If I were alone, I could easily outmaneuver the wolves. They might be fast, but I can dive and weave between the trees better on my two legs. Climbing a tree, I could easily leap from branch to branch as I escaped them. Years spent dodging the law in the city have made me quick, not to mention needing to disappear from larger threats than hungry wolves. All I would need to do is stay one move ahead of them, and I’m confident I could do that and earn my freedom back. If it were just me, that is.
But it’s not. For the first time in my life, I’m not alone. There’s someone out there that I care about. I can’t disappear and leave Lyra to face the wolves and what comes next all on her own. I would never be able to live with myself if I did.
My heart pounds as I dodge a large pine tree. A gentle fog has moved into the trees, making my going even harder. I wish that I had the nose the wolves do. It would make this just a little bit easier to track down Lyra. I’m almost impressed that she’s managed to completely vanish into thin air. It gives me hope that I can get her out of the woods and far from the wolves. Far from the claws of the Grey Prince.
Screams and howls fill the night air, suffocating me as I run. My legs burn after days of not moving as I wanted through the castle. With the breeze in my hair, I almost feel like myself again. If not for the growls that accompany the howls, I could almost push the sounds from my head. I take some relief that there are more howls than screams still. It means that some of the other women are managing to stay away from the wolves. I know eventually, they’ll tire. The reason for keeping food from us makes sense now.
At that moment, I hate the wolves. I hate this horrible castle and these damn trees that keep me from my friend. But more than that, I hate the Grey Prince. He is truly a weak creature if he must first deprive us of what we need in order to gain the upper hand against us. I grab onto this white-hot rage, allowing it to fuel my steps as I leap over a log.
Pausing before a mossy boulder, I glance around. Faintly, I can make out the sounds of heavy paws thudding against the dry ground. Panting mixes with a low growl that’s not as far away as I would like. I don’t need the reminders that I need to get out of here.
Everything in me stills as I turn. Large green eyes stare at me for a moment. The beast is large, towering over me as it raises its snout. Until tonight, I’ve never seen one shifted before. They’re beautiful in a nightmarish way. Dark fur bristles as the wolf growls at me. I’m thankful that the fur isn’t silver. He takes one step closer to me before something to my left catches his attention.
His eyes bore into me for a moment before he leaps over me. My heart skips a beat as my legs tremble. Fighting the urge to crumble to the ground, I give myself a minute. Just one minute to let all my fears crowd my mind. Tears sting my eyes as my heart races with each terrible thought that moves through my head. I’m horrified by the delicate details my brain paints each portrait of Lyra being pulled limb from limb. Of every one of my deaths tumbling over a cliff or goring myself on a branch, I didn’t see until too late.
A scream sends chills down me. It’s close. Too close. Pulling in a breath, I shove every last terrible thought out of my mind. I won’t let any of that come to be. I will find Lyra before the wolves, and I will get her to safety, no matter how far we have to travel.
Moving around the boulder, I creep through the crinkling leaves of the forest floor. Not far from where I was, I come across the large beast that I came eye to eye with. He has Ember pressed to the ground with one paw as he towers over her. Saliva drips from his long fangs as he stares down at her. Another scream escapes her as she thrashes about.
I shift my weight as I glance about the ground for a large stick, something to use to free Ember. The movement catches her eye, and she stares at me. Her hazel eyes go round as she takes me in, then glances about the clearing as though expecting others.
“Run,” she hisses. “Save yourself, Rose. Run!”
Slowly, the large creature above her begins to shift back into his human form. Oblivious to my presence as his focus remains on her. Ember’s eyes plead with me to run, but I can’t. Not when I know what’s to come.
“Please,” she whispers, the word meant for my ears.
His hands are pulling at her dress, the already barely-there garment that Ms. Thompson dressed us in this morning. Raw hatred rushes over me as I watch. I hate feeling helpless as Ember begs me to leave her to her fate. My muscles protest as I turn away from her. She makes no noise as I slip away.
I’m not sure how I’ll live with myself. It feels wrong leaving her to what comes next. She doesn’t scream or cry out as I move away from her. Maybe I was wrong about her, and she’s stronger than I ever gave her credit for. Further away, a scream pulls my attention away from Ember.
Lyra is still out there, probably being chased. I’ve lost sight of the silver wolf. A curse escapes me at this realization. I can’t let him get to her. I’m not convinced that he’d let her live to see morning. I know rumors claim that he needs an heir desperately. But from what I’ve seen, his sick appetite may be standing in the way. He seems more content on playing twisted games with those in his court than finding a way to get himself an heir.
It would be a small mercy, I suppose, for him to end her, instead of putting her through months and months of endless suffering. Sending a prayer that the universe look over Ember, that she stays alive long enough to fight against the wolf that’s taken her, I take off running.
The bright red moon just barely gives me enough light. Through the branches of the trees overhead and the fog moving in, I’m lucky I’ve yet to stumble and break a limb. Howls continue to fill the trees, pushing in on me as they grow louder and louder. As long as they continue, I tell myself, that means he hasn’t found her. It means the hunt is still continuing, and there’s still a chance to find Lyra. A chance to escape the hell that awaits us should we fail to get away from here.
Slowly, the ground begins to shift upward, taking me away from the lower trees. Every muscle in my leg protest as I climb up the steep hills. I hesitate every now and again, listening and hoping that I’m headed in the right direction. Lyra has no instincts that I know of to direct her to get the higher ground. I can only hope that she knew to run as fast and as far as she could to avoid getting caught.
Here the trees are thicker, closer together than back where the forest started. I slow my pace as I move. It’s more overgrown as well, I note. With large cliffs rising from the trees, giving way to the towering mountains that I remember from my first glimpse of the castle. I smile as I realize this is further than the wolves are used to hunting their prey. The howls and screams, the cries of pain and fear, are quieter here. There are still no other sounds in the trees, warning me that a predator is nearby.
I move carefully, pressing myself to the cold stone as I follow my gut. Hope fills me that Lyra might make it out of this alive, all by herself. Each step further into the dense underbrush fills me with hope. Until I spy a flash of silver out of the corner of my eye. A hissed curse escapes me as I duck behind an overgrown blackberry bush. Careful to avoid the greedy thorns, I wait.
Counting my breaths, I wait until my heart has stopped racing. Then, I slip from my hiding spot. The wolf is ahead of me now, and I follow it. If I can’t find Lyra before him, then at least I can let him lead me to her. Crouching behind trees and bushes, I do my best to keep my guilt at bay. I should be doing something more useful. Every instinct in me screams at me to run in the opposite direction, that following the Grey Prince won’t end well. But I refuse to leave Lyra to face him alone.
He leads me through the trees to a cliffside. I note the several dark caves there, perfect places to slip into and hide until this night ends. In the morning, I can easily pick my way back to the city or beyond. The wolf continues on, but I stay next to the caves, staring at them as I fight the urge to step into one and let the darkness swallow me whole.
A gasp draws my attention away from the caves. There’s a flash of blonde hair and a light blue dress before Lyra appears. Her head jerks around as she stumbles over herself. She’s yet to notice the trees or the fact that she’s not alone.
“Lyra,” I call out as I stand.
Her eyes snap to me, a smile stretching at her lips. She takes one step toward me. A flash of silver catches my eye just a moment before it launches from the trees behind her. In one swoop, he takes her down. A strangled scream escapes me as I watch.
26
Rose
Lyra’s screams fill my ears as the silver wolf towers over her. She tries to scramble away from him, but he keeps her pinned beneath him. His claws tear into her gown, her cries of fear mixing with the sounds of ripping fabric.