by Zoey Draven
Even in the darkness, I saw his nostrils flare. He was quiet for a moment, making me think my idea failed, but then he nodded at the nearest Ghertun—one with a dagger—and jerked his head towards me.
The Ghertun huffed, but got to his feet, swaying over to me. Drunker than I thought, I realized.
Good.
Roughly, he pulled me to my feet but I stumbled from how tight the bonds were.
“Loosen them,” I said, “so I can walk.”
“You think me dumb, human?” the Ghertun slurred.
Yes.
I didn’t press my luck. I felt the leader’s eyes on me so I awkwardly shuffled, though I purposefully made it seem more difficult than it was. I stumbled more than I needed to. I didn’t want him to think I had any chance to escape and out of the corner of my eye, I saw the leader accept the jug when it passed back around, his attention already diverted towards the brew.
The Ghertun didn’t lead me far. Only far enough away where if I pissed, they probably wouldn’t be able to smell it at the camp. Still, it allowed me more privacy than I would’ve had.
The Ghertun pushed me against a rock and grunted, “Hurry.”
Heart racing, I debated what to do next. I didn’t think I would get another chance to be alone with one and I needed to draw him close enough to grab his dagger.
There was only one way I could think of and I pressed my lips together before saying, “I need help with my pants.”
His head jerked towards me. His drunken grin appeared, displaying sharpened, yellow teeth, and it revolted me.
Immediately, he came forward. I told myself to be still as his hands roamed down my body, as I felt his disgustingly cold flesh through my tunic. His clawed fingers came to the laces of my pants and he sliced through them with one flick. The waist loosened.
My breathing went shallow. Alarmed, I wondered if this had been a good idea, especially when he pressed his lower body into mine. My belly churned when he tilted his head and licked a line up my throat, over my cheek with his slimy tongue.
“I do not care about the king,” the Ghertun slurred. “I haven’t had a human cunt in a long—”
With a sudden jerk, I gripped the hilt of his dagger and pulled it free. Before the Ghertun even realized what was happening, I sank the blade deep into his belly—right where Arokan told me during our training sessions—feeling the hard scales give surprisingly easily.
His eyes flashed to me in shock and he stumbled back, but not before I twisted and pulled the dagger free.
For one stunned, silent moment, he looked down at his wound, one leg giving out underneath him.
My hands shook and I stared at him, feeling the heavy weight of the dagger in my palm.
He was the first being I’d ever wanted to kill. I didn’t know how I felt about that, not yet, but I would do whatever it took to survive, to get back to Arokan, the horde, and Kivan. I would do whatever it took to keep my growing baby safe.
The Ghertun fell with a loud thud, blood spilling from his wound. I saw his eyes roll back, but not before he let out an anguished, angry cry, alerting the leader and the other Ghertun at the clearing.
Then he was dead.
I heard the leader shout. Through the black vines, I saw him racing towards me…the other three Ghertun not far behind.
Chapter Thirty-Four
I was running out of time.
Immediately, I bent down and sawed the dagger back and forth over the bindings at my feet as hard and as fast as I could. If I wasn’t able to run soon, they’d catch me. And who knows what they would do if they did.
Thankfully, the rope was as thin as I originally thought and it didn’t take long for the sharpened, bloodied dagger to snap through the bonds. Without another moment of hesitation, with my feet freed, I turned and sprinted away as fast as I could, pumping my arms at my sides, just as the leader and the three Ghertun reached the body of the fifth.
I heard the leader curse, heard one Ghertun stumble over the body, but I continued to run. I might not be strong, but I was fast and I used that to my advantage.
What I didn’t count on, however, was how dark the forest would be. Hardly any moonlight—what light there was from the crescent moon—penetrated through the canopy of the thick vines. Only shafts of it, here and there, helped illuminate a clear path for me, but I feared that the Ghertun would have better vision in the dark. I knew the Dakkari did. Darkness was a weakness of humans and I had no room for weakness. Not right then.
