by Amy Cross
I immediately take a step forward, to go back in and find Duncan again, but then I hesitate.
That place is so loud.
And confusing.
And scary.
“Go toward the mountains,” I say out loud, as I turn and look toward the horizon. I need to remember what Duncan told me. “Then there's a river, follow the one by the forest. Then go into a cave and...”
I'm scared to go off alone into the evening, but at the same time I'm terrified of going anywhere near the soul auction again. Finally, realizing that I have no choice, I set off across the rocky ground.
I'll find my own way home.
Chapter Nineteen
“There's no river here,” I whisper under my breath as I make my way cautiously through the cold night air. “I'd hear it.”
I've been walking for hours now, and I can barely see where I'm going. Sure, there are lots of stars in the sky above, but they don't exactly provide a whole lot of light and I'm too tired to keep walking. Finally, with my wobbling legs threatening to give way, I stop and sit down on the cold, rocky ground.
I'm lost.
There's no way around that simple fact.
I've been walking and walking and walking, and I'm never going to find the route that Duncan described. Even when morning comes, I'll have no chance. If I continue to wander around, I'll just end up collapsing and starving to death, and then probably vultures will pick my bones clean. I'll never get home, and my stupid brother will get my room, and then eventually I'll be completely forgotten.
“I just want to go home,” I whimper, as tears well in my eyes. “I don't want any more adventures.”
I hug myself tight as I start shivering.
And then, with no warning, I hear a very faint, very distant crying sound.
It's as if someone is yelling and screaming and whimpering all at once.
Turning, I look back the way I've just come. I can barely see anything in the darkness, but I can definitely hear the crying sound coming closer, and after a moment I realize I can also hear a frantic padding sound, almost as if someone's running this way.
“Hello?” I call out, trying not to panic.
The crying sound continues. It's so close now, I feel certain I should be able to see someone.
“Hello?” I shout again, taking a couple of steps back. “Is anyone -”
And then I see him.
At the very last moment, a naked man comes running straight at me from the darkness. I barely have time to jump out of the way, and then I turn to see that he's racing off into the night. He's still calling out, and he seems to be absolutely terrified of something.
I wait until I can no longer hear him, and then I turn and look over my shoulder.
The sky is burning.
Or rather, there's a faint, flickering glow on the horizon, as if something is on fire in the distance. And whatever it is, it seems to be very much in the direction of the soul auction.
“What's happening?” I whisper, as I start to realize that maybe Duncan managed to destroy the place after all.
In which case, he might be free again to show me the way home.
“Wait!” I shout, as I start hurrying back the way I just came, filled with a fresh sense of hope. “Duncan, I'm coming! Don't leave! I'm coming back!”
Chapter Twenty
“Duncan!” I yell, as I finally reach the ridge overlooking the soul auction. “I'm not -”
Stopping suddenly, I stare down at the vast orange glow that's burning through the night air, and I realize that something terrible has happened.
The soul auction is gone.
Or rather, all that's left is a huge pile of burning rubble.
I start clambering down the other side of the ridge, but I can already feel the heat in the air. At the bottom of the ridge, I look again toward the smoldering ruins. The air is shimmering slightly, but I can see trashed caravans and huge chunks of wood and metal that have been ripped away and left all over the ground. It's as if a tornado crashed through the place and destroyed everything in its path, and now all the noise and craziness of the place has been replaced by a calm, deathly silence.
I start making my way toward the ruins. I don't want to get too close, but I have to figure out where Duncan might have gone. As I get to the edge of a ruined caravan, however, I have to stop because of all the heat.
I'm too late.
I can only have been gone for six or seven hours, but in that time something has completely and utterly destroyed the soul auction. There must have been thousands of people here earlier, but now they're all gone or -
Suddenly I spot a face in the darkness, down on the ground.
