by Tara West
Ryne and Ven continued to raise their spears above their heads while stomping their feet. They must have known two spears were no match for a gnull and would only anger the beast further.
But if they were trying to scare it away, it wasn’t working. The monster showed no intention of backing down as he scooped up the dead boy’s legs and swallowed them.
Gunther let out a shrill cry, but made no more advances. Meanwhile, the gnull took a thunderous step toward Ryne and Ven, followed by another.
Tar barked madly, dancing in wild circles around the beast and nipping at a large fin or a bit of flesh. The dog proved too fast for the gnull, which swung its head clumsily, but never made contact.
Markus’s heart hammered. He could no longer see Ura as the beast had advanced past her and Gunther, trapping them against the wall. With Ryne and Ven yelling, and Tar attacking, Markus hoped it was enough to divert the beast’s attention away from Ura.
Markus followed Ryne’s lead and backed up a few more paces, nearly tripping over Bane’s spear. Instinct told him to seize the weapon. He leaned over slowly and gripped the rod with his good arm. Mayhap he could injure the animal, just as he’d done with the ice dragon, but Markus feared such an injury would only make the beast more dangerous.
Just as Tar ran another rapid circle around the gnull, the beast missed the dog again and swung its head into a wall. A loud crack resonated throughout the chamber.
Markus’s breath hitched. He braced himself, waiting for the tunnel to cave in, and then sighed with relief when the walls held, even after the beast had turned his body to dislodge a tusk from the ice. Once it had broken free, Markus could not mistake the sound of Ura’s panicked scream. The gnull was now facing the wall where she was hiding.
Ryne and Ven unleashed their weapons, which sank into the gnull’s meaty flesh. The beast turned on them and cried out in anger, before shaking his blubbery folds. After the spears fell to the ground, the creature reached out a massive fin and ground the spears into the ice.
As the gnull turned back to the wall where Ura was hiding, instinct fueled Markus’s movements and he jutted forward, thrusting his spear into the beast’s head.
The gnull roared and thrashed, slamming into one wall and then another, as if it were trying to dislodge the spear. Then the monster heaved a big, blubbery breath before all of the fleshy ripples on its body began to shake. Its massive head crashed to the floor first, followed by the rest of its body, its girth filling the entire width of the tunnel.
Markus’s knees gave way when he realized what he’d done. He’d killed Alec.
RYNE HEAVED A SHAKY sigh of relief at the sweet sound of his sister crying from somewhere behind the beast. Ura was alive! He cautiously walked up to the gnull and poked it with the broken end of a spear.
Tar sniffed the beast while nervously skirting around it.
When it made no movement, Ryne called out to Ura. “Are you safe, sister?”
“Yes!” she answered. “We’re at the mouth of the tunnel.”
Ryne eyed the monster before calling back. “Do not go near the river. There could be more gnulls. I may need to scale this beast to reach you.”
Ryne fanned his face while trying not to breathe in the noxious stench from the dead gnull. He cringed as he noticed strange slimy creatures crawling about the blubbery folds.
Ryne recalled what he’d brought with him in his pack: only the warming stone and tools to measure the depth of the river. He glanced at Ven. “I have no picks or gear. I will need your help with this.”
Ven nodded and pulled some rope from his pack.
Ryne clutched one end of the rope and tied the other around Tar’s waist before issuing the command, “Go to Ura, boy.”
The dog jumped on top of the gnull with surprising ease and dug his sharp claws into the beast’s fur as he climbed over the top.
Blood was seeping out of Tar’s bandage and Ryne knew he would have to tend his dog’s wound soon, but, for the moment, he wanted nothing more than to hold his sister close. It had taken nearly losing Ura for him to realize that he’d been behaving like a stupid slog. After being apart from his sister for so long, he’d returned only to unleash his foul mood upon her.
Ryne turned at the sound of muffled crying behind him. The land dweller had fallen to his knees, clutching his waist while hunched over. Tears streamed down his face as sobs wracked his body. Ryne wondered if the boy believed the hunter’s curse had killed his brother. The witch’s magic had never affected the people in Ice Kingdom and Ryne hoped the same would be true for Markus.
