But as he did, he suddenly noticed motion out of the corner of his eye. He turned and was shocked to see the boy with the crossbow, the one he’d thought he’d killed, somehow back unsteadily on his feet, even with the sword through his chest. He held the bow with shaking arms, and aimed it right for Merk. For the first time in his life, Merk was caught off-guard. His caring for this girl had dulled his senses.

There came the awful sound of an arrow being fired, and Merk stood there, frozen, no time to react. All he could do was watch helplessly as the arrow flew through the air, right for him.

A split second later, he felt the horrific agony of an arrowhead hitting his back, entering his flesh.

Merk sank to his knees in the mud, spitting up blood, and as he did, what surprised him most was not that he would die, but that he would die here, at the hands of a boy, in the mud, in the middle of nowhere, so close, after such a long trek to starting life again.

CHAPTER NINE

Kyra struggled against the heavy net as it fell down upon her, caught by surprise, trying desperately to break free. Cast by several soldiers, the net, made of a steel and rope mesh, must have weighed a hundred pounds, and she found herself pinned down by the thick rope as the men yanked on every side, stretching it tight.

They yanked again, and she found herself flattened, face-down in the snow with the others, all pinned down. Andor and Leo snarled viciously, bucking, writhing, and while Leo turned and sank his fangs into the net, his efforts were useless, the steel too hard to chew through.

As Kyra watched the Pandesian soldiers closing in, wielding swords and halberds, she kicked herself for not being more vigilant. She knew that if she did not find a way out, they would all end up back in bondage, with a brutal imprisonment, and this time, a likely death. She could not let that happen. Most of all, she could not let her father down. Whatever the cost, she had to escape.

Kyra struggled as she groaned and reached for her staff, unable to grab it, her arms pinned to the ground. She tried desperately to break free and she knew their situation was dire.

There came a horrific noise, like a lion bursting from its cage, and slowly, to Kyra’s surprise, the net began to rise. Kyra turned and was shocked to see Andor, using his tremendous strength to somehow gain his feet. To her shock, he twisted his neck, reached out with his huge fangs, and tore right through it.