by J. M. Kearl
Targus strolled in and started laughing when he saw me. “Ooo boy, you got your ass handed to you on a platter.”
I groaned and put my sword away. “I’m well aware.”
His dark eyes flicked to Aric. “Man can stand up to a dragon but lets Astaroth do that?”
“What was I supposed to do?” I snapped.
“Exactly what you did. I’m just giving you a hard time. Astaroth is more powerful than a dragon.” He leaned up against the wall and picked at something on his shirt. “Bastian asked me to do something but I think you’re better suited for the job. She won’t trust me.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “A job?”
“Sneak inside and find your girl. Make sure she gets back here with the spear. And we need an update on her like now.”
“I’ve tried to get through. I can’t.”
“You know why Bastian asked me right?”
I peeked over at Aric who shrugged. Was this some sort of trick question? Something I wasn’t picking up on? “Because you’re his friend?” Why else?
“I am that but no, that isn’t why.” He arched a bushy eyebrow. “Because I’m a wolf. Animals get past the magical shield. Shift into a wolf and you’re in. I also suggest you keep in that form as much as possible. If you’re spotted this way, you’ll be killed on sight.”
I grinned like a fool at this news. “Alright, I’ll go.” I then thought about my wolf form and if I did need to shift, I wouldn’t have clothes or weapons. “Can you strap a bag of clothes at least a dagger onto me?”
Targus nodded. “Let’s move.”
On all fours in wolf form, I sniffed the air. I’d have to pick up her scent to find her and I’d have to move fast to catch up. “Fight like hell,” Aric said with a nod.
Targus waved. “Go.”
I dashed into the woods, sprinting straight through the magical barrier that had stopped me before.
21
Visteal
I woke to Gideon’s paw batting me in the face and him yelling, “Wake up!”
I jolted, lifted my bow, and pulled back an arrow. “What? Where?” I blinked away the haze in my vision. The sun was just barely giving enough light that I could see the woods around me.
“There is someone or something nearby,” Gideon said and leaped off my lap, hair raising high on his back. I shot to my full height ready to take someone out. Footsteps crunched in the snow. Shifting left I readied myself to release the arrow when whoever it was showed themselves. Please don’t be another shadow creature.
A flash of movement; I held my breath—then started laughing when a small deer crept out from behind a tree. “Gideon, you can’t tell the difference between a predator and that? I thought you could read minds.”
He hissed at me. “I can. Deer do not have coherent thoughts. They are pure instinct, so I heard nothing. It could have been any creature.” He growled. “I could go back to the warm room you know. Leave you here all by yourself.”
I lowered my bow and smiled at him. “You must stay. I need you.” After I ate an apple and some bread, brewed more warming tea, and answered nature’s call, I gathered my things. Thank all that was holy it wasn’t that time of the month for me.
After I threw snow on the fire, we started off again. I kept my sights on the mountain because I’d lost track of anyone else’s trail.
“What if we just waited down here?” Gideon asked.
“What do you mean? Why wait?”
“Wait and ambush whoever does the work to get the Spear of Ice. We steal it from them and do not even have to climb the mountain.”
I nibbled my dry lip. It was flaky and cracked now. I should have packed myself some healing balm. “It wouldn’t be a bad idea if we were certain to catch her but if she gets around us then there goes my chance of getting close to the King.”
After that we both picked up our pace. We needed to catch up with the others. I didn’t know how I could have gotten too far behind. Did they not sleep? Were they that much faster than me? It was an hour before we found boot prints in the snow and minutes after that I stumbled upon a Chosen’s frozen corpse. One arm had been torn off; her insides ripped from her belly. A hit of nausea made me turn away. A beast had obviously gotten her but an arrow sticking out of her neck told me the beast hadn’t been first.
“We are certainly not at the academy anymore,” Gideon said and started off again.
