I stretch my arms in front of me like a blind person. I’d rather not hit a tree or a rock face-first. The ground is rough but flat, at least. I take a few steps forward, and when I don’t find the foot ofthe cliff, I rotate. I’m not sure how long I keep walking in circles, trying to find a wall to climb, but it’s an exercise in futility.
Maybe there truly isn’t a way out. Panic spreads through me like a flash flood, constricting my lungs and making my heart race. I throw caution to the wind and start to run, desperate to find a way out. I keep going until my breath comes in bursts. My cheeks are wet—I don’t even know when I started crying. I’ve never felt more alone and lost in my entire life.
Suddenly, the ground disappears from under me, and I fall hard down a hill. I cover my head with my arms as my body keeps rolling over gravel. When I finally stop, I have so many scrapes that I can’t pinpoint all the spots where my skin was rubbed raw. My entire body is on fire.
I sit up and inspect what I can see. My leather jacket and jeans are torn in several areas, and I’m bleeding. And despite protecting my head, my forehead is tender. Upon touching it, I confirm I have a gash there too. My fingers are smeared in blood.
Just when I don’t think things can get any worse, goose bumps rise on the back of my neck. I’m no longer alone. I jump to my feet and expand my senses, trying to hear beyond the sound of my pulse pounding in my ears. I hear a low growl, and a moment later, a pair of glowing amber eyes appears in the fog.
I don’t wait for it get any closer. I know a predator when I see one. I turn and run in the opposite direction. The beast gives chase, not bothering to be stealthy. The loud thump of its paws hitting the ground clues me in that a massive monster is chasing me. I can run fast, but it’s gaining on me. Shit, if only I had a weapon.
The fog begins to dissipate, and ahead, I see the shape of a bare tree. I aim for it, not knowing if it will be high enough to avoid getting mauled by the beast breathing hard on my neck. I just hope the wood isn’t rotten.
I look over my shoulder and regret my decision immediately. Something grotesque with gold fur, demented yellow eyes, and fangs for miles is within striking distance. It’s going to pounce on me in the next second. The tree is near, so I jump, but not before the beast swats at me with a claw and lacerates my back.
“Aargh!” I yell as I fly through the air.
I hit one of the lower branches hard and grunt. But there’s no time to ride the pain—I have to keep moving. Using every bit of strength I have left, I pull myself up and climb without looking down. Only when I reach the top do I glance at the bottom. The fog isn’t as thick as before, but it isn’t completely gone. I don’t have a clear view of the monster, but I see its shape circling the tree, and it’s growling. It’s not trying to climb after me, though, so I allow myself a moment to breathe. But as my body begins to relax, every open wound in my body seems to burn with the fire of a thousand suns.
Resting one cheek against the tree trunk, I let out a ragged cry. I have zero hope that I’ll get out of here alive. But it’s not the prospect of my unavoidable death that’s making me miserable. It’s the fact that I never got the chance to tell Karl I never stopped loving him, not even for a second.
I close my eyes and whisper, “Karl… I wish I could see your face one last time.”
Twenty-Two
KARL
ELLNESARI, PRESENT DAY
Selor is beyond pissed that I made a deal with King Ruel. He calls me names the entire trip to the Valley of Lost Souls, and to drive his point in further, he shoves me away from him as soon as we arrive. I would have fallen on my ass if I wasn’t expecting that from him. My boots glide on the gravel, and I have to spread my arms and legs to remain upright.
“I curse the day I stumbled upon you, wolf boy,” he barks.
“You know very well I didn’t have a choice. Besides, I saved your life. He would have turned you into mush otherwise.”
He grunts and kicks a rock that disappears into the mist.
“So, this is the Valley of Lost Souls, huh?”
“No, you idiot. The valley lies below, over the cliff.” He points with his head.
I follow his line of sight, but I see nothing but white fog, and my nose doesn’t pick up any scent that would help me get the lay of the land. Nor do I sense Manu. According to King Ruel, I missed her by a day, so I should be able to smell her if she came here. “Are we still in Aquila?”
“No, this forsaken land isn’t claimed by any kingdom.”
“Why is that?”
“Because no one dares to come here. It’s akin to what humans call purgatory.”
“Great.” I move closer to the edge of the cliff, but carefully, because I can’t see where the ground gives way to nothing. “I don’t sense Manu. You don’t think your king lied, do you?”
“Nightingales don’t lie.”
I open my mouth to protest, but Selor cuts me off. “We manipulate, bend the truth, omit details, but never straight-out lie. If King Ruel says Manu came here, he believes she did. Whether she arrived is another story.”
The knot of worry in my chest tightens. “Do you think something could have happened to her on the way?”
He shrugs. “Anything is possible.”
