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I dodge someone swiping at me, darting forward and between two little buildings, pressing up against the wall as I try to get my bearings. Some people are still looking for me while others are just trying to get out of Thali’s grasp. Everyone is screaming and running, looking for loved ones, some grabbing prized possessions as they flood into Lowtown while others charge at the dark elf painting the alleys in red.
I’m not sure what I should do.
My eyes dart to Thali, who is grinning wildly as he slams a knife up and through a man before spinning around and slitting someone else’s throat. Blood is splattered across half his face and coated in his hair.
The sight sends fear coiling in my stomach, and arousal shooting down my spine. I have to clamp my thighs together as I try to quell the feeling.
“What the fuck is wrong with me?” I mutter.
“There she is!”
My head snaps toward the voice to see three angry men, ones I’ve known vaguely over the course of my life, shoving through the panicked crowd as they stalk toward me.
They don’t make it far, though. His shout clearly drew the wrong attention. I’ve barely scrambled back when one head goes flying across the alleyway. Thali is already darting toward the second before it hits the ground just before me, rolling to stop a few feet away.
I clamp a hand over my mouth as my limbs start to shake and, without thinking, I turn and run. I know that I have to get out of here before I get hurt, caught and dragged away, or worse. It’s not safe, and maybe my body is starting to finally realize how psychotic Thali is. I find myself turning to look back at him, relieved when I see his back to me.
“This all went to shit,” I curse beneath my breath as I take a familiar path out of Lowtown. The ruins are worse, the buildings having collapsed among the fighting, but there are few fleeing this way to slow me down.
I scramble toward the familiar patch of woods I’ve spent most of my time in. I know that I will be safer there than anywhere else. No one else knows the paths like I do.
I don’t have much of a plan as I slip between the trees, my speed only picking up the farther I get away from the commotion. I just know I have to put distance between me and the others.
My eyes search the trees as I push myself to keep running even though my legs feel too heavy already. I don’t see Skye anywhere, and although I shouldn’t be worried about a bird right now, I am. I can’t help but wonder where she is.
With my mind distracted, I’m not paying close enough attention to my surroundings, and I stumble over a tree root. I manage to catch myself on my hands without any injuries, but before I get back to my feet, I hear a thud just above me.
On my hands and knees, I turn slowly to see an arrow sticking out of the tree trunk.
Right where I just was.
Fear grips my lungs, sending ice through my veins, and I force myself back up. I have to keep going, especially now that I know someone is after me.
I weave between the trees, trying to add as many distractions as possible. My eyes scan for small spaces, something that I could easily slip through that others will be slowed down by. I dodge through every spot I see like that, keeping my movements erratic when I hear another thud behind me.
My heart is in my throat, and my lungs feel like they are being sawed in half. I don’t let either slow me, though, and this time when I see a small space, the base of the trunks are so close together that I am going to have to leap through it.
Just as I take the step forward to launch myself up, my shirt jerks me back. It’s not forceful, but enough to get my attention. I spin around, pulling at the fabric and trying to rip it when I see it’s been pinned beneath an arrowhead.
I know that it might be Thali, but after the destruction he caused, I’m afraid he’s not the only one hunting me. I can’t take my chances.
A slight whistle in the air is the only thing that alerts me to the next arrow, and I have just enough time to scream as it embeds itself next to my neck. It’s just grazed my skin, and when I try to move, I realize it’s caught the collar of my shirt.
Now the fabric is pinned in place, and when I try to move, the sharp arrowhead slices at my bare skin.
I lean away, trying to put some distance between the weapon and my throat, wondering how the fuck these arrows are so strong. I’m sure they are enchanted, as most things are here on Protheka, and when I reach down to grab the shaft of the one near my hip, I can’t yank it free.
Panic is starting to fully set in when I see movement between trees in the distance. Now I am caught, prey waiting to be slaughtered, and it makes me reckless.
“Come on,” I mutter as I pull and jerk on the arrows keeping me in place. Blood trickles down my neck as I slice my skin open, but I don’t care. I can only focus on getting free.
I catch another flash of whoever it is, now much closer, and I start pulling at the bark, hoping to loosen the arrowhead. My nails splinter and rip, blood trickling down my hand just as a figure appears from between the trees in front of me.
Relief and fear burst through me when I see Thali, his piercing silver eyes zeroing in on me. I drop my hands, sagging against the trunk, even as I eye the arrow still trained on me.
“Thali,” I breathe. He still hasn’t lowered his weapon. “It’s me.”
He steps closer, his muscles taught. His braid is loose and messy from the fighting and wisps of hair brush over his face. His hands don’t waver, though.