I listened to my boots crunch over the snow, hoping if I focused on something, I could think about anything other than my tired legs or freezing face. A whistle cut through the air and I dropped into a squat. An arrow embedded into the tree just ahead of me. Holy phoenix that was close. I dove behind a tree and pulled my bow. I caught up to the other Chosen after all.
“We could just pretend we didn’t see each other and move on,” I hollered. “It’s a race. It doesn’t have to be a death sentence.”
Another arrow struck the tree I stood behind.
“There is her reply to that,” Gideon said.
My insides clenched from nerves and my heart pounded, making it difficult for me to hear anything other than the drumming. A fight to the death it was then.
“She is about a hundred feet behind us and slightly to the left,” Gideon said, peeking out near my ankles.
“Is it Chrishna?” A little part of me hoped it was.
“I caught a glimpse of ebony hair. It may be.”
Crouching, I risked a glance when I saw her boots. I tucked myself back in. “Alright here’s the plan. You teleport behind her, make noise so she’ll move and I’ll get her.”
“Oh, so I am to be the bait?” Gideon flicked his tail and let out a low whining growl.
“No, bait would be me sending you out into the open to take fire. I want you to scare her into moving.”
“Fine.” He disappeared and not five seconds later I heard a high-pitched terrifying growl and the Fae woman ran out stumbling. It wasn’t Chrishna.
But then a deep snarl ripped through the air. It wasn’t Gideon but I couldn’t wait to see what it was. I followed the Fae woman’s movement and released an arrow. It struck her in the thigh and she dropped.
My heart slammed into my ribs as I pulled my sword. “I can let you go if—”
She snapped the arrow off and rose pulling her own sword. Alright I guess not.
A bark startled me and out of the corner of my eyes I saw Gideon on a tree branch scratching at a silver wolf that jumped up and snapped at him. “If your wolf hurts my cat...” I snarled and I swung my sword; our blades clashed. The metal rang out over and over as we hit high and low. I jabbed at her chest and she blocked it. As I pushed harder against her, I slipped in the snow and tumbled forward. Her blade sliced into my calf; searing pain tore through my leg. I rolled when she hacked at me again.
Breathing heavily I turned, pulling my knife and threw it. It stuck in her gut. She stilled, as shock and pain became evident in her face. Suddenly I was being dragged backward. The wolf had my pack in its jaws and jerked and tore at it. I slid it off and everything inside spilled across the snow, including my warming tea. If I lost those I was as good as dead. I shoved myself up and squared off with the wolf, sword at the ready. As if it knew what they meant, the creature clawed at the tea packs and tore them open.
I screamed and ran at it, swinging my sword. It dodged.
“Behind you!” Gideon yelled.
I turned just in time to block the Fae woman’s weapon coming at me. I kicked her hard in the gut and with a roar, I drove my sword point through her chest.
Her blue eyes stared into mine, tears welling in them. Blood poured from between her lips. Tearing my weapon away I searched for the wolf. I didn’t have the privilege of feeling remorse right now. There it was hackles high and ready to pounce. I drove the tip of my boot into the snow and pieces went flying into the wolf’s face. It lunged straight through and took me down. But my sword had been poised to strike and when we both hit the snow, the wolf was dead.
“I am,” he climbed down from the tree and strolled to my side. “But you are hurt.”
I hadn’t had a chance to assess my leg yet, but I was most worried about my warming tea. The packs were completely ruined.
I searched through the other Chosen’s bag but she didn’t have any tea. She was Winter Court Fae and didn’t need it. I groaned, throwing the bag down.
I finally sat to check my calf wound. It was deep, and bleeding into and over my boot. It didn’t hurt as much as I expected but it certainly would later. “I need something to wrap this with, Gideon.”
“Perhaps you should cut the kirune out.”
I shook my head. “It’s too soon for that.” My entire human realm depended on me. Zyacus, Aric and Taz needed me to kill the Winter King so we could get home and if I were caught using my magic, I wouldn’t get close enough to end him. I was certain they’d inspect my arm before they let me get near him with the Spear of Ice to make certain I was the true winner.
