Chapter 7
Goner
A torrent of questions filled my head as I sprinted through the forest. What creatures made elves consider hiding all day in the trees? How many was I running from if the elves had to use two arrows at once? I prayed I didn’t get to find out.
Hugging my precious cargo to my chest, I ran as fast as my bare feet and the uneven ground allowed.
The only sound over my frantic heartbeat was the snapping of twigs underfoot.
The birds had gone silent, and even the insects were no longer around.
What nightmarish predator had Deidre’s arrow warned us about?
I couldn’t resist. I slowed down just a fraction and looked over my shoulder.
Nothing. It appeared I was all alone among the trees. There was no sign of the elves, either.
I kept running, but my thoughts were racing in a new direction now.
Maybe the monsters after us could blend in with their surroundings without making a single sound, just like my companions.
But what if the elves were engaged in a fight with our attackers back at the flower’s location, too busy to keep an eye on me?
Hadn’t I run far enough that I couldn’t hear the sounds of battle anymore? Then why return willingly to my prison?
If I veered left or right instead of heading straight for the cave, I’d reach the forest’s edge eventually. I was without provisions and unarmed, but a better opportunity for an escape would not present itself. It was now or never–
The edelweiss! It would perish if I took it with me. I had to leave the container somewhere easy to spot–the elves would find it and have it planted by one of their gardeners.
Yes, that way I wouldn’t be responsible for the flower’s death. Just my own–if my daring escape got me killed.
I slowed down as I searched for a good place to leave the container.
That was when I saw movement from the corner of my eye.
I looked back out of instinct, and all thoughts of escape and flowers perished.
There, running almost parallel to me now, was a wolf the size of a bear. Its head was turned toward me, its glowing yellow eyes full of murderous intent.
A werewolf.
I’d only heard of these monsters on the radio transmissions. I’d never seen one, but there was no mistaking what was chasing me. And it was coming after me so fast that I stood no chance of outrunning it.
As though it had smelled my desperation, the creature howled in what sounded like triumph. That howl was immediately followed by another, this time to my left.
I had two werewolves hunting me down, boxing me in from either side.
When I heard more howling from behind, I knew I was a goner. Heart in my throat, I pressed the container tightly to my chest and kept running. I’d be damned if I just gave up. No, I would make these monsters work for their food.
It was the werewolf to my right who moved in for the kill first. I was too terrified to even scream when I saw that thing leap at me, huge jaws open wide, monstrous teeth aiming for my unprotected body as if in slow motion.
The werewolf tumbled to the ground before it could reach me. Three arrows protruded from its head.
I blinked, and suddenly I had Tisvali running next to me. He must have dropped down from a tree, but I had no time to ponder, because the werewolf to my left attacked with a vicious snarl.
An arrow zipped past the back of my head as Tisvali shot at the beast. The elf didn’t even slow down to aim; he just kept running beside me without looking where he was going.
The snarling was cut off mid-growl. I dared a look to my left, only to see that Deidre was now running beside me in the werewolf’s place. She was recharging her bow and turning slightly backward at the same time.
Behind, the snarls and growls reached a crescendo. There had to be at least three werewolves after us. The sounds alone were chilling to the bone, making my legs keep moving when my muscles should have already given out.
“Tis!” Karim’s shout came from somewhere above.
Then arrows flew over my head toward my pursuers.
The next thing I knew, an arm wrapped around my waist, yanking me off my feet and pulling me aside mid-run.
A second later, a werewolf landed on my previous location, only to be attacked by Karim from above. He landed right on top of the monster, the blade in his hand glinting in the sunlight before sinking into the creature’s neck.
That was when the laws of physics finally caught up to Tisvali and me. We hit the ground–his arm still holding me, and me still clutching the flower.
We hadn’t stopped tumbling yet when he pushed me away with enough force that I lost whatever air I’d left in my lungs after the fall. When I stopped seeing stars, I realized his roughness had saved me from yet another werewolf. One that was now on top of him.
By pushing me away, Tisvali had kept us from being pinned down together. And now he was at the beast’s mercy.
He tried to use his bow as a shield, but the weapon snapped into toothpicks in the werewolf’s jaws.
“Tisvali!” I screamed, as if that would help.
I was weaponless and not close enough to prevent the tragedy unfolding before my eyes at an impossible speed. Any second now, Tisvali would be killed by the werewolf he’d so bravely saved me from, and I–
Deidre landed on the werewolf’s back, slashing and stabbing with a dagger while screaming like a banshee.
Tisvali used the opportunity to shred the beast’s unprotected neck from below with his sharp nails. Blood was spraying everywhere and–
Something huge landed on top of me, pinning me to the ground under its furry body. I was too stunned to react, let alone scream. All I managed before the saliva-dripping jaws descended was to shield my face with one hand, the other still clutching the container.
It was when those monstrous fangs sank into my forearm that I finally screamed.
I screamed in agony so intense I couldn’t bear it for even a second. I screamed at the sight of my own blood raining down on my face.
Then I blacked out.