Page 167 of Ravenrose

There’s no time for this. I force the thoughts away and keep running. My lungs burn and my legs shake, but I keep going.

I have a head start. There’s no telling how long it will take them to realize I’m gone, but when they do…

Ayer is fast.

“I’ll find you.” His words—his threat—from that first night haunt me.

And with all that power at his disposal…

I shiver, nearly tripping over myself.

The moon overhead disappears into the clouds, and deep shadows grow in the forest. My heart races, not only to keep up with my pace, but for fear that Ayer might suddenly appear out of them. I don’t even know the extent of what a Raven is capable of. I’ve seen his power, and what I saw was devastating, but something tells me there’s more.

My body hurts, and adrenaline begins to give way to fatigue, but I can’t stop. I can only hope I’m going in the right direction. In my panic, I have no idea how far I’ve run, or even how long I’ve been in the woods, but I push forward.

Run.

Run.

Run.

Until my knees finally give way, buckling under me. I hit the ground hard, drawing ragged breaths while digging my fingers into the dirt.

Okay, okay—a quick rest. Let me catch my breath and then⁠—

My head jerks up at the snap of a twig.

I’m still as stone, my heart pounding hard enough it can probably be heard for miles.

I listen.

And listen.

There’s only wind, insects, and the familiar night sounds of the forest surrounding me.

I release a breath, my shoulders sagging in exhaustion. I stay there as long as I dare before forcing myself back up with a groan. Pain slices through my side, darkening the edges of my vision for a second. My hand trails over my ribs, warm blood slick between my fingers.

“Shit,” I breathe out.

The wound I took from Ayer breaking open as I run from him? It’s almost poetic.

I let myself have one more minute before I push back through the trees, one hand pressed to my side.

I have to keep moving.

My eyes never stop scanning the trees. Stopping to rest—even for that brief minute—feels like a mistake. Sitting allowed all my remaining adrenaline to seep out of me, and with it gone, so came a renewed sense of aches, pain, and depletion.

I can’t run anymore.

Only managing to walk, unsteadily through the thick brush, I stumble over roots and vines that lie along the forest floor.

Keep moving.

It’s not long before paranoia takes over, and I start to question every shadow, every shift of the light.

Keep going.

Don’t stop.