His breath stilled as a loud, splintering crack resonated overhead. Ryne had heard such a sound before, when he and Tar had almost been buried by an avalanche. The noise continued for a long, tense moment and was followed by a heavy booming sound somewhere in the distance.
Markus had crept up beside Ryne. Clutching his arm in a tight grip, he gasped. “Avalanche.”
“Where?” Ryne cried. “There is no snow here, only ice.”
Somewhere on the other side of the gnull, Tar yipped, and Ura and Gunther screamed. Ryne nearly lost his footing as the ground beneath him quaked with violent force.
After the tremors had subsided, Ryne’s limbs froze with fear. Ura’s screams were no more. Even the muffled roar of the river had been silenced. What little light had filtered in from the mouth of the tunnel was now extinguished. Only a few ice crystals illuminated the gloom.
Ryne swore as he lunged for the gnull, feeling around until his boots made purchase with the slick folds of hide. Not knowing whether Tar was buried beneath the snow, Ryne only hoped the rope would hold until he reached the other side.
Behind him, Ryne heard the shredding of fabric. Feeling a pull on the rope, he knew Markus was behind him. Ryne paid little heed to the stench of the beast, or the slime on its slippery flesh, as he struggled against the rope and pulled himself forward. His only thought was that he had to save his sister.
Reaching the other side of the gnull, Ryne cried out at the sight before him. Tiny shards of light illuminated the space just enough to reveal that the other end of the rope was buried under a mound of snow and ice, which reached almost to the top of the tunnel entrance.
“Ura!” Ryne screamed. He pulled the warming stone out of his pack and pressed it against the packed snow.
Warm, he begged the stone, please.
As the stone slowly turned a glowing pink, the snow around it began to soften. Frantic, Ryne dug out the wet snow with his gloved hands. Ven joined them. He pulled out an ice pick and dug out larger chunks. Markus did the same with his blade.
They found Tar first. The dog whimpered as Ryne pulled him free. Ryne spared only a moment to brush ice and blood off his dog before resuming his tunneling.
Images of Ura’s crushed, lifeless body raced through Ryne’s mind as tears coated his face. He had to reach her. He couldn’t lose her, but despite help from the warming stone, it was taking them too long to tunnel through and he had yet to see any sign of his sister.
Ryne jumped at the forceful bark behind him as it ricocheted off the walls and inside his skull. He turned to see Tar standing on wobbly legs, a look of feral determination in his canine gaze.
Ryne moved aside for Tar, and watched in amazement at the dog’s voracity as he tunneled a gaping hole with his large paws. Even Markus and Ven stepped aside, slack-jawed as they watched the dog work. Though the wait seemed interminable, it took Tar a matter of moments before he reached Ura’s pale wisps of hair. He jumped back and barked once.
“Good boy, Tar!” Markus cried as they all began to pick away at the snow.
When Ryne saw a small arm draped over Ura’s chest, he knew the boy was beside her. Finally, he managed to pull his sister’s body free. He laid her upon the ground as Markus and Ven worked to free Gunther.
“Ura!” Ryne called as he smoothed a hand over her brow, but she made not a sound. Her pale body was stiff and cold. Ryne placed the warming stone over her abdo
men and then pressed her gloved hands against it.
“Ura!” he cried again, shaking her shoulders. “Please wake!” He could not lose her!
Markus climbed beside Ryne and nudged him aside. “She needs breath.”
“How?” Ryne sobbed.
“Move,” Markus commanded.
Markus clutched Ura to his chest and slanted his lips over hers. It was then that Ryne noticed Markus had removed the sling from his arm. He watched with bated breath as the boy blew into Ura’s mouth and then laid her on her back and pumped her chest with his hands.
What was Markus doing to his sister? Was this some trick he’d learned up above? The boy leaned over Ura and breathed into her mouth once more, before pumping on her chest yet again.
Markus pulled away and wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. In that instant Ryne heard a small gasp escape his sister’s throat. It was only then that he allowed himself to exhale a pent-up breath of air.
Ura was alive!