Gideon padded over with a torn piece of the Fae woman’s sleeve in his mouth. “She will not be needing this anymore.”
As uncouth as it was, he was right. I tied the strip as tight as I could and got up. This would slow me down significantly. I could walk on it but running would be out. We were only at the base of the mountain too.
“Let’s push on.”
Gideon’s big green eyes looked worried. “If it starts bothering you too much, tell me.”
I nodded and started up the incline. First, I lost feeling in my hands and feet. Even with gloves and boots the biting cold seeped in. A wicked wind picked up, blowing swirling snow all around me. Staring at the ground, I concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. I should be focused on my surroundings but when I lifted my head, snow blinded me. Looking back, I cursed at the bloodstains, leaving a trail. The scent would likely draw more creatures.
I winced every time my injured leg hit the ground. What I wouldn’t give for my magic. I needed to heal. I needed warmth. I could shield this cold with my magic, by creating a protective bubble around me. It would make this easy.
“We need to seek shelter!” Gideon hollered over the howling wind.
“There is none!” I’d been looking but there were no caves. We were surrounded by trees but they did nothing against this storm. I placed my palm on a trunk and held myself up. My leg throbbed now. Even the numbing cold didn’t stop the pain. I pulled my sword and hacked off a branch. It was thick and perfect for helping me walk. I leaned into it. You can do this. Keep going. If I stopped, I would freeze. Movement was the only thing keeping my body heat up.
Step after step I went on, Gideon faithfully beside me. A pounding in my head added to my already weakening body. It hurt enough that my vision started to blur. Not long after, a chill came over me and my body shivered uncontrollably.
Gideon hurried in front of me, blocking my path. “Visteal, you must use your magic! Your leg has not stopped bleeding. If you do not, you will be dead.”
“No. I have to do this without it, Gideon.” My foot slid and I fell forward. Icy wetness hit my face. Hot tears sprang and my body shook from my sobs. I rolled over but stayed down. Covering my face with my arm I cried harder. Any one of the Chosen could come up on me and they’d kill me easily. I felt so weak I didn’t care. Why did they all think I was the one? Why did they believe in me so much? I couldn’t do this without my magic. I wasn’t strong enough to win this race let alone kill the Winter King.
Gideon climbed on my chest and his warmth comforted me a little. I lost track of time as I laid there. It could have been minutes or hours but the snow had stopped. When a wolf howl cut into my daze, I slowly pushed upright. With a shaking hand, I reached into my boot and pulled a dagger. I wasn’t quite ready to surrender to death after all. The wind had slowed down and the snow stopped, giving me a clear view of the wolf—as big as a horse with ebony and gray fur. A wave of blackness hit me, and I had to fight to stay conscious. The giant wolf stepped closer. Was I hallucinating now? Could it be Zyacus? If it were and this was death, at least I got to see him one last time. I smiled and collapsed into darkness.
22
Zyacus
I’d followed her scent for miles and when I found the scene with the dead Fae girl and the wolf it wasn’t frightening until I smelled Visteal’s blood. I sprinted after the trail and finally, there she was. I howled to let her know it was me but then she collapsed. Digging my paws into the snow, I bolted for her. Was I too late? The cat Sir Gideon licked her face as I approached. I started feeling ill the closer I got. “She’s not …” I knew he’d be able to hear my thoughts. He was a cat.
Gideon turned his head to me. “No, but she has lost a lot of blood and she will be dead if we do not get her help. Her body temperature is much too low as well.”
“I will heal her.” I glanced around before I shifted into my human form and as soon as my bare skin hit the snow a chill ran through me. I placed my hand over her leg and chanted the healing spell. After several moments passed and it didn’t improve, I narrowed my eyes at Gideon. “I’ll need to cut out the kirune first. It’s blocking my magic.”
“She was adamant against it.”
