“Keep your head down!” Yoni shouted just as an arrow whizzed past Elara's neck, thudding heavily into a tree trunk.
Elara ducked but risked a glance over Yoni's shoulder, her heart pounding. The light blue silver of the guard's armor flickered through the trees, catching the morning light, and shimmering like shards of ice. They were closer now, moving so fluidly they almost seemed like ghosts weaving through the forest. A curse escaped through her clenched teeth. They weren't going to make it.
Yoni shouted a spell, his voice slicing through the clamor, and a towering wall of earth erupted behind them, surging upward like a monstrous wave.
Elara’s heart pounded in her chest as she watched the forest floor rise, the air filling with the sounds of cracking wood and the deep, guttural groan of the earth tearing itself apart. She gripped the reins tighter as the ground beneath her horse's hooves shuddered. And in mere moments, the wall of earth expanded and thickened, forming a formidable barrier, effectively cutting off the advancing guard.
Her breath steadied, though her hands still trembled as they gripped the saddle.Thiswas the power ofTírrísh?Thiswasthe ether the Keepers wield? It was incredible, almost impossible to comprehend.
Ahead, the earth rose, funneling into a narrow pass squeezed between two towering, jagged cliffs that seemed to touch the sky.
The southern pass.
The horse surged forward, muscles bunching beneath her as Elara leaned into the stride, urging them on. The world narrowed, edges blurring as the distance closed.
Then—heat and light exploded.
It was as if a vengeful star had torn through the forest and into their path, splitting trees and scorching the air around them.
Elara screamed as they were ripped from the saddle. She barely felt Yoni’s grip as he twisted them midair, turning the fall into a controlled spiral and pulling her beneath him before they hit the ground.
The impact punched the breath from her lungs.
“Fuuuuuuck.”The word was a long exhale. Gods. Air—she needed air.But Elara couldn't catch her breath. Her hands shook violently as they pressed against the scorched earth, the nearby fire licking at her skin as she rolled onto her side.
She froze, her heart slamming against her ribs as her gaze locked onto Yoni beside her. A gash split across his forehead, and blood was spilling out in a slow, steady stream. Too much, too fast.
“Yoni!”
Elara’s voice cracked as she grabbed his shirt, her fingers trembling as she shook him, but his eyes stayed stubbornly closed. He must have hit something hard—a rock, maybe—knocked himself out.Shit. They needed to move, but their horse was long gone, bolted in fear, leaving them stranded in this burning hellscape. Could she carry him? Drag him through the pass on her own? Maybe she could?—
A flicker in the flames caught her eye, cutting off her thoughts. She squinted against the glare as the fire shifted, parting as if an unseen hand had drawn back an infernal curtain.
The crackling blaze, the burning forest—everything else fell away, the world dimming at the edges.
The fire bowed.
There, standing in the heart of the flames, was the Hunter.
Chapter 17
Elara's heart stuttered to a halt, jolted back to life, and then stopped once more, all in the span of a second.
Their gazes locked. It wasn't the deep color of the Hunter's eyes, nor the fiery ring of amber that framed his irises that stole her breath—it was the cold, hard promise they held.
A beast lying in wait.
Before she could summon her scattered wits, he was striding toward her, each step exuding raw, untamed power.
The blood-orange fire played a treacherous game with the twisted horns of his mask.He was a tempest embodied in human form, moving as if the flames were a mirage that bent to his will.
Elara sprang to her feet, heart pounding like it might burst through her chest as she grabbed Yoni's lifeless body.
Wake up, dammit, wake up.
Elara clenched her teeth and hooked her arms under his, hauling him up despite the weight threatening to buckle her knees. She dragged him back inch by agonizing inch—but with every step, the Hunter closed in.
Her breath hitched, coming fast and ragged. There was no escape, no hidden path out of this nightmare.