I open my mouth to call out, but then I realize that the face is locked in a deathly scream. Staring, I begin to make out more of the face's features, and now it's clear that the man is dead. He has one hand reaching out, as if he was maybe trying to crawl away from the ruins when he died, and there are smeared patches of blood on his neck. His mouth is wide open, and it's not hard to imagine that he must have died screaming.
There are other bodies, too.
Maybe my eyes are getting more used to the darkness, but now I can see dead people almost everywhere I look. They've been left in mangled, twisted heaps, crushed by debris and burned and ripped apart. At first I think there are at least twenty of them, then I realize there must be more like a hundred, and then I look along the length of the ruins and I understand that there are thousands. I'd assumed that people had run away when the soul auction was destroyed, and I'm sure some did, but now it looks like a lot of people were killed here.
Nearby, flames are still rippling on one section of wood, and a cracking sound disturbs the silence.
“No,” I whisper, taking a step back, “I have to -”
Before I can finish, I hear a snarling sound over my shoulder. Startled, I spin around and look out into the darkness, but I don't see anything. I know I heard the snarl, though, so I start backing away until my feet bump against a section of fallen timber. I don't dare stop looking out into the night, and finally after a few more seconds I hear another low, rumbling growl.
There's some kind of monster here.
Still backing away, toward the heat of the ruins, I clamber over another piece of wood. I've seen so many strange things since I arrived in this world, and my imagination is running wild as I try to imagine what kind of creature could have caused all this damage to the soul auction and killed all these people. I quickly realize that a dragon could have done all this, especially if it started breathing fire onto the whole soul auction. Duncan would know what to do, but now -
Suddenly there's another snarl, and I spot something moving in the darkness.
I take another step back, just as I'm able to make out a pair of eyes staring back at me. And then, slowly, I see an entire face coming closer.
It's a wolf.
Before I have time to react, the wolf snarls again, baring a set of big, sharp fangs.
Panicked, I step back and almost trip on some more debris, and then I duck down and try to hide behind a section of overturned wood. I peer around the edge, hoping that the wolf will have moved on, but instead I see that it's slowly prowling toward me.
I turn and crawl away, deeper into the ruins of the soul auction. The heat is intense, but I have to find a place where I can hide until the wolf leaves.
Looking over my shoulder, I immediately see the wolf coming after me.
“Leave me alone,” I whisper, getting to my feet and looking for somewhere – anywhere – I might be able to hide. “Please, just -”
The wolf snarls again, and I turn to see that it's only a few feet away now. It could lunge at me at any moment, and it's already baring its fangs again.
In a panic, I pick up a section of broken wood and throw it at the wolf, striking it on the side of the head.
“Go away!” I shout. “I didn't do anything to you! Leave me alone and -”
Suddenly the wolf r
ushes at me. I turn to run, but something heavy slams into me and knocks me to the ground. I scream, then I reach out to pull myself clear, and then I scream again as I feel the wolf's fangs biting hard into my leg and crunching against the bone in my right thigh.
“Duncan!” I shout. “Help me!”
I try again to pull myself free, but I can feel the wolf biting down on my leg and after a moment I'm dragged back through the debris. I twist and look down, and I feel a sharp pain as I see that wolf's jaws locked around my bloodied leg.
“Let go of me!” I scream, using my other leg to start kicking frantically at the wolf's face. “Go away!”
The wolf manages to snarl while still biting into my leg, so I kick him in the eyes until finally he releases me and steps back. This time, I don't dare wait. I stumble to my feet and – despite the agony in my right leg – I start running through the debris. I have to limp slightly, and I don't even know where I'm going, but I know I have to get away from the wolf so I keep going until finally my damaged leg gives way and I fall, slamming hard against a broken beam and then crashing to the rocky ground.
Rolling over, I look back the way I came.
I'm deep into the ruins of the soul auction now and I can barely see anything at all. There's no sign of the wolf, but a moment later I hear its snarl coming closer, and then there's the sound of shattered wood being knocked aside.
I'm being hunted.