Ryne noted the shallow rise and fall of his sister’s chest as a moan escaped her lips. He had no idea the extent of her injuries, so he sent a silent prayer to the Elements, begging them to spare her life. Then Ryne glanced over at Markus, who was wiping his eyes with the backs of his hands.
“Thank you for saving my sister, Markus.”
The land dweller answered with a nod as more tears streamed down his face. “My mother used to do this for my bro...” With his voice cracking, he screwed his eyes shut.
Ryne cast a glance behind him and noted that Ven held his cousin in his arms. Though the boy seemed as limp as a bear pelt, he was breathing.
“We need to get my sister to a healer,” Ryne told Ven and Markus. “I will need your help to get her off this gnull.”
Markus nodded, before rising on shaky legs. That was when Ryne noticed the motionless body lying on the ground.
“Tar!” he cried.
Fresh blood oozed from the dog’s wound as he lay on his side. His body appeared lifeless, with the exception of a weak thump of the tail when Ryne called his name.
Markus placed a hand upon Ryne’s shoulder. “We will carry Ura down the gnull and then I will come back for Tar.”
Ryne simply nodded, unable to say more as his throat choked with emotion. Then he sent another prayer to the Elements, begging them to save his companion, the dog who so selflessly risked his life to save them.
Chapter Sixteen
Markus clutched Tar to his chest while he trudged up the tunnel’s incline, following Ryne who carried his unconscious sister. Markus’s sore legs screamed in protest with each painful step, but he would not falter. The dog had fought so bravely despite his loss of blood. Markus knew the Goddess would not heed his prayers, so he sent a silent prayer to the Elements that Tar and Ura might live.
Markus knew he would be forever indebted to Tar; not only for his courage in facing down the gnull, but for saving Ura’s life. Now that Alec was gone, Ura was the only person still breathing whom he truly cared for. Though it pained him to know the danger he brought to her, Markus could not deny it now—he loved her.
Markus also realized that because of this love, he had done the unthinkable and defied Madhea’s curse. For that, he knew he would never take another breath without feeling the heavy weight of sorrow pressing upon his chest. He would never forgive himself for bringing the curse upon his family and allowing Alec to die. In Markus’s eyes, he was nothing more than a monster, a curse upon those he loved.
Despite his fresh wounds, the break in his arm had healed. Markus needed to go to Madhea and beg her to break the curse, or die trying. He could not live among the Ice People any longer and put them at risk. If he had to kill again, he feared Ura would be the next to die.
So consumed was Markus by his deep thoughts that he did not hear other people approaching until they were almost upon them. A large hunting party raced through the tunnel, with Jon at the head, and Chieftain Eryll and his son, Bane, right behind him.
Jon rushed up to Ryne and laid a palm on his daughter’s forehead. “Ura! What has happened?”
“She was buried in an avalanche,” Ryne explained as he eased his sister into Jon’s arms. “She breathes, Father, but she does not wake.”
“Where is the vicious beast?” Elof Eryll asked with a raised brow.
Ryne answered him with a dismissive wave. “You have come too late. Markus has already slain the beast with one spear.”
The Chieftain’s eyes bulged. “How could this be true?”
Ryne leveled him with a thunderous look. “I speak the truth, just as I always have, and let you remember this day.” He pointed an accusatory finger at Bane. “Your coward of a son fled, leaving his brothers to face the gnull alone. If it hadn’t been for Markus and my dog, both of your young sons would be dead.”
The Chieftain dropped his spear as his hand flew to his meaty chest and his gaze swept over them all. “Both of my sons? Ande! Where is Ande?!”
Ven stepped forward while cradling the Chieftain’s youngest son. “He was eaten by the beast.”
“What? What! Ande!” The Chieftain fell to his knees while covering his face with his hands.
Markus knew it was unkind to think so, but the way Chieftain Eryll’s chins and chest heaved while he wailed reminded him of the blubbery gnull.
Bane marched up to his cousin. “How could you let him die, Ven?!”
Ryne stepped forward. “You would blame this on Ven? He refused to run when the gnull attacked, unlike you!”
Jon turned on Bane as his eyes darkened. “You told us they followed you out.”
