The Forsaken Saga Complete Box Set (Books 1-4)

by Sophia Sharp

  Not a second after Nora first saw him, Hunter opened his left eye feebly. The small movement made him seem even more weak. He saw her, and for a brief moment the agony in his face was gone. Then it returned, greater than ever.

  Nora rushed to him. Hundreds of unanswered questions raced through her mind. How did he get here? What happened to him? How could he possibly be in a condition like that? Anxiety gripped her. The whole scene, all of it, was just so surreal.

  Nora was breathing hard by the time she got to him. She also felt dizzy. Seeing Hunter like that made it feel like her entire world had been turned upside down.

  “Oh my God, Hunter,” she whispered at his side. “What happened to you?” Using the torrial, Nora made a fabric bandage appear, and set about wrapping it around Hunter’s arm to stem the bleeding. He winced at every touch.

  “I came…to find you,” Hunter said weakly. “To…help.”

  “To help? With what?”

  “Your…battle. The…elder…”

  Nora shook her head. Tears started to fill the edges of her eyes. She refused to believe this was happening. She had never seen anybody so badly hurt. The blood kept pouring out of the nasty wound, and Nora pressed the bandage even tighter to close the gap. It helped only a little.

  “What happened to you?” Nora demanded as she continued working at the bandage, but concern softened the severity of her tone. She couldn’t even think straight. She was furious at Hunter for letting this happen to him. Enraged at him for thinking she needed help. But, most of all, worried sick about his condition.

  “Fell,” he explained weakly. He looked up. “From the sky.”

  “From the sky?” Nora repeated. “What?”

  Hunter shifted his good arm slightly to point upward. Nora followed the direction with her eyes. She looked above and gasped. Directly above her, in the canopy of branches, was a gaping opening, where something had come crashing down. Something, or, rather, someone. She looked around, and for the first time saw the broken branches and leaves littering the ground around Hunter. He had fallen right through.

  “From where?” Nora asked. She finished with the bandages. It wasn’t much, but it was better than before. It seemed to slow the bleeding a bit.

  “High,” came Hunter’s reply.

  Nora looked up again, then down at Hunter. And then the horrible positioning of his legs made sense to her. As the realization dawned, she let out a horrific sob.

  “No, no, no, no,” Nora repeated, over and over again. Her chest constricted until she could barely breathe. This wasn’t happening. This couldn’t be happening!

  “My legs…are broken,” Hunter said. His teeth were gritted, and he was doing his best to look away.

  “No! That can’t be true! How? Hunter, how?”

  “I tried…to follow you…after I was done. Gabrielle…told us to go…straight back. I couldn’t. Couldn’t…leave you. Found where you were…used the torrial. Came here. It did not want to let me…but I fought…to find you. Entered the dream, and…”

  Hunter’s head fell with the effort of speaking. Nora caught it in her hands instantly. She brought him close to her and started stroking his hair gently. “My poor Hunter,” she cooed. “My sweet, poor Hunter…”

  “The torrial… did not want to bring me here,” Hunter continued after a few moments. “I thought I could control it…was wrong. Appeared here…high in the sky. Nothing but forest far below. I fell for so long. So long. Did not think I would make it.”

  “No!” Nora gasped. “Hunter, you’re here now! You’re here with me. You made it. No matter how far you fell, you’re still alive!”

  “No,” Hunter whispered slowly. He took a moment to brace himself, and then, using his good arm, put it on Nora’s shoulder to push her away. Nora moved without understanding.

  “No? What do you mean, no?”

  “Nora,” Hunter said gravely. “Not only my legs are broken. My back is, too. From…the fall. I can’t even feel…my legs. And I’ve lost blood. More…than I can survive. Nora. I’m…not…going to make it.”

  Nora’s eyes widened, and the cry that tore from her throat dwarfed every sound she had ever made. She pushed Hunter’s arm aside and threw herself at him. Her arms shook as she wrapped them around Hunter’s torso and pulled him in. She held him so tight that she would never let go. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes, and she couldn’t keep them in anymore. She sobbed against his chest, pulling him in closer to her, holding him for dear life. She would never let go.

