I couldn’t really nod, not with the man-creature hissing in my ear. I also didn’t know exactly what I was supposed to be ready for. All I could do was stare into Yuto’s eyes and wait.
Yuto charged. He spun on deft feet, swinging his spear right at the creature’s legs. The weapon slammed into Panos’s knees and knocked him sideways. He stumbled, but his fingers still curled tightly around my skin.
As Yuto darted close, he shoved a rock into my hands. He winked and spun away, slicing his gold-tipped spear right at the enemy’s throat.
But the enemy was far too fast. He ducked down, taking me along with him. My knees hit the dirt.
And that was when I made my move. With an animalistic roar I didn’t know I had, I whirled toward the man-creature and slammed the rock right into his skull. A scream ripped from his throat. He let go of my arms, clawing at his face. I jumped to my feet and sprinted as fast as I could, sliding just behind Yuto’s wide and hulking frame.
“Good girl,” he murmured, squaring his shoulders against the screaming enemy.
But the scream died just as suddenly as it had come. The enemy rose to his feet, the blood gone, his eyes clear and gleaming white. “Nice try, Yuto. The girl is far braver than I expected. I underestimated her. I won’t make that same mistake twice.”
“If you think you’ll have a second chance at her, then you are far less intelligent than I thought,” Yuto growled.
Panos stalked closer, his rags flapping around his thin frame like wings. “Move aside, Yuto. Give me the girl.”
“I am not going to do that,” he said firmly.
The enemy hissed. “Then, I will kill every last one of your companions. And I will begin with your favorite. Callista.”
A low growl emanated from Yuto’s throat.
I reached out a hand toward Yuto’s arm, but he was gone before our skin made contact. He rushed at the enemy, the golden tip of his spear glinting beneath the light of the midnight moon. Their bodies crashed together like thunderous clouds. Rage and bloodlust roiled through the forest as their screams echoed into the night.
I watched, eyes wide as their forms tumbled through the trees. They were both too fast for me to keep track of them. A raised hand here. A spear charge there. Fists and claws and teeth.
I glanced down at my feet. The bloodied rock sat menacingly nearby. Yuto had asked me to trust him. He’d told me not to do a damn thing. But if I didn’t help, this creature might very well kill him.
Sucking in a breath, I knelt to the ground and grabbed the rock. When I glanced back up, neither one of them were anywhere to be seen. My pulse thrummed in my neck, anxious and electric. Where the hell had they gone?
A rustle sounded from nearby. I twisted on my feet, my hand clutching the rock. But nothing was there.
“Yuto?” I whispered.
Surely he wouldn’t have left me here alone. Had the enemy run? Had Yuto been forced to chase after him? Another rustle crackled the fallen leaves. Lungs constricting, I backed up, my eyes locked on the shadowy trees.
And then the man-creature sprang from the darkness like a wraith, his rags flaring around his reedy body like black wings. Shock pummelled me in the gut. I stumbled back, and then twisted on my feet to run. Yuto was nowhere to be seen.
The enemy slammed into me, knocking me down. My back hit the dirt hard, and air flew from my lungs. The man-creature scrabbled on top of me like a scorpion, his tongue darting out between his bared lips.
“Aradia, no!” Yuto shouted from somewhere in the distance.
But there was nothing he could do, I realized, as I stared up into the gleaming eyes of this creature. Yuto was too far away. Even as fast as he could run, he wouldn’t reach me in time.
I tried kicking up. I bucked and shook and screamed.
None of it was enough.
The creature’s teeth ripped through my neck. Pain lanced through my skin, shooting straight through the very core of me. I screamed out, reaching toward the skies in sheer desperation. I was going to die here in these strange lands. The magic had stranded me here.
What had I done to deserve this?
Was this how it all ended for me?
I hadn’t even been able to say goodbye. To anyone.
Two bright eyes appeared above me. Concern flickered in the fire. Cold steel pressed against my cheek. “You’re going to be alright, Aradia. I promise.”
