Chapter 8 #3
They have bright silver eyes and claws, and teeth that can undeniably rip through any part of me. Their breath is hot when they snarl. “Tristan, duck.”
I grip low on my horse, somehow managing to stay on her, just in time for a ball of blue flame to sail over my head and take out one of the two wolves following us. I thank the Gods and my horse, but most of all, Uncle Taj and keep going.
We must be getting close; Uncle Taj’s body language gives him away.
He looks ahead to judge the distance we have to close before we make it out and he looks behind to check where the wolf is snapping at my horse’s hooves.
Any other horse would have been attempting to throw me off by now, but this isn’t just any horse, she’s one from an Elven realm, which means she’s got more strength and ability. She’ll still scare, but not easily.
It’s also not hard to imagine that with their Elven strength and Elven horses, Elves must be able to make it out of here without too much trouble. It’s the human component fucking this up. I bet they all sail through here without issue. I’m slowing us down, but if I go any faster, I will fall off.
“Tristan, again!” he shouts. It must take a massive amount of energy to create those balls of fire, and I deduce how powerful Uncle Taj must be.
The second ball hits the wolf snapping after me, but not before the wolf’s long leg stretches out enough to catch my leg and tear through it.
The wolf is sent tumbling away and I cry out as I bleed all over my horse.
Uncle Taj looks ahead, clearly trying to gauge how much distance is left, but with my leg bleeding profusely, we can’t go further until it’s healed.
I’m gushing out blood and I won’t last long.
He rears his horse and signals I should stop.
I do, but the sudden stop highlights how light-headed and woozy I am.
My face meets my horse and then there is blackness.
I’m being shook awake. “Tristan. Tristan. I need you to wake up now.”
Things are shadowy at first until my eyes can receive light again. Uncle Taj comes into focus. I’m no longer on my horse, but on the ground, under a decaying tree. “Uuuhhh?” I moan.
“We don’t have much time until more wolves come. We’re almost there. Can you ride?”
I check myself over, looking for the gash that’s no longer there. “Healed me?”
“Yes. You lost a lot of blood though, something I cannot replenish. If we leave now, we can make it out without having to ride at such breakneck speeds. You could ride on my horse if you don’t think you’ll make it.”
“No. I’ll be all right.” Once the fog clears, my limbs are strong if a bit tired. Heaving myself onto my horse and steadying my gaze I nod to Uncle Taj.
“You sure Tristan? You won’t survive another blood loss like that.”
“Will it slow you down to have me on the back?”
“It will.”
“Then I can do it. I’m sure.”
We ride again at a medium pace in comparison to what we’d been riding at, and it reminds me that no, I’m not one hundred percent; the forest spins and my stomach lurches. I’d hoped to tell him we could go faster, but that’s not going to happen. Focus Tristan. Get to the end. You’re fine.
And I do all right, but when I hear the twin growls, I’m overcome with a lot of “oh fucks.” Uncle Taj fills with concern, I know he doesn’t think I’ll make it, but I’m not dying today.
“C’mon,” I shout to him, forcing myself to speed up my horse.
I narrow my focus to his horse, and he nods enough for me to see him. He speeds up too.
Horse hooves pound as weighty as my heart, the sound filling the fetid air almost drowning out the sound of the growls enough so that I can center myself to where I can see the clearing.
We’re almost there. Almost. I dare to speed up my horse, faster than I can manage for long.
The blood loss catches up to me, I see black spots, I want to retch, I start to slide sideways, the breeze of a claw whips at my flank followed by fire overhead—another blast of Elf fire that just singes my new hair.
Thankfully, it will grow back by nightfall. “Almost there, Tristan!”
There’s one wolf remaining, and it’s too close; I have to go faster, faster than is manageable.
Squeezing my calves puts speed into the large Elven horse, and I hang on for dear life, no longer relying on my riding skills, praying the horse will make its own wise decisions to traverse the gnarled landscape in a way it can without breaking an ankle.
Uncle Taj looks back to check on me, knowing I need help and he can either do that or attempt another fireball.
Strength begins to seep into my limbs, as if from nowhere and it gives me the boost I need to make the final push to my horse, to get us out, but we don’t have long.
We don’t need it either.
The front legs of Uncle Taj’s horse hit sunlight first, and he’s through. I’m not far behind, not a moment too soon; the snarl is too close, the large paws thump heavily as the wolf pounces and I clear the veil just as I hear it landing behind me, happy to leave it trapped inside.