by C. R. Pugh
He wants revenge on you, Ravyn. You know he enjoys tormenting you.
Thorne gripped my arm, jolting me out of my petrified state. “Ravyn, let’s go!”
I turned and raced after Thorne and his Warriors. Pierce and Camellia were only shadows in the dark, veering through the sequoias about thirty yards ahead of us. I kept my eyes on my sister. I couldn’t lose her to these beasts. Pierce’s protective gesture staggered me, but I was grateful. At least he could get her to safety before we had to face the Yellow-eyed Sabers chasing us.
I’d lost Kieron in the dark. He had always been quick, and his dark skin was perfect for hiding in this terrifying forest.
“We need to find a tree!” Thorne called out to the Warriors ahead of us.
Blast these sequoias, I thought, eyeing the giant trees surrounding us. There was no telling how far we would have to run to find one suitable to climb. Sequoias never had low-hanging branches. The wildcats would overtake us if we didn’t find one soon.
“Here!” I heard Brock’s voice from a distance. I could barely see his shadow that far in the dark through the brush.
My heart pounded hard against my chest and my fingers were cramping from gripping my rifle. The Sabers were gaining on us. I could feel it. Branches snapped and leaves crackled as the beasts scrambled through the brush, maybe a hundred yards behind us. Their snarls and growls were growing louder.
I couldn’t look back. If I saw their glowing yellow eyes, I would freeze up just like I’d done in the meadow two weeks ago.
“Ravyn, this way,” Thorne instructed, veering to the right. “I can see them up ahead. They found a tree we can climb.”
Trying to locate them in the dark, I tripped on a tree root and went sprawling to the forest floor. Regaining my footing, my ankles became entangled in the brush.
“Ravyn!” Thorne was there by my side, ripping away the vines that held me prisoner and yanking me to my feet.
“We won’t make it,” I gasped.
“Yes we will,” Thorne growled. “Don’t you dare give up.” He took my hand and led the way.
The Sabers’ growls had grown louder. They were closing in.
“I’m slowing you down, Thorne,” I told him, trying to free my hand from his grasp, but he tightened his hold.
“I’m not leaving you behind.”
Thorne guided me. I knew he could see his Warriors perfectly. Laelynn and her brothers had disappeared. They had gone in a different direction from our group. I hoped they had made it to safety.
The Sabers roared behind us. I could almost feel their hot breath on the back of my neck. I risked a quick peek over my shoulder and had to bite back a whimper. There were at least four pairs of glowing eyes. The moonlight glinted off their deadly fangs in the dark. A faint sound of a scream sounded from somewhere off to my left. “Laelynn!” I moaned. My feet nearly faltered again, thinking that my friend might have been prey to one of the beasts. Don’t think about it, Ravyn. It had to be the wind or the snarls of the wildcats behind me that I’d heard.
“Ravyn!” Camellia called out. Her voice was filled with terror. “Hurry!”
“Come on, Thorne!” Tallon shouted, encouraging us to keep going.
Pierce had gotten my sister up into the safety of the higher branches with the other Warriors. Could she see the Sabers gaining on us?
She can’t lose me too. I’m all she has.
We were twenty more yards from the tree when a blur of gray and black streaked toward us from the left, its fangs gleaming in the moonlight. Both Thorne and I skidded to a halt as a Saber darted in front of us, cutting off our escape.
“Thorne!” Pierce bellowed from somewhere up in the branches.
I flipped my rifle around in my hands and drew it up to my shoulder. The Saber was too close. The beast batted the rifle from my hands with its enormous paw. Its razor-sharp claws scraped across my forearm and sent me tumbling to the ground.
Thorne opened fire on the Saber, trying to keep it off me. The beast flinched and roared with every wound Thorne inflicted. The cat scurried away after taking three hits, retreating into the brush.
I tore off my pack and flung it away. More of the beasts were coming. Thorne did the same, grabbing a few magazines before tossing his and Camellia’s packs to the side.
“How many are there?” Thorne asked me.
I watched the ferocious cats slow down and creep through the brush. “I’m counting five on this side,” I said, drawing my pistols.