My breath came out in panicked, loud pants and I made an effort to quiet it when I heard rustling behind me, when I heard the leader give orders to his Ghertun, not too far away. They’d lost sight of me in the thick darkness, but they were experienced trackers as scouts. I wouldn’t underestimate their ability, considering they knew this forest better than I did.
Though I continued to run, I tried to be as quiet as possible. But my footsteps were loud and I feared that running was drawing their attention even more.
As I ran, I cut the bonds tying my hands, though I was clumsy and managed to knick my wrist. It didn’t matter. At least I wasn’t tied, at least I would stand a fighting chance if one of them found me.
Pain exploded in my shoulder, right over my burn, when I ran straight into a vine covered boulder I hadn’t seen and my body spun, landing heavily on the earth.
Panting, I pushed up and heard the leader’s voice. They were close.
Not too far in front of me, I saw a shaft of moonlight illuminate a large, jutting rock, with a fissured crack right down the middle. It would be big enough for me to squeeze into.
Slowing my breathing, I went for it. Holding the dagger close, I squeezed myself into the small space, the rock pressing tight around me. At the last moment, I saw a broken fragment at my feet and I paused, before picking it up. I stepped out from my hiding place, cocked my arm back and threw the rock as far as I possibly could, in the opposite direction.
The forest was silent as I heard it clatter off another rock and then I squeezed myself back inside the crack when I heard the leader’s voice sound again. They’d heard it. Good.
A few moments later, I heard quick footsteps approach. I dragged in a silent, deep breath, holding it. A few yards away, I saw two Ghertun pass, though I couldn’t tell if the leader was one of them. They ran in the direction of where I’d thrown the rock and when they passed, I let out my breath slowly, relieved.
I felt blood drip down my hand from the dagger. Ghertun blood. It was still warm but I refused to think about it. Still, I wiped my hand and the dagger on my pants until it was clean.
I don’t know how long I waited, but I kept quiet. I listened. In the distance, far enough away, I heard loud Ghertun voices carry, bouncing off the boulders, echoing back to me. I listened until I didn’t hear them anymore and I prayed that they’d continue on in the direction of where I’d thrown the rock, far, far away.
When I felt it was safe, I slowly wiggled out from the crack, still clutching the dagger tight, and turned in the opposite direction. I didn’t run. I kept my steps light and quiet, using the boulders to shield me from sight just in case.
My heart froze in my chest when I heard anguished screams in the distance. Breathing hitching, I realized it was from the direction the two Ghertun had gone.
Their yells filled the forest and I stilled, placing my back against a boulder as I listened, heart pounding.
Then, bright relief filled me when I heard Dakkari orders echo from that direction.
Arokan.
They must have found the two Ghertun. Hope filled me and I spun back around, quickly striding in that direction.
Arokan, Arokan.
I could see him soon. I could feel his arms wrapped around me. I could feel safe.
Those thoughts spurred me into a jog, wanting to see him, needing to see him.
The closer I got, I heard more Dakkari words filter through the forest. I was gaining on—
My breath left me when I was sudde
nly tackled from the side, the cool bulk of a Ghertun pinning me down.
I hit the ground hard and my burned, already injured shoulder knocked against a nearby boulder. I felt a pop at the joint.
My scream echoed through the forest.
“Human bitch,” the Ghertun leader hissed in my face, making to reach for the dagger in my hand, though I struggled underneath him. “You will pay for their lives.”
In the distance, I heard a roar shake the forest.
Relief. Arokan. I knew it was him.
That knowledge filled me with determination and I swiped out the dagger quickly, managing to cut down the leader’s arm. He hissed in surprise but when I made to stab his belly, he rolled off me to avoid it and I used that opportunity to jump to my feet.
I began to run—
Only to land facedown when he grabbed my ankle, my teeth chattering together, my lip splitting. My shoulder twinged and I cried out, feeling him grab higher on my leg.