Bane stepped back while casting a nervous glace at the others. “I thought they did.”
Bane’s brother lifted his head from Ven’s chest and waved a shaky hand. “He lies! Bane left me and Ande to face the beast while he ran away screaming.”
“And this is who you’ve chosen to rule in your stead when you retire?” Jon hissed at the sobbing Chieftain before squaring his shoulders. “I will not serve a coward.”
Ryne stood by his father’s side and they shared a look of understanding. “Neither will I,” he said, scowling down at Chieftain Eryll before leveling the other hunters with a direct gaze.
“Abandonment is punishable by law,” Jon added. “Bane must face trial.”
Bane let out a strangled cry before collapsing on the ice.
Two other hunters walked behind him and jerked him to his feet. They continued to clutch his arms, despite his protests.
The Chieftain struggled to stand. He glared at Jon and Ryne, before thrusting a meaty fist in the air. “I have already lost one son this day!”
Jon heaved a sigh while shaking his head. “It is the law, Elof, and you are bound to follow. You will summon the Council and your son will be judged for his cowardice.”
Then he glanced down at Ura, sleeping in his arms. “Now I must take my daughter to a healer.” He pushed past the Chieftain and briskly walked up the incline.
Markus, Ryne, and Ven followed while the crowd of hunters parted to make way for them. Markus shook his head as Bane wailed. The coward got what he deserved.
Just as they passed through the crowd, the Chieftain’s voice rumbled behind them. “There will be no Council meeting today! I need time to grieve for my son.”
Jon and Ryne spun around as if of one accord. The son looked to his father, who answered with a slow nod.
Ryne stormed over to Chieftain Eryll and jabbed a finger in his meaty chest. “You are the Chieftain! You do not get that luxury. Summon the Council or we will summon them ourselves! Or do you wish to wait for more gnulls to attack our children?”
With that, Ryne marched back to his father. Markus followed behind, sparing only a cursory glance at the Chieftain, who was now back on his knees, sobbing like a baby.
MARKUS’S MIND WAS IN a haze as he followed Ryne and Jon through the winding ice tunnels. He had no idea where they were headed, and it took all of his focus just to put one foot in front of t
he other.
Thankfully, Ryne had taken Tar from him, just moments before Markus thought his arms would surely break. But the burning in his limbs was nothing like the pain in his heart. He could not escape the vision of Alec falling to the ground with a gaping hole in his head. Just as he had killed the gnull, Markus knew his brother had suffered the same fate.
It wasn’t until Markus smelled familiar, pungent smoke that his gaze shot to Ryne. Why had they come to the prophet?
As Jon approached the flap to Odu’s chamber, he turned to Ryne and leveled him with a stern gaze. “Say what you want about his prophecies, but he is the best healer in the kingdom.”
Surprisingly, Ryne nodded. “I agree, Father.”
Markus wondered at the transformation in Ryne. He suspected it had something to do with him nearly being eaten by a gnull.
After walking through a short tunnel, they emerged inside Odu’s chamber.
The old man rose on wobbly legs and motioned Jon to approach. “Come, come. Lay them upon the furs.”
Jon, Ryne and Ven laid the injured down, and then knelt beside them. Markus clung to the shadows, not knowing where he belonged.
Odu laid a bony hand upon Gunther’s brow and looked into his wide eyes. “How do you feel, boy?”
Gunther visibly swallowed before answering, “The gnull ate my brother.”
The prophet bent his head as his eyes softened. He placed a hand upon Gunther’s shoulder. “I am sorry.” Turning to Ven, he said, “The boy has no serious injuries. He is just in shock.”
Ven’s lower lip quivered as he bowed. “Thank you, prophet.”
Next, Odu moved to Tar. The dog’s tail thumped against the furs as the old man ran bony fingers down his back.
Odu lifted his gaze to meet Ryne’s. “The animal is strong. My apprentices will clean and bandage his wound. He will recover.”
Ryne heaved an audible sigh before casting a nervous glance at his sister. “And Ura?” he asked in a voice that cracked with emotion. “Will my sister live, prophet?”
