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Somewhere behind us, thundering footfalls struck the ground, growing louder andcloser.
The grip holding me eased, and I scrambled away from the contraption, but the guard clasped my wrist. I pried at his iron fingers that refused tobudge.
“What is it now?” the priestessshouted.
I stared up at the four guards marching with someone toward us through the trees from the direction for the front gate, but the moment they emerged, ice filled myveins.
“Oryn?” Iwhispered.
He was naked and bleeding cuts dotted his body. My chest clenched, and I clawed at the guard’sarms.
“Who is this?” She stormedcloser.
“Priestess, we found this shifter in our land in his wolf form. But he was no match for us.” The men stood proudly with their chests sticking out, chinshigh.
“Yeah, big men when it’s four against one,” I blurtedout.
Oryn’s head lifted, his gaze on mine, and when he winked, a newfound energy found me. The guys were coming for me, and I bounced in my boots. Oryn getting caught wasn’t an accident. I’d seen him take down ferocious wolves, so four guards were nothing. But they shouldn’t have come and placed themselves indanger.
“This is your doing,” the priestess said. “You’re calling more of your kind onto my land.” The priestess scoffed and turned to Oryn. “Bring him to me.” She dug into her pocket and took out a fabric pouch. “Shifters will be extinct soon enough. You two are just leavingearlier.”
“What’s in the pouch?” I asked as my thoughts flew to the poisonedriver.
Her smirk left me terrified. “A little something I ordered from the Darkwoods. Did you know you can find almost anything there? Disgusting place, but sometimes anecessity.”
When the guard kicked Oryn’s leg, he dropped his knees, but his hands snapped free the tied binding this wrists behind hisback.
My breath froze in mychest.
He leaped to his feet as she snatched a pinch of whatever was in her bag and blew it into hisface.
Oryn flinched backward and sneezed. Then his eyes rolled back and he crashed onto his side,unmoving.
“Oryn!” I drove my heel into the guard’s foot and broke free. I ran around the guillotine and slid to my knees next to him, cupping his face with my good hand. “Wake up.” Listening to his chest, his heartbeat was present, butfaint.
I glanced up to the priestess. “What did youdo?”
She shrugged, tucking away her pouch into a pocket of her dress. “Just a little something that will shut down his organs. It’s the most humane way to do it. He’s notsuffering.”
I rocked on the spot. “You’re killing him for no reason.” I reached down and placed my palm on his chest, driving my power into his. The buzzing tingled down my arm. I’d done it before, so it had to work now. I held the priestess’ gaze to keep herdistracted.
“Is that how you poisoned the water in theDen?”
“Smart girl. The toxin in the stream will turn the beasts against each other until they’re all dead. Then my job is done. And I’ll claim their territory and expand Terra. We are the original beings. Pure and free ofimperfections.”
“How can you sleep at night? Knowing you’ll be the cause of the mass extinction of arace?”
A guard shoved me in theback.
“She’s doing something to him. Her hand isglowing.”
I turned, but a fist collided with my cheek. Stars danced before me, and I collapsed onto my back. My world danced, and voices spoke, but nothing made sense. Not when my head vibrated and felt as if someone had ripped out my jaw. How in the world did men keep fighting after gettingpunched?
Hands grabbed my waist and lifted me to my feet, but everything in my sight wasduplicated.
“Set her up and let’s finish this. I’m starving.” The priestess patted down her dress, brushing off deadleaves.
He gripped my arm tight, and I winced from the sting along my shoulder as he dragged me to theguillotine.