  After a few moments, Hunter caught her hand in his. Nora pulled away slowly, and looked at him through wet lashes. He was looking past her shoulder, somewhere in the distance. He would not make eye contact with her. When he spoke, his voice was somber. “Nora, I’m not going to make it,” he repeated.

  “No,” Nora said, shaking her head. “No. You cannot say that! The angels can heal you! They healed Alexander before. They can do the same for you!”

  “Nobody can fix what has happened to me,” Hunter said, in a fatalistic tone. Hearing him say that ripped Nora’s heart in two. It was like he had already accepted his death.

  “You can’t say that!” Nora screamed at him. “No! I won’t let you go! You can’t do this to me!”

  “Nora, listen,” Hunter said, in a low but calm voice. Every word that escaped his lips was a terrible struggle, but he was able to form full sentences without pausing now. Surely, that was an improvement? “My back is broken. I’ve lost a lot of blood, and I’m losing even more, fast. Even a Vassiz cannot survive such injuries. I’m going to die.”

  “No!” Nora screamed again. Tears streamed down her face. “No, you cannot!” She grabbed his face with her hands and pulled him into her. Every bit of resolve she had about finding the elder vanished. Everything she had thought she needed to do disappeared in the wake of seeing Hunter like this.

  “It’s okay,” Hunter whispered beneath her. She let him go and framed his cheeks with her hands. He looked so weak now. So very fragile. “Nora, I’ve come to terms with it. You are…the last person I wanted to see.”

  “No! You can’t say that! No!”

  “Nora. There’s something…I need you to do for me. Please?”

  “Anything.” The word flew out of her mouth. “I’ll do anything you want. So long as you don’t go.”

  “The pain is unbearable,” Hunter whispered, “but it’s been worth it to see your face again.” He brought his good hand up to her cheek and traced the outline of her jaw. He strained even to complete that movement. Then his hand fell back down. “Nora, I’m going to die. I need you…to set me free.”

  Nora blinked. “What do you mean?” Then understanding of what he was asking dawned on her, and her eyes widened. She held in a gasp. Surely, he couldn’t mean—

  “Nora,” Hunter repeated, stronger this time. “I cannot walk. I’m going to die. Slowly, and in agony. You need to end it. Put me out of my misery. Please.”

  Nora drew away. She was completely taken aback. “No, you can’t ask that! No, I can’t!”

  “Nora you must,” Hunter repeated. “Use the torrial. Bring the knife to you again. Only with that can you set me free.”

  “I won’t do it!” Nora screamed at him, and as if to emphasize her words, took a large step back from him. The loss of blood must be playing tricks with his mind. He couldn’t possibly be asking for what she thought he was asking if he were sane. How did he know about the knife?

  Nora heard movement behind her and whipped her head back. She had been half-expecting the elder, and would have even perhaps welcomed his presence at this very moment. But it was just Gray. He was looking at her oddly, but stayed at the edge of the clearing. Nora paid him no further mind. She turned her attention back to Hunter.

  Hunter still couldn’t meet her eyes. He was looking somewhere far in the distance. His face had already taken on an absent look, as if he were not fully there. Nora felt his pain acutely. She could not even begin to imagine what he was going
through. To ask her to do such a horrific thing…it was madness!

  “Nora,” Hunter said again. “Please. You need to do it. Do you not love me?”

  How could he question that, at this very moment? “Of course I do,” Nora said and half-took a step forward but then stopped herself. Hunter was delusional, and if she came closer he might think she had acquiesced to his request.

  “Then I beg of you, please, please kill me. You are the only thing left living for, and now that I have seen you, there is nothing left. My death will surely come, but without your help, my last moments will be spent in sheer agony. I will be at peace if I die at your hand. Please. For our love.”

  Nora shook her head wildly. A torrent of tears streamed down her cheeks. No matter what Hunter said, she could not kill him! How could he even ask for such a thing?

