“Perhaps.”
TWENTY SIX
HoovespoundedthroughtheGreatHawkForestasthehuntresseschasedtheirprey.Aherdofdeerfledbeforethem.Aloisia’smareracedpastthetreesasshetookthelead,drawinganarrowfromthequiveratthemare’sside.Shelevelledherbow,hertargetcominginandoutofviewamidstthetrunks.Betweenonebreathandthenext,sheloosedthearrow.
It found its target.
But it wasn’t enough.
The doe faltered for a moment, slowing its pace before hurrying forth, the arrow still in its side.
Aloisia swore beneath her breath, drawing another arrow. Before she could take her shot, another found the deer, and it collapsed to its knees. She pressed a hand to her mare’s neck, and she leapt over the fallen doe, continuing the chase.
On they went, the huntresses close behind the herd. As each deer fell, two remained to perform the ritual and prepare the body for travel back to the Temple. With two kills behind them, Aloisia remained in front, Mavka and Kaja by her side.
She drew back her bowstring, taking aim.
A shape emerged from the trees.
Her horse reared up and her shot flew wide. She gasped, scrambling to regain a hold on the reins. Arrows scattered around her as she hit the ground with a thud. The air rushed from her lungs with the impact. Aloisia lay there for a moment, shock and pain freezing her in place, before rocking to her knees.
A stag, bigger than any she had seen, stood before her. It bowed its head, stomping towards her. Its hide was an inky black. Great antlers protruded from its head, swinging back and forth as it approached.
Mavka and Kaja had narrowly missed the commotion, barrelling past Aloisia, and were now circling back. Her own mare had fled. Slowly rising to her feet, she pondered what to do. The stag looked crazed, its eyes dark and wide, spittle foaming at its mouth.
Aloisia grasped the blade at her waist just as the beast charged. She dived out of the way, rolling back to her feet and drawing her dagger. The hoofbeats of her sisters’ mares were too distant; they would not reach her in time. Her bow lay where she had fallen, arrows strewn around it. The dagger would have to be enough.
The stag bolted at her again and this time she stood her ground, shifting as it neared to slash at its side. It let out a cry but did not falter. She edged closer to the bow.
“Aloisia!” Mavka shouted, not close enough.
Blood, slick along the stag’s hide, dripped onto the grass below its hooves. The beast blew out a puff of air, almost like a growl, and bowed its head once more. Aloisia took a steadying breath, securing her grip on the dagger. The stag charged again, hooves beating upon the ground, antlers lowered in Aloisia’s direction.
A pair of arrows pierced the stag’s side, and it careened off course. Aloisia sank her blade into the beast’s neck as it passed. The stag screeched and swung its head. Antlers impacted her ribs, and Aloisia was flung back into a tree. Red starbursts clouded her vision as her head smacked the tree trunk. Darkness quickly followed.
Aloisia could feel the sway of a horse beneath her. Agony blossomed across her ribs and the back of her head. Her eyes felt like they were covered in honey and, when she prised her lids open, her vision blurred. The horse’s hooves were the only thing she could see, could make sense of. She watched them pounding against the dirt for a long moment, the steady beat holding her attention.
“Stay with us, Lis,” Mavka said.
There was a warmth on her back. Mavka’s hand, perhaps.
The hooves began to fade, the darkness taking her under once again.
When she next awoke, Aloisia was surrounded by the softness of fur and woven blankets. Her head pounded in time with her heart, each beat coursing painfully through the base of her skull. With each breath, agony rose anew in her ribs. Darkness tugged at her, lulling her back into its grasp. A cool damp compress pressed against her forehead, and she opened her eyes with the shock, the darkness retreating.
“Welcome back to the land of the living.” Dhara gave one of her rarest smiles – one of relief.
Aloisia was surprised to see the lead huntress by her side. She had expected Mavka or Kaja to be on the other side of the compress.
“Don’t look so shocked,” Dhara said. “I take care of my own, you know that.”
Aloisia’s lips were dry, as was her throat, and she could barely sip a breath, never mind find the strength to speak.
“Take it easy, child.” Dhara pressed another damp cloth to Aloisia’s mouth. “You might be here for a bit. Enjoy it while you can. I wait on no one, usually.”
Aloisia tried to pull the cloth away.
Dhara removed it for her with a sigh. “Never one to listen.”