I rolled and saw that the leader was trying to pull himself up. I kicked, thrashing. I connected with his face. His grip loosened on my legs. I kicked him again with my other leg, finally managing to break free.
I felt the ground begin to vibrate. I recognized it. I knew that the pyroki were approaching fast, a lot of them by the sounds of it. I heard the echo of it grow louder and louder.
I jumped to my feet and looked at the Ghertun leader lying on the earth. He seemed to recognize that his time was limited. He heard the Dakkari coming, same as I.
“Surrender,” I gasped, trying to catch my breath, holding out the dagger, keeping my eyes on him, “and your life might be spared.”
He let out that awful laugh. “Even you know that’s not true, human.” I tensed when his arms flexed, when he prepared to push off the ground. “I will take my chances with you.”
He lunged. Though I saw it coming, though I was ready, I was unprepared for his speed and he knocked the dagger out of my hand before I even blinked.
Behind me, I heard a pyroki burst into the clearing. The Ghertun’s eyes widened and he stumbled back, prepared to flee. I turned and saw Arokan swinging off Kailon, his blade already unsheathed.
The Ghertun didn’t make it far.
With a furious roar, my horde king swung his sword, plunging it into the leader’s belly, right where his heart was. He was dead the moment it penetrated.
The leader immediately fell facedown, but Arokan was already turning to me, the dead Ghertun already forgotten.
His expression was thunderous. His eyes were wild, his chest heaving with roughened breaths, Ghertun blood splattered across his chest and face.
My lips parted. I’d never seen my horde king so…undone.
Relief made tears prick my eyes as his arms came around me, swinging me up against his chest. I bit my lip when my shoulder pulled and he gentled his strength when he noticed me holding it peculiarly.
“Luna,” he rasped in my ear. He was shaking, the muscles in his arms and shoulders and chest vibrating with the adrenaline coursing through him. “Luna.”
Just then, the rest of the horde warriors broke through the clearing, surrounding us.
“There were f-five,” I told him. “I killed one earlier.”
Arokan’s expression pulled and he turned to his pujerak, whose eyes I caught. Arokan’s arms tightened around me as he said, “There is one more. Do not return until he is dead.”
The pujerak inclined his head. He called out to the horde warriors and they rode out. They would comb through the forest, I knew. They wouldn’t stop until Arokan’s orders were carried out.
Arokan swung us both up on Kailon. Exhaustion was starting to weigh on me. Now that I was safe, all I wanted to do was sleep. I was still cradled in his arms and I rested my head on his chest, listening to his heart race.
My horde king looked down at my face, his expression tightening at whatever he saw. Rage entered his gaze, hot and furious. I realized he was doing everything he could not to explode.
I reached out to touch his cheek and he closed his eyes, his nostrils flaring, cupping my hand with his. He brought his forehead down to mine, gently.
Rasping, he said, “I feared…vok!”
He stopped with a curse and I could still feel him tremble against me at whatever he thought.
“Take me home, Arokan,” I whispered.
Beyond words, my horde king nodded and he spurred Kailon into a sprint back towards camp.
Chapter Thirty-Five
“You’re sure I can’t do anything, Luna?” Kivan asked quietly, squeezing my hand.
“No,” I said, giving him a small smile that I hoped reassured him. I was laying in bed, propped up by a plethora of cushions. It was early morning, not even a few hours after Arokan had found me. Dawn was just beginning to break over the sky and already, I’d been patched up by the healer, my arm popped back into place, and I’d had some tea for the pain. “I just need rest.”
Kivan nodded. He looked tired. He’d been up all night too. I’d learned that it had been him who’d alerted Arokan that something was wrong. He’d seen me go into the black vine forest with Hukan, though he hadn’t thought anything of it at the time. However, once he saw Hukan exit alone, without me or my guards, he went to find Arokan immediately.
“I’m glad you’re safe, Luna,” Kivan whispered down to me. He squeezed my hand and then rose from the bed. “I’ll see you later.”