  “You will not do it?” His voice had taken on a harsher edge. “I lie here in agony because of you! I came here for you, and I am in this condition because of you. I’m going to die because of you! Either way, you will be the one responsible for my death! It will hang forever on your conscience, unless you kill me now!” He spat the last bit. Then the rage that hit him seemed to simmer down, and he took a deep breath. “Please, Nora. Please, I beg of you. Just set me free.”

  Nora heard Gray growl behind her. She didn’t pay him any mind. All her focus was on Hunter. Slowly, as if walking underwater, she went to him. Her mind went blank. She didn’t know what she would do. What she could do.

  As she came closer, Hunter looked up at her, and his eyes met hers for the first time since his request. They were red, dark, deep. Poisonous.

  Not Hunter’s eyes.

  Suddenly Nora remembered what Gabrielle said when she first entered this place. Nothing can be trusted. Everything you see is false. Gray’s growling got louder behind her, as if in warning. She looked down at Hunter, and the illusion broke.

  Chapter Seventeen

  ~The Second Cord~

  It was not Hunter lying there, but a representation of him, and a rather bad one at that. It was as if it had been pieced together by fuzzy memories. For a split-second, Nora saw the shining cord running out of this Hunter’s back and twisting through the trees deeper into the woods. Hunter snarled viciously and lunged at her with a knife. The same knife he asked her to create with the torrial.

  Nora jumped aside just in time. All the sadness and emotions she had felt washed away, replaced by an irreconcilable anger. At the elder, for tricking her like that. At herself, for falling so easily for the deception. The real Hunter she knew would never have acted like that. It was the direness of the situation that had so thrown her off.

  Her parry to the left caused Hunter to stumble slightly, and that gave her just enough time to create more distance between her and him. Well, it wasn’t him. Not really. Just a representation created by the elder to confuse her. Much like the snake had been.

  Nora sought the connection in her mind and felt that the elder was still some distance away. But the shining cord she had seen extend from Hunter’s back left no doubt he could see through his eyes.

  Hunter stood, and tossed the knife provocatively from hand to hand. He was only looking at her, now. And when Nora looked into his eyes, all she saw were the evil, vile eyes of the elder. Tainted with poison.

  “So you are smarter than you appear,” Hunter said. Except now, the voice that escaped those lips was not Hunter’s, but the elder’s. “You would have made a great ally, girl, if you only made the right choice. But now, you leave me no choice but to kill you.”

  Hunter rushed at her again, but Nora was ready. She took two steps toward him and leapt through the air, catapulting herself over him and to the other side. She used the torrial to make the knife appear in her hand and slashed at the air where she thought the cord must be. She flipped and landed on her feet, and spun around to see the result of her attack.

  Hunter just stood there, not ten feet away, smiling at her. There was a glimmer in his dark eyes. Nora tensed. She must have missed. Suddenly, a great roar of laughter erupted from Hunter’s throat and continued for what seemed like eternity.

  “You fool!” the elder spat through Hunter’s lips. “Did you really think I would be so careless twice in a row? Maybe I was wrong about you. You’re not smart at all. You just got lucky!” Hunter dashed right at her.

  Maybe it was the laugher, or maybe it was the mockery, but something threw her off, and Nora wasn’t ready for the attack. Hunter crashed into her with his shoulder, sending her toppling backward. As they fell to the ground, he tried to slash at her with the knife. Nora caught his wrist just in time, leaving the blade mere inches from her neck.

  Hunter snarled, and again Nora saw the elder in his eyes. She struggled to keep the blade away from her. Her other hand was pinned down by Hunter, rendering her own version of the blade useless. No matter what, though, this representation of Hunter was stronger than she was. She felt her strength quickly fading, her grip on his wrist slowly slipping. If she lost hold, the sharp edge of the blade would implant itself into her bare skin. She focused on keeping it away from her, but Hunter had the advantage, here. He was on top, while she was nearly helpless in a defensive position. The feel of his body against hers repulsed Nora. It was just as bad as if the elder were holding himself against her.

  Suddenly Hunter let out a piercing shriek and threw himself off. Nora gasped, not understanding what happened. Another few moments, and her grip would have surely failed.

