Chapter Six ▏The Savior

I get up so fast that the world around me begins to spin. The ground under my boots seems to be lurching, but I run anyway. 

My knees are shaking. The rebels must have heard me, I know, so I do my best to slow down, all the while clutching my sword. My bag of supplies is left in the carriage. I want to find my way back to the road and see if my uncle is alright, but I know I have to get moving or else they will hurt me. One of them already very specifically ordered that I’m wanted. Dead or alive. 

And I know that their first option will be to kill me. If they catch me alive, I don’t think I would want to see what’s in store anyway. 

“Hurry!” the same voice yells. “Check the tracks. I knew she fell here.”

Their footsteps grow louder. Closer to where I am. 

I pick up my pace. I don’t care anymore whether they hear me or not. The only goal I have in mind right now is to get away from here as fast as possible, as far as possible. My knees are shaking. Tears are still streaming from my eyes. My stomach is flipping inside my body and I feel like throwing up, but I kept going. Going, going, going. Into the forest, through the thick trees, under the shadows of their branches. 

I'm in a trance now. I have no idea where I’m going. All I know is that it’s away from the rebels, away from the path, away from my uncle. I still can’t believe that every possible thing that could have gone wrong did indeed go wrong, that it’s somehow my fault.

Numb with shock, I keep walking. And walking. And walking. The clear path between the trees stretching before me becomes more and more narrow the farther I go, until it blends into nothing but criss-crossing roots and fallen leaves. The sun, which was positioned in the middle of the sky when I got here, begin to sink in the west, casting a blood-red light over the forest and creating shadows on the ground.

The darkness is approaching, and I’m all alone in the forest of whatever city-state this is, alone and hungry. Tired and desperate. Broken and in despair. 

I look around and see a large tree root curving over a rock. There’s a hidden corner inside it, a little nook where I can sit and remain unseen. Dragging my feet, I walk towards it and sit down. A sigh escapes my lips, and fatigue crashes over me wave after wave until I’m closing my eyes. 

* * * * * *

Morning comes and I wake, then I keep walking. The deeper I get into the forest, the darker the daylight seems to get. The foliage gets thicker and thicker, and I’m getting more and more exhausted. And hungry. And thirsty.

By afternoon I find a shallow stream, which I drink from, not caring about whether it’s clean or not. I get the answer to that at night, when my stomach grumbles as I try to fall asleep. 

The day comes and I wake again, weaker and colder now. I feel hollow, but I keep walking. This time, I try to follow the path where I come from.

But I don’t find the way. 

I’m lost in the middle of nowhere. 

That night, I fall asleep like the dead. I wake up the next morning, hardly able to get to my feet. Then I keep walking. Strangely enough, I don’t hear any animals. Not even the little ones. No birds, no tracks, no rustling. The place is strangely eerie. 

Or maybe I’m just numb.

Three days. I count three days passing. I drink from the stream. I snack on the red berries that grow in some bushes that dot the forest. It’s tiring. I have never been in this situation before, and I don’t want to keep going anymore, but I know I have to.

“You’ll be fine,” I tell myself through cracked lips, closing my eyes momentarily as the trees blur in my vision. “You’ll be okay.”

That’s getting harder and harder to believe. 

The sun goes down again, turning the air deathly cold. My breath is fogging up before me. This marks my fourth night here. This time, the sky is clear. I can actually see the stars when the darkness takes over. The moon is out and it’s bathing the treetops in a pale yellow glow. 

I find another tree root with a caved, empty inside. I hug my weapons to my chest, mostly just to try to keep myself warm as I lean against the rough tree bark and prepare to sleep. I close my eyes, drowsiness flooding my body and making my muscles feel slack.

And that’s when I hear the howl.

It’s loud. It’s deep and guttural, eerie and unusual, almost ancient in the quiet power that it holds. It brings the already silent forest into a standstill, freezing even time itself. I’m holding my breath, bracing myself for something explosive as it continues to pierce the night. The temperature in the forest seems to drop immensely. 

I remember hearing something similar during the dinner in the palace, which seems to be ages ago. I didn’t think much of it before, but hearing it in the open like this is making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Chills run down my spine as I sit up and listen to it. As I do so, I also hear heavy footfalls, making the ground hum. There’s also heavy breathing, the raspy panting that large animals have.

This is the first time I hear any signs of animals.

And it’s coming from right across me. 

At first I didn't see it. My eyes are dry and droopy and the darkness is almost opaque, but then I catch the flash of teeth, the light reflecting off their eyes. I jump to my feet, and they loom into view.

Five dogs the size of horses, with jet black fur and pointy ears. Their massive paws are tipped with sharp nails, crushing twigs on the ground. Their eyes are white and milky, glowing like the moon overhead. 

I know what they are. I read about them in history books. Uncle Osman taught me about them.

“Shadow Wolves,” I remember him saying to me during a hunting lesson once, “are the most powerful among the Supernatural creatures. The wisest, the most sentient, but also the most vile. They ruled the Kingdom with their version of peace, and humans were treated as slaves. Slaves in our own world. I’m glad our ancestors stepped up and reclaimed what was ours, because if it weren’t for them, we would still be serving evil entities. The Shadow Wolves, as powerful as they were said to be, were the first creatures to be recorded non-existed. We defeated them, erased them.”

He said they are extinct. My other professors said they’re no more. All the records in history books said the same. 

Yet here’s a pack of them in front of me now, all baring their teeth, bracing themselves to attack. 

Then they lunge at me at the same time. 

My body reacts before my mind can comprehend it. I can’t even scream. Fear and despair are flowing in my veins, a toxic paralyzing mix. I dive to the side, avoiding one of the wolves from pinning me on the ground. However, I don’t manage to avoid the quick swipe of one wolf’s paw.

It scratches my middle, swiping my sword and my bow to the ground as I feel its sharp nails tearing through my shirt and scraping my skin. The pain from the long gashes makes me gasp, but the sudden sensation gives me enough power to think quick. I climb over the root and drop on the other side, then I begin to run as fast as my weak knees can take me. 

But of course, I’m not fast enough for five monsters. 

They follow me relentlessly, effortlessly, growling behind me as I jump over rocks and push the low hanging branches away from my face. 

My lungs are constricting. I gasp for air as my heart struggles to pump. My legs are smarting. The spurt of energy is waning and I’m getting drained. I push myself to go further, but I only end up collapsing on my knees as my body begins to shut down. 

The surroundings are turning white. My breathing is ragged. I face the wolves, and they form a circle around me, prowling and waiting for the right time to pounce and tear me to pieces. I have nowhere to run. 

This is it. I’m going to die. 

I should at least meet my death with dignity. I force myself to stand and face the biggest Shadow Wolf. The rest tense up and growl. Then they leap towards me. 

There’s silence. I fall to the ground, my vision white and hazy. My body feels like it’s floating, though, which is odd. There’s something tight and warm around my waist, almost like a firm embrace from human arms. 

“I got you,” a deep male voice whispers in my ear. 

I blink rapidly, my heart racing. Am I imagining things now? Am I already dead? Is this the afterlife?

My vision clears for a split second, and I find myself face to face with an angel of a man before my whole world goes black.