A shout comes from the woods, drawing my attention back to the fight.
Gabriel and Hedran are moving so quickly, I can barely keep track of them. Both are clearly well trained, and I’m not sure who has the upper hand at the moment.
Gabriel attacks, aiming for Hedran’s side. The other Hunter deflects his blow. A shift of his feet, a lunge, and now Gabriel is on the defensive.
These aren’t the practice blows the boys in the yard used. Each of these swings are meant to maim and kill.
My heart is racing, and my breaths are too short.
Nearby, Mist is circling the grey wolf.
The two creatures had initially tumbled, a ball of black and grey, but now they’re snapping their teeth and snarling.
After a few moments, I drag my attention back to Gabriel. I can’t look away from him for long. Hedran brings down his sword, aiming for Gabriel’s side. Gabriel blocks the blow, grunting with the effort.
The hilt of my dagger is pressed between my palm and the mottled brown tree trunk, and I dig my fingers into the bark. My soreness from earlier is long forgotten.
I can barely breathe as Gabriel’s steel clashes with Hunter Erlet’s again and again.
The ringing of metal seems far louder in this silent forest than it ever did in the smithy’s yard.
Each time the swords connect, the resounding shriek is a signal to all near and far that something is happening this evening.
Gabriel growls something too low for me to hear. Hedran laughs, the cruel sound sending skitters up my spine. I gasp, and he looks directly at my hiding place.
“Fuck.” The curse crawls out of my throat. I shift, pressing my hooded forehead against the rough bark.
For the suns’ sakes, why can’t the damned glow stop for once?
My heart is a booming drum, getting louder by the moment. It doesn’t stop me from hearing the feline cry that fills the air, though, or the responding canine roar. The sounds of the animals fighting has my chest tightening, but I dig my nails into the tree and force myself to remain still and stay hidden.
I am not a fighter, I tell myself.I’ll be in the way.
Once again, I’m reminded of how little I am prepared for real life. I was robbed of many things simply because I was Marked to be Given.
I have a dagger, but I don’t really know how to use it. Avoiding stabbing myself is one thing—gods above, doing such a thing would be awfully unlucky, even for me—but I don’t know how to use the weapon defensively.
If I were to try to attack someone, I’d never get close enough to use the blade.
The sounds of the fight are closer, and the wind carries male grunts of exertion to my ears. Eventually, I give in to my curiosity and peek around the tree once more, my heart lurching.
Gabriel and Hedran arerightin front of me.
At some point while I was distracted, Gabriel removed his cloak. His back muscles ripple, his well-honed body moving with each swing of his sword.
My arms hurt thinking about lifting the heavy weapon, let alone being half as graceful as him.
The Hunters seem evenly matched, but what do I know? They fight for what feels like forever. Shadows fall, the suns cede their positions to the moons, silver slivers in the sky. The men are still battling. They seem to be drawing from bottomless wells of energy, but that can’t be true. At some point, this must end...
Right?
Gabriel brings his sword down. Hedran ducks. They parry, their blades slamming against each other, and turn in a circle.
Shadows lengthen even further, darkening the forest. I keep my eyes on the Hunters until Mist cries out, the pained sound twisting my heart. I look over to where she is circling the wolf.
Oh, gods.
Blood is dripping down her face, and she’s keeping her weight off her right front paw. The wolf is snarling, crimson matting the fur on his left side.