  Then she spotted Gray. He was right beside her, his hulking mass moving with heavy breath. Nora looked over and saw a deep red gash along Hunter’s side. That was where Gray’s claws had fallen. Hunter was hunched over, rubbing his hands over the wound. This was her moment! Nora picked herself up, and was just about to launch herself at Hunter, when another deep laugh erupted from his throat.

  It sounded sick, twisted. It was the elder’s laugh again, but it was different from before. Hunter straightened, and the wound Gray had afflicted healed right before Nora’s eyes. New skin sealed the gaping wound, stopping the flow of blood. Nora watched, entranced, as the wound closed, like something out of the X-Men. The only thing left was the bloodstain that lingered on his skin.

  Hunter looked at her and smiled cruelly. “Did you really think it would be so easy?” he laughed. “I am in control of this world, not you! Only I know the true dimensions of its fabric, and only I can pull the strings that shape reality. I would not have left myself so vulnerable to your meager attacks! And now, Nora, it is time to move beyond games. You must die!”

  The last sentence turned into a full-throated scream as Hunter threw himself at her. She was expecting it this time and managed to sidestep the attack. Her mind worked furiously. Gray had saved her. But the elder had not realized he was there. Hunter turned and slashed at Nora’s midsection with his blade, but Nora parried back to avoid the blow.

  Hunter’s – the elder’s – entire attention was on her. None of it was on Gray.

  Hunter slashed at her again, and Nora used her own blade to deflect the blow. Did he not know Gray was there? Either Madison or Alexander had told her once that most Vassiz were not able to notice animals even if they were inches from their face. She had never had such problems.

  Hunter missed a step, stumbling for a moment, and Nora went at him with her knife. He threw aside her blow and returned to his feet. Nora knew the elder claimed he had the upper hand, but if he truly had that power, he would have finished her by now.

  As if to emphasize that point, Hunter jabbed the knife at Nora, but was a touch slow. She twisted sideways to avoid the attack, and at the same time, pierced her own blade forward. It caught Hunter in the shoulder. She felt it go through muscle to plant into bone. Hunter jerked backward, and the tip came out, stained completely red. Blood pulsed out of the wound as if from a fountain.

  Hunter shied back and brought his other hand up to his shoulder. He snarled at her as he rubbed the wound once, twice. Nora watched from
a distance. Just like before, the cut started to close itself. But the healing seemed to go a touch slower now. Maybe the regeneration took more out of the elder than he let on.

  The only way she could win was to sever the cord that connected this caricature of Hunter to the elder. Any wound she gave him would heal. She didn’t have the same advantage. Fighting him this way, she was bound to lose. It would only take one slip on her part for Hunter’s knife to find her flesh.

  Out of the corner of her eye, Nora saw Gray charge at Hunter. “No!” she screamed. The bear halted as if understanding her words perfectly. But it also drew Hunter’s attention. Hunter looked in Gray’s direction, and his eyes widened as if seeing him for the first time. Chances were, he was seeing him for the first time. Hunter snarled again, a primal, vicious noise, and launched himself at the animal.

  Nora had no time to think. Armed with the knife, Hunter was more than a match for Gray. Gray could not fight him off.

  Nora launched herself toward them, but she was too far away. She watched in horror as Hunter closed the distance to the bear. Nora moved her legs as fast as she could, but she was still not fast enough. Hunter was going to get to Gray before she could stop him.

  Without thinking, Nora drew on the torrial, and created a ripple in reality. The gap closed in front of her. She jumped through and tackled Hunter just before he could reach Gray. A look of bewilderment flashed across his face but was quickly suppressed. He rolled together with Nora, and used his feet to fling her off him. Thankfully, the collision had knocked the knife out of his hand. That gave her a chance.

  But that wasn’t the only thing she noticed. When she passed through the fold, for a split second, the shining cord became visible to her. Somehow, the elder had shifted its location, and it now flowed from the back of Hunter’s knee. No wonder she missed when she slashed at it before. She didn’t think he realized what she now knew. She had to capitalize.

  She righted herself in the air and landed on her feet. Hunter darted right for her. Nora turned, and ran back. She knew where the cord was. It was the only weakness she could exploit.