“And one on this side, between us and the tree,” Thorne grumbled.
Six Sabers! What was the General thinking? But he had done it before back in the meadow.
The pack snarled and encircled us from the brush. Rifles were booming behind us from the tree, but the Warriors would be hard-pressed to get a good shot through the branches from that distance.
I locked eyes with a Saber charging toward me, firing my pistols again and again, attempting to weaken the beast as much as I could. It finally succumbed to its injuries and fell to a heap about ten feet from me.
A second large cat leapt toward Thorne, its claws stretched out and mouth open, going for his jugular. Thorne and I both fired on the beast, but the bullets weren’t causing enough damage. My mouth opened to scream, but I couldn’t get a sound out. The Saber was going to tear him apart right before my eyes.
A guttural bellow of rage sounded behind us. It wasn’t an animal, but a human. The Saber that had been honing in on Thorne’s throat made a high-pitched keening sound and dropped to the ground. A large blade protruded from the side of its skull. I turned to find Pierce sprinting toward us, eyes blazing in sheer determination. He held a pistol in one hand and pulled another blade from the sheath at his thigh. He’d left the crossbow behind.
I wheeled around, knowing there were still four other cats waiting to ambush us from any direction. Two had come into the open, hoping to take me by surprise. I fired at them again. They snarled at me and slunk back behind the trees.
“Pierce, what are you doing?” Thorne shouted, firing upon another Saber that jumped out of hiding. The rifle clicked, signaling an empty magazine. Thorne quickly reloaded.
“Coming to your rescue,” he said through gritted teeth, shooting at another Saber.
The four remaining animals continued to prowl around us. They hunkered down in the brush and darted in and out of the trees, waiting for the opportunity to attack. Yellow gleaming eyes were fixed on the three of us, and their fur bristled up in anticipation of the kill. It was almost as if they knew we were going to run out of ammunition. They were biding their time.
The Saber to my left sprang out of the brush. The beast roared in pain and dashed out of sight after I fired three shots into its muscled torso. Those bullets had been the last in the magazine.
“I’m almost out of ammo,” I told Thorne as I reloaded another magazine into my pistol. It was the last of my ammunition without going back for my bag.
“Same for me,” Thorne replied. He kept his rifle ready, firing off rounds when any Saber showed itself.
“Can we make it to the tree?” I asked them.
“Doubt it,” Pierce grunted and started firing at another one of the feral cats. “There are too many of them.”
Another Saber charged me. I took aim and fired again and again. The animal went down from a lucky shot to the head. “Another one dead!” I told them. “Only three more.” We might make it out of this.
As the thought crossed my mind, I heard Camellia scream my name and a Saber flew at me from the right. I’d been distracted with my kill. None of us had seen another cat slinking through the shadows while the other creatures had kept us occupied.
The Saber leapt on me, claws raised and teeth gleaming. There was no time to raise my pistol. I turned my back on the animal and hunched over to protect my neck and belly. The initial impact knocked the wind out of me. The cat dug its claws into my shoulders and we tumbled to the ground together. The beast’s momentum sent us rolling
through the brush, battering my body on rocks and roots that jutted up from the ground, and its weight cracked a few of my ribs as we slid to a stop. I cried out in agony as the cat’s claws tore the flesh along my ribs, but I kept my body curled up in a fetal position, keeping my vital organs protected. Shots rang out all around me. The Saber turned me loose and jumped back from another bullet wound, but it was far from finished with me. Taking advantage of the monster’s inattention, I slid my daggers from my boots and rolled to my feet.
The giant cat stared at me, its vicious fangs bared in a lethal grin. I swung my blade as the Saber lunged, but its massive paws shoved me down onto my back. A scream erupted from my throat as its powerful jaws snapped down on my raised forearm and its claws raked down my ribcage.
“Ravyn!”
Thorne’s cry for me tore at my heart, but there was nothing he could do. I jabbed my second dagger into the soft flesh of the Saber’s belly. The creature released my arm, letting out another furious roar, and swiped its claws across my face. Both of my daggers went sailing away and warm blood oozed down my cheek and neck.
