For one stunned, silent moment, he looked down at his wound, one leg giving out underneath him.
My hands shook and I stared at him, feeling the heavy weight of the dagger in my palm.
He was the first being I’d ever wanted to kill. I didn’t know how I felt about that, not yet, but I would do whatever it took to survive, to get back to Arokan, the horde, and Kivan. I would do whatever it took to keep my growing baby safe.
The Ghertun fell with a loud thud, blood spilling from his wound. I saw his eyes roll back, but not before he let out an anguished, angry cry, alerting the leader and the other Ghertun at the clearing.
Then he was dead.
I heard the leader shout. Through the black vines, I saw him racing towards me…the other three Ghertun not far behind.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Iwas running out of time.
Immediately, I bent down and sawed the dagger back and forth over the bindings at my feet as hard and as fast as I could. If I wasn’t able to run soon, they’d catch me. And who knows what they would do if they did.
Thankfully, the rope was as thin as I originally thought and it didn’t take long for the sharpened, bloodied dagger to snap through the bonds. Without another moment of hesitation, with my feet freed, I turned and sprinted away as fast as I could, pumping my arms at my sides, just as the leader and the three Ghertun reached the body of the fifth.
I heard the leader curse, heard one Ghertun stumble over the body, but I continued to run. I might not be strong, but Iwasfast and I used that to my advantage.
What I didn’t count on, however, was how dark the forest would be. Hardly any moonlight—what light there was from the crescent moon—penetrated through the canopy of the thick vines. Only shafts of it, here and there, helped illuminate a clear path for me, but I feared that the Ghertun would have better vision in the dark. I knew the Dakkari did. Darkness was a weakness of humans and I had no room for weakness. Not right then.
My breath came out in panicked, loud pants and I made an effort to quiet it when I heard rustling behind me, when I heard the leader give orders to his Ghertun, not too far away. They’d lost sight of me in the thick darkness, but they were experienced trackers as scouts. I wouldn’t underestimate their ability, considering they knew this forest better than I did.
Though I continued to run, I tried to be as quiet as possible. But my footsteps were loud and I feared that running was drawing their attention even more.
As I ran, I cut the bonds tying my hands, though I was clumsy and managed to knick my wrist. It didn’t matter. At least I wasn’t tied, at least I would stand a fighting chance if one of them found me.
Pain exploded in my shoulder, right over my burn, when I ran straight into a vine covered boulder I hadn’t seen and my body spun, landing heavily on the earth.
Panting, I pushed up and heard the leader’s voice. They were close.
Not too far in front of me, I saw a shaft of moonlight illuminate a large, jutting rock, with a fissured crack right down the middle. It would be big enough for me to squeeze into.
Slowing my breathing, I went for it. Holding the dagger close, I squeezed myself into the small space, the rock pressing tight around me. At the last moment, I saw a broken fragment at my feet and I paused, before picking it up. I stepped out from my hiding place, cocked my arm back and threw the rock as far as I possibly could, in the opposite direction.
The forest was silent as I heard it clatter off another rock and then I squeezed myself back inside the crack when I heard the leader’s voice sound again. They’d heard it. Good.
A few moments later, I heard quick footsteps approach. I dragged in a silent, deep breath, holding it. A few yards away, I saw two Ghertun pass, though I couldn’t tell if the leader was one of them. They ran in the direction of where I’d thrown the rock and when they passed, I let out my breath slowly, relieved.
I felt blood drip down my hand from the dagger. Ghertun blood. It was still warm but I refused to think about it. Still, I wiped my hand and the dagger on my pants until it was clean.
I don’t know how long I waited, but I kept quiet. Ilistened. In the distance, far enough away, I heard loud Ghertun voices carry, bouncing off the boulders, echoing back to me. I listened until I didn’t hear them anymore and I prayed that they’d continue on in the direction of where I’d thrown the rock, far, far away.
When I felt it was safe, I slowly wiggled out from the crack, still clutching the dagger tight, and turned in the opposite direction. I didn’t run. I kept my steps light and quiet, using the boulders to shield me from sight just in case.
My heart froze in my chest when I heard anguished screams in the distance. Breathing hitching, I realized it was from the direction the two Ghertun had gone.
Their yells filled the forest and I stilled, placing my back against a boulder as I listened, heart pounding.
Then, bright relief filled me when I heardDakkariorders echo from that direction.
Arokan.
They must have found the two Ghertun. Hope filled me and I spun back around, quickly striding in that direction.
Arokan, Arokan.
