Miles later, my legs give out. I hit the ground, falling into a pile of damp leaves cloaking the forest floor. Rolling onto my back, I gaze up at the small breaks in the canopy. Sweat slicks my skin, and despite the climbing sun, the shade breeds frost.
I cannot run forever. I cannothideforever. The longer I act as prey, the more I am convinced I will perish as such.
But I deserve no such fate. My next step? Find Eurus. If he returned to the cave and found it empty, would he have assumed the worst? I should return, but I’m hopelessly lost, with neither weapon nor direction to guide me. And what if the East Wind has succumbed to Gray Snare? If he is unable to call for me, the odds of finding him are slim.
After backtracking toward the river, I follow its winding path, the swift, dark waters hurtling downstream. Always, I keep to the shadows, listening. At some point, the bell tolls again, and again. Two more competitors dead. Only three left alive.
As I creep alongside a fallen tree, a subtle crunch alerts me. I freeze. “Eurus?”
Footsteps to my right. Ducking behind a tree, I peer toward a clump of bushes, frowning. It sounds like a hound, nose to the earth, snuffling heavily. When the animal pushes into the open, I recoil in horror.
It is… I’m not sure what it is, exactly. It is a bull, it is a man, it is all beast. Though distinctly human in shape, its long, hairy torso is bent forward, its hands—no,hooves—planted into the ground. A pair of filthy trousers hangs from its narrow hips. A whip thin tail lashes at its flank. And those eyes… yellow, like tepid water choked with grime.
Mother, it is ugly. I’m not sure what shadow realm birthed this creature, but I can’t imagine it has ever experienced a warm welcome.
I hold myself still as it searches the area, at one point drawing near enough that I catch a whiff of its stench. I gag and switch to breathing through my mouth.
The beast vanishes, but does not go far. Every so often, I catch sight of its hunched spine through the wood. I’m not sure how long I wait for it to vanish before I decide to risk retreat. Every minute brings Eurus closer to collapse. I simply cannot delay.
But I underestimate the creature’s keen hearing. As the leaves stir around my ankles, its head snaps in my direction, snout lifted to scent the air. From its chest emerges a low growl of warning.
I run.
The only direction is this: away. I bolt right, plunging through the shadows, toward a denser area of the forest. With a burst of speed, I manage to pull ahead, but only briefly. By the time I reach the bank, my thighs quiver weakly. But I do not stop. I can’t. The predator in pursuit forces me through the river, which is so swollen it has nearly overflowed its banks.
Water drags at my calves, thighs, waist. It rises toward my breasts, its icy touch chilling me to the core. The silty riverbed slinks over my toes as I edge toward the middle of the waterway, doing my best to block out the trilling of alarm bells somewhere in the back of my mind. The current is far stronger than it appears. It continually seeks to upset my balance.
The water has now reached my shoulders. My teeth are chattering, yet I am careful. Too careful, some would say. So I’m not sure how my feet slip from under me. I only know my balance is lost as I fall into the water and am swept downstream.
The rapids break over me. I gasp, spitting water, and go under, spinning forward and backward. The river bends. I’m tossed around its curve. Ahead, a toppled tree dams the water’s rush. I kick hard, reaching, the tips of my fingers skimming one of the branches. I manage to catch the bough, the sudden lurch wrenching my shoulder painfully.
The beast, too, has been swept along by the current. It hurtles straight for me.
I scramble up the trunk, managing to haul myself from the water. I have nearly reached the shore when the beast collides with the tree.
Wood crunches beneath me with a horrific splinter. I scream and toss myself forward, landing in a graceless heap half in, half out of the river. On hands and knees, I crawl. Up, up, up the sloped bank, before I bolt into the woods. “Eurus!” By the Mother, where is he?
The sound of hoofbeats signals the creature’s pursuit. I dare not look behind me, lest I lose speed. My throat has been scraped raw, each punctuating gasp a knife tip gouging flesh. I haven’t the strength to outrun it. Haven’t the strength to climb a tree. My legs wobble, and I grit my teeth, push and push and push. Another bellow cracks the air. It is close.
As I leap over a large root, I catch a low-hanging branch, use my momentum to swing myself around the tree. The beast crashes into a bush, having not anticipated my change of direction.
“Bird!”
I glance up with a gasp. Eurus soars over me, one arm outstretched. The span of his wings fully blankets the earth below. Ahead, a fallen tree blocks my path.
“I’ll catch you,” he calls down.
My foot catches the trunk, and I shove upward with all my might, launching myself as high as I can go. The East Wind catches me midair around the waist, and we veer sharply to the right, whisked between two massive conifers.
Except the edge of his wing catches in one of the branches, and we’re jerked sideways. I shield my face from the piercing limbs. One stabs me in the neck, a shallow slice across my collarbone. Leaves scatter with a furious hiss of sound.
“Shit.” The East Wind thrashes to and fro, wings flapping in a desperate attempt to regain lost altitude, but then we are falling, down and down and down. My stomach drives into my throat. I clutch Eurus tightly, eyes squeezed shut.
We hit the ground.
The East Wind struggles to roll over. “Bird? Are you hurt?” He grasps my face, peering close. His skin is like ice, tinged blue around the mouth.
I shake my head, wincing as I push to my feet. “I’m all r—Behind you!”
