The animal turned around, and I got a full glimpse of its savage face.
Its features were angular and cruel, framed by a mane of dark hair that would be more appropriate on a lion than a wolf-like creature. Dark blue eyes shone as they roved around searchingly. I held my breath, trying not to imagine its three-inch fangs ripping into me. Its considerably long, pointed ears angled away from its head, a trait undoubtedly Fae. They twitched at the small sounds of a scampering rodent.
My lungs burned, but I didn’t dare breathe. If I but blinked, I knew the creature would find me, and that would be my end.
The beast turned and began walking away, methodically sniffing the ground as it went, its strange talons kicking up dirt. When he was twenty yards away, I allowed myself a tiny, silent breath. At fifty yards, when all I could see was its furry tail up in the air, I forced my body to release its tension, though whatever small amount of relief I gained was quickly gone as a snake slithered into my field of vision.
It was moving alongside my body, its forked tongue tasting the air. Its head had a triangular shape, and its body was bright red, which meant that, most likely, it was venomous.
Once more, I found myself holding my breath and tensing from head to toe. The snake traveled south toward my feet, and I prayed inwardly that it would pass without noticing me.
I didn’t know how or why it realized I was there, but I knew the moment it sensed another creature lying right next to it, the moment it coiled back to attack.
In that same instant, my survival instincts had me kicking, jumping to my feet, and leaping away from the hollowed-out husk of the fallen tree trunk. Moss, lichen, and dead leaves flew all over, and miraculously, I escaped the snake’s bite.
But it was like jumping from the frying pan straight into the fire.
Heart in my throat, I glanced up to find the wolf-creature eating up ground as it barreled toward me.
I ran, my instincts taking over. I didn’t dare glance back, but I knew my speed was no match for this beast, and I might as well be standing still. Yet, the adrenaline pumping through my veins would not let me do anything but fight for my life.
The sun had risen a fraction, barely breaking the dawn, and I could see far enough to tell that—ahead of me, past the thick tree trunks—the terrain stopped and backed to what looked like empty air.
It wasn’t the plains that bordered the forest—I was running in the opposite direction—it was something else, an area just as expansive, but… different. Something in the back of my mind told me that danger lay beyond. Briefly, I had the ludicrous idea of fighting the beast with Jeondar’s knife, but I kept going.
I dared a quick glance over my shoulder. The beast was merely ten yards away. My heart attempted to launch itself out of my chest and seemed to propel me forward, giving my legs additional strength to cover the remaining distance to the edge.
Arms windmilling through the air, I leaped.
CHAPTER 8
Ididn’tknowwhatI expected, but it wasn’t to quickly hit the ground and go rolling end over end on what felt like the banks of the sandy beach. I tumbled head over feet, shoulder over shoulder, sand blasting my face and filling my mouth.
When I finally came to a stop, my head was spinning, and I didn’t know which way was up. I sat there blinking, spitting, and wiping my eyes.
What looked like a desert stretched as far as the eye could see. The Zundrokh Barrens that Jeondar had mentioned. It had to be.
A guttural growl of rage had me jumping to my feet. As I glanced back, I saw the beast at the top of the ridge from where I’d leaped. For a second, I thought it might be my lucky day, and he might be allergic to sand, but a small voice inside my head told me something different: that if a ferocious animal like that chose to stay up there, maybe it was because something worse lurked down here.
The beast’s eyes held to mine. I flipped him the bird, which proved to be a huge mistake.
He leaped after me anyway.
“Shit.”
I turned and ran.
Suddenly, I was in a worse nightmare, one of those where you try to run fast but your legs are useless. My feet sank into the sand as I tried to push away, slowing me down to a near crawl.
“Oh, God! Please!”
I’m dead.
The thought struck me with certainty. In moments, there would be nothing left of me. Maybe a few drops of blood that would soon sink into the dry sand, but that would be it. And no one would know what happened to me—not even my captors.
Why didn’t I just stay with them? What made me think I could brave this unknown realm?
I glanced back just to find the beast soaring through the air, its terrible talons extended and aiming straight for my neck.