze takes in everything around us. I lift my fist in the air, bringing everyone to a halt. My palm warms as my fire gift sparks to life, and I lock eyes with Greer. Water drips from her outstretched fingers while she studies the blank canvas surrounding us.
The crunching of snow has us all snapping our heads to the left. Nothing. A flash of tan and black in my peripheral causes me to pivot to my right. Raelle must see it too because she unsheathes her sword, holding it steady in front of her. Her hair whips around her face as her eyes dart from one end of the vast expanse of land to the other.
When a chorus of wild growls erupts around us, Ashavee lowers her head to the ground. The fur along her spine rises, and she releases a low snarl.
A pack of wild animals in every shape and color appear on all sides. Seven sets of stares lock on us as they stalk forward, trapping us between them. The mixture of wild cats, wolves, and bears isn’t normal. They are calculated, working together as a single unit. What we face aren’t rabid animals. No, it’s much worse. They’re fast, strong, and intelligent. These are shifters.
I don’t give them the chance to corner us, releasing a ball of flame. It shoots across the plain like a lightning bolt andbarrels into a lion. The animal is thrown backward. Their fur ignites, and the scent of burning hair clings to the chilled wind. They unleash an ear-piercing cry that joins the cacophony of threatening growls. Its cries morph into the screams of a person as its fur gives way to reveal a naked man. He rolls once in the show and his blistered body goes still.
“Don’t let them trap us,” I shout.
Greer nods and spurs her horse forward. A blast of water shoots across the battlefield, pounding into the chest of a massive cat. My attention swiftly turns to Raelle. Her sword drawn, she holds her own against a white wolf. Ashavee charges into the fight like she has spent her entire life waging wars, and Ulric jumps off his horse to run after her. He is nowhere near Ashavee when her sleek, black body collides with a wolf. They stumble to the ground, fighting to get their razor-sharp teeth around the other’s neck.
Ulric is stopped in his tracks as a polar bear raises to its hind legs, arms held over its head. It stands taller than him, but he doesn’t so much as flinch. He swings his sword at its stomach. Samson stomps back, bristling and thrashing his head. I jerk my attention from Ulric, not knowing if his blow lands true. The jade gaze of a snow leopard greets me in an invitation to battle. I leap from my horse’s back, urging him into the center of the circle where he is the safest. The flame returns to my palm, flaring up until it burns bright. I sink my heels into the snow, one foot in front of the other, and prepare to launch my attack.
The leopard drops its head and sways its tail. Its beige and brown spotted fur ripples with the flexing of its powerful body. We hold each other’s stare, and I steady my breathing. As if the tension between us snaps, we bolt forward and clash in a dangerous mixture of teeth, claws, and fire.
Flames burst from my fingertips. The leopard dodges my efforts and latches onto my forearm. The pointed tips of its teethpuncture my leather jacket and tear through my skin. I scream in pain as my inflamed fist connects with the side of the cat’s head. It howls and releases my arm. My flames burn its fur, leaving a raw, angry mark below its ear. It flails its legs and its exposed claws slash across my chest.
The damage to my body is severe... the pain is all-consuming. I call to my fire, desperate for it to help me put an end to this. It sparks at my fingertips but doesn’t rage to life. The precious seconds wasted on my gift are my doom. The leopard pounces, knocking me to my back. The impact knocks the air from my lungs, and I gasp for breath. My opponent presses its gigantic paw to my cheek, sinking my head into the snow and exposing my neck. I fumble to release my sword. A satisfied grumble leaves the leopard as it leans in, its hot breath a sharp contrast to the snow beneath me. I squeeze my eyes shut and prepare for the Allaji to rip out my throat.
A wicked roar rings in my ears and shakes my body. The weight holding me down disappears. I gulp down air and wrench my eyes open. Standing above me is my savior. Blood splatters dot her face, dancing with her freckles. Her cape billows around her as strands of her hair cling to her round cheeks. And in her hand, she holds a half leopard half human head by the hair. War and death have never looked so beautiful.
Raelle drops the head and crouches beside me. “Shit,” she hisses, yanking open my jacket and pulling up my tunic. Her fingers brush over the bloody, raised scratches running from my chest to my abdomen.
“I’m fine,” I croak, wincing as I sit up.
“You’re not. Your arm is a mess.”
I stand on quaking legs and take in the carnage around us. My friends are battered and winded, but they are alive. I take in Raelle. One scratch oozes blood on the top of her hand. Other than that, she is unharmed.
“We need to get out of here,” I say.
“Your wounds need attention,” she counters.
I ignore her and shuffle through the snow toward Samson. “I’ll worry about that when we aren’t sitting in the open.” I raise my voice and say to the others, “Let’s get going.”
