Page 18 of The Piper's Pursuit

“He attacked a man near here, the one who later died of a putrid fever.”

“How did he describe the beast?”

“He said he looked like a wolf, or a giant dog; he was unsure. He was a shop owner who rarely ventured out of the town gates and had never actually seen a wolf before.” He’d only been in the woods because he was meeting a woman who was not his wife. Stupid man’s only weapon had been his walking stick.

As they walked, Steffan was finally quiet, and she hadn’t heard Otto breaking any twigs or rustling any leaves in a while. Was he still behind them?

They were climbing the hill now, and the trees were becoming sparser, with fewer bushes and undergrowth. Very few people ventured this way anymore, not since all the reports of the Beast of Hamlin and so many people had gone missing. And yet, she saw evidence of people having recently climbed the hill on the very path they were taking, including fresh footprints, trampled leaves, and broken twigs.

Steffan stepped up beside her and bent over and picked up a bruised leaf. He looked at her and lifted a brow. “Who would be coming this way with the beast on the loose?”

Kat shrugged slightly and shook her head. She took a few more steps, Steffan just behind her. The trail was becoming rockier as it went straight up, but a newer trail, less worn, was just visible, forking off to the left. Steffan seemed to notice it the same time she did, as he bent forward and peered in that direction. He looked at her and motioned with his head.

He was smarter than she thought. How annoying.

They took the left fork, where the trees were a little more dense, and found themselves winding between tree branches and bushes. Kat was in the lead, but when a branch blocked her way, Steffan held it up to let her pass under it.

She didn’t say thank you. A tiny nudge of guilt pinched her chest. But why should she thank him? It was nothing heroic. And she didn’t want him to think she wanted him here. He was an arrogant mercenary, and she didn’t need his help.

They continued following the path as it wound around the side of the hill, coming to the far side, away from town. Then, instead of continuing up, the path started down.

Kat got a strange feeling, a prickling at the back of her neck, as if something were breathing just behind her. She turned, but only Steffan was there, slightly behind and to the side of her. Beyond him were dark, shadowy trees. The sky seemed to have become overcast, hiding the sun and making the forest even darker.

She continued forward. How had she never seen this path before? Or gone this way? It must be a very new path. A fallen tree lay up ahead. She vaguely remembered seeing it before, lying against a large boulder, half covered. But today there were other downed trees that looked to have been piled up around it, covering the boulder, if indeed her memory was correct.

The trees, though their trunks were sawed through, were still full of green leaves, as if freshly cut.

A growl erupted, loud and close. It came from the other side of the pile of trees.

Kat’s whole body tensed. She already held her crossbow at the ready, so she stopped and waited. Steffan stepped up beside her. He had drawn his sword without her hearing it.

An animal with long skinny legs stepped out from behind the pile of trees. The unusually large creature bared its teeth and hunched low, crouching and readying itself.

Steffan stepped forward as she raised her crossbow. Thankfully, he stayed well to the side so that she had a clear shot.

Kat raised her crossbow, aimed, and just as she loosed the arrow, the animal leapt.

Six

Steffan waited as Katerina aimed her crossbow.Shoot.The enormous animal was preparing to leap at them.Shoot.

She shot, but at the same moment the animal sprang at them.

Steffan jumped in front of Katerina with his sword raised. The beast’s eyes glowed as it sailed through the air. Steffan stabbed, but his sword tip struck the animal’s shoulder instead of its heart, as its full weight crashed down on Steffan’s head and shoulders, knocking him on his back.

Sharp teeth were so close they almost touched his nose. Steffan’s left hand tightened around the wolf’s throat, holding it off as it snarled and dripped saliva on Steffan’s chin. He couldn’t pull his sword back far enough to stab the animal. He slashed and beat at the animal’s side, but the wolf heeded it not.

The wolf’s lips were drawn back, and Steffan could see every sharp fang, every grinding tooth. The creature drew back until Steffan almost lost his grip on its neck. Should he let go and hope to have enough room to stab it? But then it lunged down at him. He locked his elbow, but the animal turned its head and sank its teeth into Steffan’s forearm.

He had to let go of his sword to grip the wolf’s head, but it did not loosen its bite.

If this was how his life would end, a victim of the Beast of Hamlin... Poor Mother and Father. He never got to tell them he was sorry.

***

Katerina’s bolt missed the animal. A tight fist gripped her heart at the fatal mistake. Had Steffan really stepped in front of her? Now he was lying on the ground, grappling with the enormous beast.

She grabbed the extra crossbow bolt from her bag. Standing over the animal, she lifted the metal arrow and used it to stab the beast through the back, hopefully in its heart, while trying not to stab Steffan.