I reach down and feel my leg. My skirt is soaked in blood and saliva, and I can feel where the wolf's fangs tore through the fabric. A section of wood is burning nearby, which allows me to just about make out the bloodied wound. I shouldn't have looked, because the sight of so much blood and torn flesh makes the pain feel a thousand times worse. Turning away, I hear the wolf snarl again so I immediately get back up and start limping between fallen chunks of wood.
There's an orange glow ahead, as if some deeper part of the ruined soul auction is still burning brighter, so I start making my way toward the light. The pain in my leg is getting worse with each step, and I'm starting to feel breathless, but I know that if I stop I'll die. I have to find somewhere I can hide, or somewhere the wolf can't get to me, but right now I feel as if it's only a matter of time before I feel those fangs biting into me again.
I can't do this.
I can't escape.
“Duncan!” I scream finally, hoping that somehow he can hear me, that maybe he's still close. Tears are streaming down my face, and I know that only Duncan can save me. “Help!”
I stumble on, limping heavily as I make my way through the dark ruins. I know the wolf is still hunting me, and every few seconds I hear another snarl getting closer and closer.
“Duncan!” I shout again. “Come back! You have to -”
Suddenly there's a loud growl, and the wolf slams into my back. I fall forward and land hard, with the wolf on top of me, and before I can try to pull away I feel the wolf biting hard into my right shoulder. I scream as the fangs scrape against my collarbone, and I can already feel blood bursting from the wound and soaking my shirt. Reaching back, I press my hands against the wolf's face, and I feel blood matted in its fur as I try desperately to push the beast away.
“Duncan!” I scream. “Help me! Get -”
The wolf tugs on my shoulder, and I feel a chunk of skin being torn away.
“Help!” I scream, reaching out and grabbing a piece of wood. Turning, I start hitting the wolf as hard as I can manage, aiming for its eyes as it bites deeper and deeper into my shoulder.
I strike the wolf again, sobbing as I try to get free, and finally I feel the fangs slip out from my shoulder.
Stumbling to my feet, I limp toward the orange glow ahead. I know the wolf is going to attack again at any moment, and the piece of broken wood in my hand isn't going to fend it off forever. I don't even dare look at my injured shoulder, but I can already feel that my right hand is getting a little tingly. My injured leg feels numb, and as I reach the edge of the glow I feel as if I'm about to collapse.
Finally I stumble into the light and find myself in a huge, round arena with burning seats at the far end.
This must have been the heart of the soul auction.
I remember Duncan describing this place to me, telling me how the richest guests would sit and watch as the most highly prized items were sold off. I can even see a large throne at the far end, which must be where the Shan of Aluton was supposed to sit as he presided over the sales. Now the place has been almost torn apart, and flames are still rippling across several sections of the seating. I limp out toward the center of the arena, still clutching the piece of broken wood, but then I trip and fall, landing hard on my hands and knees.
I don't think I can ever stand up again, so I start crawling forward. After a moment I feel something wet against my knees, and I look down to see that I've begun to smear my own blood across the rocky, dusty floor.
“Duncan,” I whisper, hoping against hope that somehow he'll sense what's happening, “please help me.”
He has to come.
That's what he does.
He always saves people.
He saved me when from those Blood Weeper things when I arrived here, and he saved me after Matilda sold me, and he saved me when we were on the dragon.
So he'll save me now.
He has to.
“Duncan,” I whisper again, almost praying now as I continue to crawl forward, “where are you?”
Suddenly hearing a snarling sound, I turn and see that the wolf has reached the edge of the arena. Already curling its lips as if its ready to attack, the wolf has blood – my blood – smeared around its mouth.
“Keep back!” I sob. “Don't touch me! My friend will kill you!”
The wolf takes a step forward, before stopping as a large creaking sound fills the room.
I look up just as a large wooden beam comes loose from the soul auction's makeshift ceiling and crashes down, shattering in a blast of flames as it lands only ten feet away from me.
I turn back to the wolf and see that it's a little cautious now. It's watching the beam, but after a moment it turns and snarls at me again.
