“Such a convincing case you put forward for me to help.”
She chuckled. “You were the one telling me to be wary. Now it is your turn to tread lightly, to win them over.”
“I will win them over. I guarantee it.”
She raised a brow. “Such bold words. How do you intend to keep that promise? And you had better, for the sake of my brother.”
“Do not worry,ro suda. I can be charming when I want to be.”
“Is that so? Such a shame I have yet to see such a display.”
“All in good time.” Inari smirked, knocking her shoulder with his.
A sharp snap sounded behind them. Aloisia reached for her blade, spinning to face the noise. Inari backed away; his smile gone. A low growl rumbled from between the trees, and she frantically looked for its source.
“Let’s go.” He caught her wrist, hauling her into a run beside him.
Bounding steps followed and Aloisia dared a glimpse back. A lumbering form darted towards them, coils of smoke trailing in its wake. The creature sprinted on all fours, its gait unbalanced, and its claws dug into the soft earth with each leap. Antlers protruded from its head while its face was more feline, its lips – if they could be called such – folded back in a snarl.
Aloisia sucked in a breath, once again wishing she’d brought her bow.
Inari pushed her in front of him, whirling to face the creature. He spoke an incantation and traced a pattern through the air. A booming crack reverberated around them as a tree collapsed before the Forgotten God, halting its path.
But not for long.
The monster pounced over the trunk just as Inari felled another. And another. Enough to stop it for a little longer.
The shaman grabbed Aloisia by the elbow, pulling her deeper within the cover of the trees. Again, he shoved her in front, and she fled, not trying to quieten the sound of her footfalls. She didn’t think it would make much difference at this stage.
Aloisia’s heart pounded erratically in her chest as she wove between the tree trunks, Inari close behind. She could still hear the scraping of the creature’s claws across the ground as it followed, though it was not visible beyond the thicket.
They continued to flee, the world narrowing to the path they tracked and the sound of the creature drawing ever closer. She glanced back, still unable to spot the Forgotten God.
“Aloisia!”
She started at the panic in Inari’s voice, but his warning was too late. The ground disappeared beneath her feet as it took a sudden drop and she careened down a sharp bank.
TWENTY
Asshetumbledatoptheundergrowth,Aloisiacurledinonherself.Hershouldersandribsimpactedtheground,painignitingthroughherbody.Gradually,sheslowed,rollingtoastopatthebaseofthemudbank.Shetookseveralbreaths,herfingersinchingacrossherribstoexaminethedamage.Luckily,shethoughtnothingwasbroken.Butshewasgoingtobecoveredinscrapesandbruisesfromthefall.
Inari skidded down the bank, keeping his pace even as he hastened to her. She looked to the top of the bank for any signs of the Forgotten God. If it followed them now…
“Are you hurt?” Inari asked as he reached her.
“I’ll live,” she murmured, her attention still on their pursuer. It hadn’t been far behind them. Where had the creature gone?
“You’re bleeding.” Inari touched a hand to her face, his fingers gentle.
She winced as his thumb traced a cut along her cheek. Glancing down at herself, she saw her arms were covered in similar scratches from her fall.
“I’m fine. I won’t bleed out from this.” She’d suffered far worse injuries. “Where has it gone?” She peered at the top of the incline again, and there was no sign of it anywhere.
“Hopefully, we lost it,” Inari said. “However, I don’t want to wait and find out. We should keep moving.”
Aloisia nodded, though she wasn’t sure where they were any longer. Heading back up the bank was out of the question, especially since the Forgotten God was likely still up there. But where moving forward would take them, she wasn’t sure.
Inari pushed to his feet and held out a hand to her. “Can you walk?”
