Chapter 5
The rain held off for a grand total of ten minutes—long enough to give me false hope—before it broke loose from the clouds in a furious downpour.
The sky itself had chosen violence. Sheets of cold water lashed down on me and Nala, soaking through my clothes in seconds and turning the forest floor into a swamp of mud and tangled roots.
With Nala padding grimly at my side, her normally sleek coat already slick and matted with rain, I trudged forward, each step a fight against the weight of waterlogged boots and freezing limbs. The cold bit through my skin, numbing my fingers and seeping into my bones.
I should’ve thought about the weather before storming out of the cabin like some tragic heroine in a story I didn’t want to be in.
I should’ve thought. Period.
Even if Orion could help, he was back in town, possibly surrounded by the very hunters who’d attacked us. Stomping back to Perga wasn’t one of my best ideas, but at least I was doing something, right?
Right?
The forest didn’t provide any answers. Only the rain, relentless and unforgiving, pounding against the leaves like war drums.
That was an answer all on its own.
I let my pride, anger and fear get the best of me and now my sick familiar was valiantly trying to keep up with me in these miserable conditions.
I kept walking for another five minutes before I admitted defeat. We needed shelter and though we could find a log to huddle under, a perfectly dry cabin was less than half an hour away.
I swallowed and took a deep breath. All it would cost me was my pride.
I glanced at Nala, looking more like a drowned rat than a fierce wolf.
Nala was worth it. I could humble myself and admit I was wrong. I would confess I overreacted, if it meant she was safe and dry.
“Let’s go back, Nala,” I said.
She perked up, swished her tail, and turned toward the path leading to Ace’s cabin.
Even my familiar knew this outing was ridiculous.
I slapped the wet hair from my face and trudged along the path after Nala. The dark clouds had rolled in, blotting out what was left of the daylight. With each step, the world around me darkened, the colours fading to muted grays.
A warm band of magical wind wrapped around me—a silent warning from the forest. Danger was close.
Nala stopped abruptly on the path. Her whole body stiffened. I waited, trusting my familiar and the forest magic. Slowly, I slipped the bow from my shoulders.
Nala’s ears swivelled, twitching as she lifted her snout to sniff the damp air. Her breath came out in a soft, tense huff, and her hackles rose in a sharp line down her spine.
Not good.
I turned slowly, scanning the dark forest around us.
The trees stood silent, their branches dripping with fat raindrops, shadows folding between trunks.
No rustle of small creatures. No bird calls.
Just the steady hammer of rain against leaves and earth.
The dark forest stared back at me, motionless, but I knew better than to relax.
The magical band of air tightened around my chest and squeezed.
“Run, Nala,”
Nala let out a low, menacing rumble. She wasn’t going anywhere.
I glanced at her over my shoulder. Her gaze was locked on the thicket to our left, and her ears were pinned back.
From the shadows of the forest, a deep and threatening growl answered Nala’s.
My skin prickled as every hair on my body rose.
A wolf.
Another growl, this time to my right.
Then a third behind us, closing in.
Not a lone wolf.
Wolves.
A large black wolf stepped from the shadows onto the muddy path ahead. Rain slicked its coat, and his muscles rippled. The eyes gleaming with intelligence.
We were surrounded.
These weren’t familiars. Magic didn’t warm their cold gazes. These were wild predators, circling wounded prey.
My hand shook as I reached for an arrow.
I didn’t want to kill them. Killing for survival was one thing. But wolves?
Nala glanced at me and whined. She stepped sideways until her body bumped into my legs.
I might hesitate to hurt wolves who threatened me, but I wouldn’t think twice to defend my familiar. Phaan, I would even admit I was wrong to Ace to help my girl.
Nala’s weight steadied me. Running wasn’t an option—not with her injured and me still exhausted.
The wolves closed in, silent and focused, moving into position as the rain poured around us like a curtain.
I nocked the arrow, my breathing steady despite the pounding in my chest.
This was bad.
With my feet shoulder width apart and my weight evenly distributed, I stood with an open stance to my target.
Keeping my grip relaxed, I used my bow hand to push the bow forward, while drawing the string.
My back muscles contracted, still sore from the previous fight and following escape.
I kept my head still and my shoulders level.
I wouldn’t wait for the inevitable attack.
I would strike.
With an exhale of air, I relaxed my string fingers and released the arrow. It sliced through the air and struck the alpha wolf in the flank, right behind his shoulder. He let out a sharp whine and collapsed.
Then chaos exploded.
The pack lunged, teeth bared and claws flashing. My magic curled around me, connecting me with the arrows as I fired them, one after the other. Each one found a mark, but the wolves kept coming.
One wolf slipped through my arrows and bit down hard on Nala’s side. She yelped and spun, struggling to break free.