“No!” I yell, filled with panic as I realize that I'm never going to be able to outrun this thing. “You can't hurt me! You're not allowed!”
Still the wolf comes, prowling across the arena and drooling thick globs of bloody saliva as it bares its fangs.
“Duncan!” I scream, looking up at the burning ceiling. “I'm in here! Duncan, you have to help me! Please!”
I start sobbing, and I can hear the wolf coming closer, and I don't understand why Duncan hasn't heard me and come to save me. He must know that I'm in trouble, he must sense somehow that I need him. Ever since I arrived in this horrible world, Duncan has always appeared at the last moment to save me, so why would he stop now? It's not as if he doesn't care, and he's clearly finished destroying the soul auction, so where else can he be?
The wolf snarls again.
I turn and look at the beast's drooling fangs, but this time something seems strangely familiar. For a moment, I find myself thinking back to the times when Duncan showed his true anger, when his mask slipped and for a fraction of a second I saw the deep anger that he otherwise kept hidden.
And that's when I realize the truth: Duncan isn't going to come and save me.
Duncan's the wolf!
Chapter Twenty-One
“Duncan, it's me!” I shout, taking a step back as the wolf pads closer. My voice is trembling with fear. “Duncan, it's Milly. I'm right here. You recognize me, don't you?”
He snarls, and more bloody saliva dribbles from his lips.
“It's me!” I yell. “Duncan, you have to stop! Duncan, please, I'm not -”
Before I can finish, he rushes at me, snarling and quickly jumping toward my face. I scream and try to pull away, but I'm too late and he thuds against my chest. Falling back, I land hard on the ground with Duncan already on top of me, and he quickly bites down hard on the sa
me shoulder that he began to tear apart earlier. I feel my bones crunch, and hot blood spills out, and I scream again as I take the broken piece of wood and drive it deep into Duncan's side.
He lets out a howl and releases my shoulder. I feel him trying to pull back, but the wood is stuck in his flank for a moment. If I let go, I'll lose my only weapon, so I hold onto the shard for dear life even though Duncan is pulling furiously.
Finally the wood slides out and Duncan falls back, and I watch with horror as his blood runs down the wood and onto my hand.
“Please,” I stammer breathlessly, as I try to drag myself away. My shoulder is badly torn. “Duncan, stop! Why are you doing this?”
Tears are streaming down my face, and after a moment I feel a stinging sensation in my eyes. My left eye, in particular, suddenly seems blocked by something. Reaching up, I wipe my eyes and find more blood smeared on my hand, and then I touch my forehead and feel a large cut.
I blink away some more of the blood, but I can already feel another trickle running into the corner of my left eye.
And Duncan is starting to approach again, snarling with more fury than ever.
“I'm your friend!” I sob, holding the broken wooden shard up for him to see. “Duncan, you don't hate me! We're friends! You were going to help me get home!”
With blood pouring from the wound on his flank, he starts circling me. Maybe the wound hurts more than I realized, and he's starting to worry about what I could do to him. I don't want to hurt him, but I know he's going to attack me again at any moment and I have to be ready.
Suddenly I hear a loud crashing sound, and I turn to see that another section of the seating area has collapsed in a pile of flames. I quickly turn back to Duncan, just as he takes a cautious step toward me.
He stops as soon as we make eye contact, but he's still growling.
“Leave me alone!” I shout, before waving the broken wood at his face. At the same time, I somehow find the strength to get to my feet and take a couple of steps back. “You're not -”
Before I can finish, I hear another loud creaking sound. I turn, but at first I don't see anything. A moment later, however, I hear the sound again, and I look up just in time to see that another huge chunk of the ceiling is starting to split open. One section has already collapsed, revealing the starry sky above, but now the middle section seems to be buckling and sure enough a huge curved chunk of wood comes loose. Terrified, I realize it's all going to land on me, and I freeze for a moment before turning and limping out of the way.