Satisfied he would listen, Iryana turned back toward the dakii. With a shaky breath, Iryana solidified her own shield. She crept forward slowly, thankful the dakii were focused on the tower.
No matter how many times she saw them, they still took her breath away. They were somewhat visually similar to wolves, but much larger. More…other.
The dakii had large black claws and thick, twisted horns that were dark as the deepest shadows. They had lupine ears and snouts, but their jaws were too big and the skin didn’t cover their teeth, the fur disappearing into black flesh and then sharp ebony fangs. Their fur was a light blue-gray, and they had manes like horses with light blue hair that floated even without a breeze.
No one knew where the dakii had come from, or what they were. But they weren’t natural; that much was obvious.
Two giant dakii hung back, watching the fighting. They were among the larger ones she’d seen, maybe even among the original dakii that had come. Two sets of curved black horns jutted from the head of the smaller one, but the other had three. That would be the alpha.
A shudder ran through her.
Iryana watched carefully as she slipped closer, locating and counting the other dakii. The largest dakii, normally the older males, would hang back to go for the kill. The more aggressive ones hunting and cornering their prey tended to be smaller, faster. She didn’t recognize this pack; they had to benew to the area—hopefully just passing through.
She could just make out the watchtower and the archers firing arrows from air-forged bows inside. On the ground at the base of the cliff, two fighters engaged two lean, double-horned dakii. They were losing ground.
Not letting herself second guess her plan, Iryana nocked an arrow and drew back in one smooth movement, adjusting her aim as her thumb grazed her cheek. Once the string reached the front of her ear, she released.
The arrow flew toward the furthest dakya lurking in the trees, and Iryana was already drawing again. She fired two more arrows, both at the alpha, before she turned and ran, her heart beating wildly in her chest.
She needed to get as many of the beasts’ attention as she could, get as many to chase as she could.
There was no way the dakii would be more than annoyed by her arrows, but she could hear them racing after her. That was one thing they learned early. The beasts didn’t seem able to resist a chase.
She pumped her arms and legs as fast as she could, trying to keep her momentum despite her feet dragging in the snow and sliding in the mud that pooled in every low spot.
She knew why it was such a risky tactic, why it was more dangerous if it failed. Leading a chase meant risking your life, but death wasn’t the concern. If the dakii could be led far enough away, they would give up on the post, even if the runner was eventually caught instead of slipping away. But if the dakii weren’t led far enough away, they would circle back. Then the post would not only be down a fighter, but the adrenaline in those remaining would have flagged and injuries would be harder to ignore when they had to fight again.
She wouldn’t let that happen, couldn’t get caught. At least not yet.
Trying to ignore the thudding of huge, clawed paws hitting the ground and the growls of the dakii chasing her, Iryana focused on the earthy, damp smell of the mud and the sweet, grassy aroma of the pines that grew stronger every day. She was exceptionally grateful for the hour-long runs she went on most days, up and down the sides of her valley.
Thankfully, she was passing through a part of the forest dense with pines, most of the longer branches higher up and out of the way of her wild flight. She justhad to avoid the snow banks that were too deep, the obscured logs draping across her path. Hopefully, the beasts were as slowed by it as she.
Iryana didn’t have the benefit of being air-forged to run faster or of earth-forging to keep the ground from slowing her down. Nor did she have the safety net of metal-forging to fight off the dakii if they caught her. But she had her shield, and she knew the valley.
The dakii were fast but large, so they had trouble darting around the trees after her. They growled, the deep sound sending shivers down her back, and Iryana gasped with relief when she spotted the large tree she had been aiming for.
Iryana zigzagged between the last few clusters of trees, increasing the distance between her and the dakii, and raced toward the large Istrin pine. She stopped in front of it, her feet skidding over the earth, and turned to face the dakii. The alpha barreled right toward her, black teeth glistening with dripping saliva and silver-blue mane whipping wildly behind all six of its horns. The rest of the dakii followed close behind.
She braced herself, breath shaking, and shoved her magic out as hard as she could. The translucent white shield expanded around her, the back just grazing the tree trunk.
Iryana hoped the shield would hold, that the plan would work. Hoped that even if she died, she would draw the dakii away.
The alpha slammed into her shield, and even though he didn’t touch her, Iryana was jolted back. A hugecrackechoed through the forest as the tree behind her split apart.
When the dakya lunged again, Iryana threw herself to the side, letting it land on the still-falling tree as she crashed onto soft snow. She rolled, stopping when her body hit a tree, then quickly pulled herself up.
The alpha was already recovering, the second almost upon her. But she heard the wonderful sound of the rest of the pack running toward them.
It was working; she just had to get them further away.
Her eyes locked with the alpha dakya. His eyes were dark and wild, rage pouring out of them as if promising her death.
She had the pack’s attention, and now she had to lead them as far away as she could before they caught her.
Iryana bolted back into the forest, running as fast as she could. Bushes and bare branches snagged the hem of her dress and scraped against her boots, pine branches cutting her cheeks and her arms as she ran past. She was going too fast to avoid them entirely, weaving through the trees with the densest brush she knew of.
A tug to her head nearly sent her sprawling, but it was just the black-dyed scarf ripping off her head, claimed by one of the trees.