I scooted backward on my elbows, but my body was weakening from blood loss. The Saber stalked toward me again, licking my blood from its lips, eager to taste my flesh again.
My heart thudded in my chest and I couldn’t catch my breath. All warmth had been leached from my body. This was it. I was going to die. The General had decided to put an end to me.
I stared up at the vicious cat’s feral, yellow eyes, watching it moving closer. It was no use. Giving in to the inevitable, I lay my head back on the ground, hoping the bloodthirsty animal wouldn’t drag things out. I wanted my death to be quick.
My sister screamed for me again. I’m so sorry, Camellia.
A hysterical giggle bubbled up from my throat. You still don’t win, Wolfe, I thought. If I die, you’ll never get another drop of my blood.
“Ravyn!” Thorne shouted amidst the snarls and growls from the remaining creatures he and Pierce continued to fight. The desperation in his voice tore at my heart.
My body was numb. I’d stopped feeling any pain, but I was unable to move and get one last glimpse of Thorne. I love you. That’s what I longed to yell back to him, but I was struggling to draw air into my lungs.
Blood ran into my eyes, blurring my vision. I could barely make out the dark cat hovering over me, its golden eyes gleaming wickedly in the moonlight. The beast’s fur bristled up and its shoulders bunched in anticipation, a deep growl rumbling from its throat. I pinched my eyes shut and felt my body fade away into nothingness.
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10
Thorne
Ravyn, Pierce, and I had been so focused on the three Yellow-eyed Sabers right in front of us that we were unprepared for the fourth Saber leaping through the trees. The beast slammed into Ravyn and they went rolling across the ground behind me. I was desperate to help her, but I couldn’t leave Pierce to face the rest alone.
Shots echoed through the trees behind me. Archer and Brock were firing on the new Saber. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ravyn roll to her feet.
The relief I felt came and went in a flash, for another Saber leaped out of the brush toward me. I was able to get two shots off before I heard the dreaded click of an empty magazine. The Saber darted back behind the trees again, giving me a chance to throw down the rifle and draw my pistols. Only sixteen more bullets in each.
Why are these creatures not dying? The bullets were not causing enough damage.
Behind me, Ravyn screamed. My heart twisted into a painful knot inside my chest.
“Ravyn!” I bellowed, turning toward the sound of her cries. The Saber had her pinned to the ground fifty feet away. I’m going to lose her.
“Thorne, watch out!” Pierce called out a warning.
Another Saber leapt out of the bushes. I turned in time to fire both pistols at the giant cat. It growled hungrily and swiped its paw at me. I spun away to avoid being eviscerated like last time, but the cat’s claws raked across my shoulder blade. I wheeled back around and fired, reveling in the cat’s screams. It gave one last agonizing howl and tumbled to the ground at my feet.
Pierce had exchanged his pistols for blades. He dodged the Sabers’ claws and struck out with his sharp daggers, deflecting their attacks. The Sabers moved in on him, keeping him on his heels.
Swapping my own pistols for blades, I stepped toward the two Sabers stalking Pierce. I froze when Ravyn screamed in agony behind me. Peering over my shoulder, I watched in horror as the Saber bit down on Ravyn’s raised forearm.
My feet started moving me toward the woman I loved. I can’t let her die.
Pierce’s shout behind me had me halting in my tracks. His sleeve had been shredded and blood flowed from his arm. I muttered a foul curse. Pierce was a good fighter, but he would not last much longer against two of the savage cats.
Behind me, Camellia’s scream echoed through the trees. My stomach roiled in sickness at the sound. Ravyn was scooting backward on her elbows, the beast hovering over her. There was nothing I could do to help Ravyn without leaving my brother at the mercy of these beasts.
“Ravyn!”
My head swiveled back and forth between Pierce and Ravyn. I was frozen in place, forced to choose between the two. My brother or my wife? I love them both.
Before I had a chance to decide, an arrow whistled past me toward the Sabers stalking Pierce. I heard a thunk as it pierced the beast’s muscled hip. The giant cat roared and whirled around to face a new opponent. More gunshots cracked around me. Brock and Archer charged forward.