I nodded and watched him go. My piki, Mirari and Lavi, had already come by and I knew they were outside waiting for my brother, to ask him about me. Both, apparently, were overcome with guilt, though I couldn’t understand why. I’d dismissed them yesterday evening, to go let them prepare for the grand meal.
The moment my brother exited the tent, Arokan stepped inside, as if my husband knew I’d needed that time with my brother.
Arokan was still quiet. Even though the last of the Ghertun had been hunted down, he was still furious. I could tell. I’d never seen him this way before and it worried me.
“Come here,” I ordered. Silently, Arokan walked to his side of the bed and slid in beside me. He drew close, careful of my injured shoulder, of the burn, and positioned me so I laid my head in the crook of his elbow.
We hadn’t had time to talk. I almost feared what to say, considering how the circumstance had come about.
“Arokan,” I whispered, turning my head to look at him. “Did you…did you find the guards? Their bodies?”
I couldn’t stop thinking about them. If I’d never gone into the forest with Hukan…they would still be alive.
“Lysi,” he said. “They will be given a proper burial. A warrior’s burial.”
I nodded, trying to meet his gaze, but he was looking down at my burn. At the Ghertun marking. His eyes were frozen on it, though I knew he’d seen it when the healer put healing salve on it.
Suddenly, he said, “Hukan did not try to flee when I put her under guard watch.”
My breath hitched. I hadn’t told him it was Hukan, not directly. But judging from what my brother had said, my husband had put together the fragmented pieces. He knew that his only blood relation, his mother’s sister, the female that had once saved his life, had betrayed him.
My fingers sought his hand. His palm was warm and he gripped my hand tightly, as if afraid I would let go.
“I’m sorry, Arokan,” I said.
“She will face her punishment,” Arokan said, his voice strange. “She will face Kakkari.”
I didn’t know what that meant, but I wasn’t certain I wanted to know right then.
“I know you love her,” I said, looking down at our entwined hands. “I know this is hard for you.”
“For me,” he repeated slowly, turning my face to look at me, his brow furrowed in an expression that looked anguished. “Kalles, you were betrayed, taken, beaten, burned…your—your pant lacings were…were ripped—”
My sucked in a harsh breath, realizing what he was saying, and I turned in his arms, ignoring
the twinge in my shoulder. Taking his face in my hands, I whispered, “They didn’t touch me, Arokan. Not that way.”
He closed his eyes and tears pricked my vision. The things he must’ve thought…
“Arokan,” I whispered, stroking his cheek. “My body will heal. The healer said the baby is safe. I’m here with you. That’s all that matters.”
“The burn will remain,” he said, his voice hardening. “The memory will.”
I went silent. I knew it would. I would forever remember the feel of a dagger sinking into Ghertun flesh, of a shocked expression, of the realization that I’d killed him.
But I would do it all over again if I had to.
“I failed you,” he said.
I gasped. “What?”
“I did not protect you,” he said, looking at me, that emotion that I’d seen when he’d entered the clearing in the forest, right at the surface. “The dark things I thought when I realized you had been taken, when we could not find you as the hours went by…vok, Luna, it was the worst moment of my life and I have experienced many of those. I failed you. When I swore to protect you, when I swore you would be safe. I am sorry, kassikari. Please forgive me.”
Hearing him apologize was almost as wrong as his words.
“Arokan,” I said, taking his face again. “Listen to me. You did not fail me. Don’t ever think that again.”
He shook his head.
“Stop it,” I whispered, my throat clogging. This was why he’d been quiet, I realized. Because he believed he’d been responsible for what I suffered. “Arokan, you did save me.”
He closed his eyes. “I found you because I heard you scream.”
“No, that’s not what I meant,” I said. When he looked at me, I said, “I meant that you gave me the strength and the knowledge and the training in order for me to survive. Without that, I don’t think I would’ve.”
He dropped his head to my shoulder, letting out a rough breath.