I’d passed a hot spring a few hundred yards back. I smelled the rotten egg odor now. Back home many hot springs had healing properties. If this didn’t work, I didn’t care what she was adamant against. I would be taking the kirune out. I tore my pack off and pulled out a pair of shorts so at least that was covered. Then I gathered her into my arms and ran for the water. Steam rolled off the pool confirming it was indeed what I thought.
“You will need to remove her clothes,” Gideon said. “She cannot put wet clothes back on in this weather.”
Nearly naked myself, I started to shiver. So I removed her boots and hesitated to take more as my morals went to war with logic. I’d never seen her even close to naked. She’d seen me but that was because like now I’d just shifted from wolf form. The only thing that stayed on me was my magical necklace. We hadn’t gotten anywhere near stripping down with each other in our relationship. I was extremely uncomfortable undressing her while she lay unconscious but if I didn’t, she would die. I’d thought about undressing her a thousand times but under much different circumstances. There was one thing I could try… Dipping my hands into the water I scooped a palmful and splashed warm water across her face. Her eyes popped open.
“Vis, it’s me, Zyacus.” I took hold of her hand and helped her sit up.
She wrapped her arms around my neck and weakly held on. “I thought I hallucinated you.” She buried her face in my chest and sobbed.
“I’m here.” It broke me a little to see her like this. I should have been here sooner. I stroked her back and then wiped her tears with my thumbs. “We need to get you into the water. You’re freezing.”
“Me? Where are your clothes? You’re probably freezing.” Her lips were as blue as her hair and her cheeks and nose red as a cherry.
“I’m fine.”
Her eyes flicked to the pool. “Is it warm?” she reached over and touched the water with her fingertips. “Holy phoenix, it’s hot.” Not wasting a second she tugged the buttons on her coat and pulled it off. Her gloves and top came off next, leaving her in a bralette. She winced trying to pull her pants past her knees. “It hurts.” Her hands trembled and I couldn’t tell if it were from pain or the cold.
“Let me help.” Carefully I pulled the bloodied pant leg over the wound. It was swollen and an angry crimson color. She sucked in a breath through her teeth and gripped her coat so hard her knuckles turned white.
When they were off, I pulled her socks and lifted her into the pool. The hot water burned my feet and legs upon entry but it wasn’t long before my body adjusted to the temperature. With her arms around my neck and body cradled in my grasp, Visteal slowly submerged into the water a
nd relief washed over her face. “This feels so good.”
After a few minutes of us soaking and her lips returned to their normal color she asked, “How did you find me?”
I smiled. “I followed your scent. I know it well.”
Her eyes turned to the forest. “I was so stupid thinking I’d ever be able to do this.” She scooped water into her hands and splashed her face.
I stroked her cheek. “You can do this. And you will. But you don’t have to do it alone, Princess. It’s a sign of strength to accept help when you need it.”
Her warm lips pressed to my cheek. “If that stupid woman hadn’t cut my leg…” she lifted it out of the water. “My leg—it’s healed. Did you do that?”
My fingers ran over her perfect skin where the wound had been. “I tried but the kirune stopped it from working. It must be the water.”
Lowering her leg below the surface she smiled. The smile that had stolen my heart. Her fingers slowly danced along the bare skin of my chest. “Thank you for coming even though I told you not to.”
I found a large rock in the water to sit on and set her on my lap. We were still covered by the water up to our shoulders. “You should have known I would.”
Her blue-green eyes held mine for several heartbeats. The silence and the way she looked at me made mine beat faster. Her fingers pushed through my hair. “You really are the most beautiful boy I’ve ever seen.” I smiled at the confession and her fingertips lightly pressed my lips.
“You sure you don’t have a thing for the Winter Prick?”
She scrunched her nose. “Zyacus, my heart is yours. It’s always been you. I never understood how I could despise you so and still my heart beats wild in your presence.” Her rough lips pressed against mine briefly, and I wanted to kiss her more, but I wanted this confession to keep going. She turned into me and wrapped her legs around my waist. I swallowed hard. Gods, she was the one to make my heart beat wildly.
