Page 53 of The Dark Prince
A tree branch snapped loudly behind me. I whipped around and wielded my knife, trying in vain to hold it the way Tyr had shown me.
“W-who’s there? Hello?”
A growl answered. I wouldn’t stick around to see what made it. I turned and ran wherever there was an opening, using the knife to hack away at anything that got in my path. Blood dripped down into my eyes as the branches whipped at my face, catching on my clothes like fingers reaching out to grab me.
Something was crashing into the bushes behind me.It was large, and it was moving fast.
I closed my eyes and pushed, emerging onto the dirt road. I didn’t see the witch's house, but I didn’t care. I had open ground, and I took it. I ran as fast as I could, heart pounding as I pumped my arms, the knife still clutched in my hand.
It was so dark that I could barely see a few feet in front of me. I tried to find any kind of light that would show the edge of the forest, but it was in vain. The dark woods stretched out all around me.
WHUMPF.
Something large pounced on me, stealing my breath and pinning me to the ground. I didn’t even have the air to scream as the massive beast from Tyr’s training session leaned over me, saliva dripping down from its massive fangs.
It was something out of a nightmare—covered in rough brown fur with black claws protruding from each paw. Its eyes were red and void of anything but hunger and rage.
I would be lucky enough to immediately stumble into the beast my husband warned me about the second I stepped into the woods.
My knife lay just to the right of me, knocked away when I’d fallen.
Use anything you can. Just don’t give up.
I gathered a bit of dirt in my palm, then struck.
The beast roared and reared back as I flung dirt into its eyes, and I used its momentary blindness to grab the knife and fist it.
Strike down hard. The heart is just above the front left leg.
Tyr’s voice was in my head, calm and instructing. My hand shook and my legs wobbled. I wouldn’t be able to kill it if I couldn’t stand.
I stared stupidly as it scraped at its face with a paw, hobbling around injured. My knife lowered a fraction. I didn’t want to hurt it any more than it already was.
Kill it! Now while it’s weak!
Tyr would take it personally if I died. I refused to let him guilt himself over my death.
I gripped the knife harder and moved closer. The beast cleared its eyes and swung its head at me, roaring in my face. I stumbled and swiped blindly, only grazing the beast in its chest. My ankle rolled beneath my foot, and I fell on my stomach. I flipped to my back, but the beast was already on me, his body covering mine. His head was so close I could feel the heat radiating off his body.
The knife was too far away. I couldn’t reach it.
The beast growled and tilted its head at me, one ear cocked in confusion. I stared into its red eyes, both of us at an awkward stalemate. Why had it paused? Was it toying with me? I shouldn’t have gone into the woods. Hadn’t Tyr specifically told me it had a giant beast in it? I’d let my curiosity and determination to learn about the curse dictate my actions—and now the same beast I’d been warned about was going to kill me.
I’m sorry, Tyr.
Isadora! Run!
Tyr’s voice was in my head, jolting me into action. The beast shook its head, rearing back to strike.
FWOOSH.
An arrow cut through the woods, burying itself deep in the beast’s back. It roared in pain and fell away, twitching. I tried to roll away, but the pain was overwhelming, and my exhaustion had caught up to me. The entire world went dark as a man bent over me, frowning in dismay.
Twenty Six
ISADORA
Iwoke up, my pulse still pounding in my ears. My eyes registered the gauze curtains of my bed, and I relaxed. I tried to sit up, wincing as my wounds and ankle throbbed in time. Someone had wrapped my hands and arms in light gauze, as well as my legs. A sticky poultice was stuck to my cheeks. I sat up stiffly, feeling a bit like a wrapped sausage. Oddly, the sheath squeaked tightly against my thigh, untouched, along with the bone knife inside of it. My fingers glided across the worn leather and ripped it off. I threw it across the room.
