Assassins, hellhounds, or a mind trap?
It appeared the choice was ours. And I wasn’t sure which we would survive.
53
Thor
Cold air chilled my flesh, making it prickle with awareness. The fur that should protect me from such elements was gone. Instead, I was bare to the icy feeling burrowing deep in my bones. Each breath was tainted by the chill, forming ice inside my lungs.
This was not a familiar feeling. Not right.
In the back of my mind, I felt him. Not the cruel being who tried to control me. But the protector of my life, the beast I found solace in when the pain—the despair—became too much.
He was hidden away. I could almost reach for him, but there was something holding me back.
Not something. Someone.
I heard her voice, soft and desperate, echoing in my ears. A voice I’d yearned for in the darkness of my cage when the thought of death became too much. A voice I’d sought out when freedom was so close.
A voice that saved me from the brink of death when I was so close to giving in.
Now, though, it spoke in a hushed tone, full of fear and something that had my chest tightening with the need to protect her.
I pulled away from the presence of my beast and followedher voice into what felt like consciousness. Everything was hazy, sound muffled—except for her. She came through clearly, sharply, like all my senses were attuned to her.
Even her scent filled my lungs when I breathed in, still strong and comforting—not just for me, but for my hidden beast.
“We have no choice,” she murmured, words trembling. “We either get eaten by hellhounds, cut down by assassins, or become live bait for Dante. If we take our chances with the assassins and somehowwinthen the archers will get us. Someone will probably die.”
“It doesn’t have to be those choices,” someone else said. “If we can somehow get the demon king here to us, then?—”
“And risk perhaps the strongest person here?” another cut in, voice low. “No, not a chance.”
“We don’t have any other choice,” the female said, the quiver in her words lessening. “We need to make a move. The barrier won’t hold up much longer.”
The closer I got to consciousness, the more I could sense the world around me; other than the female, I could smell water. Fresh, different. Not like the salty air I’d breathed when on the boat. This was different, nicer, and each time it filled my lungs, I felt closer to freedom.
There were other scents, too, and I recognised them all. The distinct aromas that came from the cage of prisoners. The winged-male. The creature of the other world, who was close. Two others that were recognisable, but I couldn’t place them. Then several more shifters, faint, not distinct enough that I could pull them apart.
“We can’t swim,” the female said. “Not with babies. The older children we might be able to get across, but we have newborns, infants.”
“I can’t hold this barrier much longer,” a male grunted, his voice strained. “They are going to tear us apart one way or another.”
Over their voices, I heard the rush of water. It was different to what the ocean sounded like. And in the distance,fighting. Shouts. The echoing howls of wolves I’d become accustomed to in the cages. Those I was familiar with, shouting their excitement as they ran free.
Finally, I peeled my eyes open. For a moment, my vision was blurry, a mix of darkness and hazy light. When I blinked, it cleared enough for me to see the tail of the other world creature and what looked like rock.
I wasn’t seeing anything clearly, even as my vision finally focused. Not because my eyesight was somehow worse, but because I wasn’t oriented correctly.
“He is awake,” the creature said.
“Are you sure?” the female asked, hopeful.
“Yes,” he replied darkly. “His heart is racing. He reacted to your words.”
I hadn’t noticed it, but he was correct. At the sound of her voice, my heart had raced. It felt different now in this chest I didn’t recognise. A chest that felt smaller, more compact. Different in a way I couldn’t imagine.
The female blew out a shaky breath. “Don’t put him down yet. Not until?—”