Tallon had climbed down from the tree as well. She’d already nocked a second arrow in her bow and sent it flying toward the Saber that was looming over Ravyn. The beast’s mouth was open, ready to make the killing bite to Ravyn’s throat.
Ravyn lay motionless on the ground beneath the Saber and was doing nothing to fight it off.
Am I too late? Is she dead?
With Brock and Archer assisting Pierce, I hastened toward Ravyn.
Tallon was steady as I’d ever seen her. Keeping her eyes on the Saber, she took another step closer to the beast and loosed another arrow. The beast jumped back and roared at Tallon as the arrow penetrated its shoulder, but it was not deterred. It turned its feral eyes back to Ravyn, who was still lying defenseless at its feet.
Gripping my blades, I sprinted harder. I was too far away. The Saber was going to kill her, if she was not dead already.
Still thirty feet from Ravyn and the Saber, a dark shadow of a man charged out of the brush from behind the beast. Was it one of the crossbow brothers? We had lost track of them while we had been fleeing.
It wasn’t the brothers. Even in the dark, I recognized Kieron. I had not seen him since he’d given us a warning that the Sabers were coming for us. He must have heard the commotion and come back to help.
Relief rushed through me. Kieron surged toward the beast with a dagger in his hand. He jumped onto the creature’s back and plunged the blade deep into its neck. The Saber reared up, attempting to throw Kieron to the ground. He clung to the beast, ripping the blade out of its muscled body and jabbing it back in again. While the giant cat’s chest was exposed, Tallon nocked another arrow and shot it again. The Saber shrieked one final time and collapsed into a dead heap a few feet from Ravyn.
Not even stopping to give my gratitude to Tallon or Kieron, I fell to my knees beside Ravyn. My heart plummeted to the ground seeing Ravyn lying so still.
Kieron crouched down beside Ravyn, across from me. “Is she dead?”
“I don’t know,” I croaked.
Ravyn’s clothes were shredded. Blood covered most of her face, neck, and torso. Her left forearm had been mangled where the beast had bitten down on it. I hoped the bones of her forearm were not broken. Setting bones could be tricky and, although Tallon was knowledgeable with medicines, we did not have Kemena’s talent for healing among us.
Don’t
get ahead of yourself. We would do what needed to be done …
If she was still alive.
My hands trembled as I reached out to check her pulse, terrified that we had been too late to save her. I held my breath as I pressed two fingers against her bloody neck, beneath her jaw as Kemena had taught me. At first, I felt nothing. A lump in my throat threatened to strangle me, but I swallowed it back and shifted my fingers a bit.
“There’s a pulse,” I said with a ragged breath.
I took Ravyn’s uninjured hand in mine and drew it up to my chest. My eyes stung with the threat of tears. I longed to scoop her up into my arms and hold her close, but I was frightened of worsening her wounds before they healed.
I peered up at Kieron. He was still an intimidating fighter, all muscle with broad shoulders like Pierce. His features had transformed since coming out from under Wolfe’s mind control. Where there used to be a constant scowl, his face had relaxed and his eyes had softened. His fingers hung loose instead of clenching into fists. Kieron’s mouth turned down in a miserable frown, watching me cling to Ravyn’s hand. He kept his distance, but I could sense the jealousy in him.
“Thank you,” I choked, my words still gruff with emotion. “For warning us. And for saving her.”
His lips tightened, as if he wanted to say something. He merely nodded and kept his silence. Lowering his eyes, he continued to watch Ravyn as she slept.
“We need to bandage her wounds,” I mumbled to myself. “She’ll heal faster if we stop the bleeding.”
“Thorne!” Camellia shrieked.
I jerked my head up to find Camellia sprinting toward us from the tree, tears streaming down her face. I cringed, knowing she was envisioning her parents’ bloody, lifeless forms back in Linwood.
“What are you doing down on the ground?” I scolded.
Ignoring me, Camellia knelt down by Ravyn’s head and started stroking her sister’s black hair. “What have those animals done to you?”
