A battle cry sounds and something strikes the wolf with a thud. It whimpers, and as it thrashes, I see a thick bolt sticking out of its side.

“Lin,” I whisper.

The beast suddenly barrels over on its side as if an iron wall crashed into it.

“Braizen, go!” Torrent, his face distressed, stands over the creature. “We’ll hold it off. Take the girl!”

The wolf flails its legs and growls. I want to help them. To stand and fight by my brothers’ sides and die next to them. But it’s no use. My arm is hanging, barely connected to my body by slivers of muscle and skin. “What about Lorna?” I manage to get out. “She’s stuck beneath the carriage!”

“We’ll get her,” Torrent assures me. He squats and puts a hand on my cheek. “For whatever reason, these crazy demons want you and the girl. We’ll die before they get their way.”

“No.” I resist, even though I’m breathless just trying to talk. “I won’t leave you. It’s better to die together than to live—”

“Not this time, Boss.” I’ve never seen my large friend so serious. His eyes gleam, and his lips are tight. Then, he lifts his head and sounds a barbaric howl into the wind. Snatching his sword, he swivels and swings at the wolf’s leg.

“Limb for limb, you filthy bastard!” He screams, and the enormous canine moves as if to rise. I know I must run. Now.

“Idalia, come on!” She’s slow to stand, but I can’t grab her. I can’t force her to move faster. I can only run and hope that she has enough sense to follow.

Finally, she reaches me, and the two of us sprint down the hill and back into the trees. I see Lorna’s hand sticking out helplessly as we race past the carriage. My stomach drops.

“She’ll be okay,” Idalia says in between breaths. “I’ve seen it.”

We keep running.

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-One

Idalia

Dappled sunlight skirts across the forest floor and splashes on our faces. We ran and stumbled through the night, and now I can barely breathe. The lace chemise I’d stripped down to in the carriage is ripped apart from catching on branches. There’s no room for me to complain, though, as Braizen clutches his bleeding shoulder. My palms flicker with heat. When the sun rose, I looked at his wound; I haven’t been able to stomach looking at it again. His arm is lost. It will have to be amputated, and that’s only if we can reach a medic in time. An infection will likely spread before then.

“We need rest,” he finally says. “I think we’ve put enough distance between us and the creature.”

I nod my head and drop to the ground.