I kicked fiercely, striking the wolf’s face, buying her a moment. I reached for another arrow—
Too late.
Another wolf crashed into me, sending us both into the slick mud in a thrashing heap.
The wolf snapped at my face. Before it could latch on, I flung up my arm.
Its jaws clamped onto me with a crushing force.
Pain shot through my body. I shoved my fingers in its eyes.
At the same time, I drew my legs up and kicked at its giant body.
The wolf released its hold with a yelp and flew back, bumping into two other wolves in its pack. Sprawled on the ground, pain shooting up my arm, I scrambled to get up.
Nala was fighting her attacker valiantly to my right, but the other wolves had zeroed in on me.
I reached for my quiver to find it empty.
I’d used all my arrows. The thrumming of my magic faded, leaving me drained.
Dead wolves littered the clearing, the nearest one lay behind the wall of wolves snarling at me. I couldn’t retrieve used arrows without getting past the pack.
Fear shot through my body. My heart pounded. This was it. This was the end. I might be immortal, but I doubted I’d survive being torn apart and consumed by a pack of hungry wolves.
Before the wolves could renew their attack, a volley of arrows shot across the clearing. The arrows struck the wolves in quick succession. One after the other, they fell. The few remaining survivors fled, bolting from the clearing with yips and snarls.
Nala yipped and I turned in time to watch her attacker fall over.
Nala had survived. Blood matted her coat, and she limped, but she was alive.
“You are by far the most stubborn woman I have ever met,” a familiar voice spoke behind me.
Ace stood in the shelter of trees, bow in hand, air condensing from his lips with each breath.
“I never thought I'd be glad to see you,” I admitted.
He barked out a laugh before shaking his head.
“In my defense, I was on my way back,” I said, nodding at the dead wolves surrounding us, “I think this is what they mean when they say natural consequences.”
Ace stopped shaking his head and studied me. “Are you all right?”
No, no, I wasn’t. My stubbornness almost got Nala killed and my arm hurt. “I’ve been better.”
He nodded and stepped forward.
I hesitated, unsure of what he planned to do.
“I’ll get the arrows,” he said before jerking his chin in Nala’s direction, “Check on your familiar. I'll carry her back if she can’t walk on that leg.”
I watched him move to the first wolf. My eyes stung. I blinked rapidly, trying to stem the tears threatening to fall.
Why was he being so nice when I was such an ass?
Ace wrenched an arrow free from a wolf and straightened. Before he moved to the next wolf, he glanced over at me and stopped in his tracks. “What’s wrong?”
“I... I’m not sure,” I said. No point in lying.
I wasn’t used to his kindness. He had always looked after himself and my brother.
I was ignored for the most part, and he’d never gone out of his way to be nice.
When he’d returned to Perga, I’d expected him to fall back on similar behaviour—especially after how he left things.
But for some reason, I mattered to him now. He had my back and he hadn’t let me down. Yet.
Could I trust him?
Could I trust this warmth spreading through my chest?
His expression softened. “You don’t have to do this alone anymore. You can trust me, Mouse. You can depend on me. I don’t plan on screwing you over or letting you down.”
Trust? Depend? Those words sent unease travelling down my spine.
“I think that’s the problem,” I said.
“What? Trusting someone? You trust Orion.” He scowled as if he tasted something fowl.
I squeezed my eyes shut. Orion was safer to trust. “Trusting you.”
He pressed his lips together. “When have I given you any reason to doubt me? Since I returned, you have insulted me, questioned me, held secrets from me, yet despite all that, I still want to be your partner because you're smart, talented and phaaning sarcastic.”
I held up my hand to stop him.
He clamped his mouth shut.
“I thought I knew who I could trust, but now I can’t even trust my own brother.”
He yanked an arrow free from another wolf as he visibly contemplated my words.
“Every time I’ve tried to trust someone, I’ve been let down. I’ve been betrayed. That’s why I prefer to work alone. It hurts less.”
He studied the fletching on one of the arrows, keeping his gaze off me as if he somehow knew I couldn’t handle eye contact right now. “This isn’t about your brother. Or Orion. This is about me. You said so yourself. Stop deflecting and tell me the truth.”
“You left before,” I whispered. “You left my brother. You left me. How can I trust you won’t disappear again?” His disappearance had crushed me.
“I won’t, Em,” he said. “I won’t leave you ever again.”
I shifted my weight from foot to foot. I’d heard that before. Phaan, my brother had said it right before he disappeared for a few weeks, going on a bender after falling in and out of love for the millionth time.
Ace’s gaze locked on mine, something dark and fierce flashing in the dark depths. He remained still as we continued to stare at each other, the rain splattering his head and shoulders. “Come on, Mouse,” his deep voice rumbled. “What do you have to lose?”
Everything.