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“Amara, we don’t have the time for this.”
I was about to reply, when I heard a sound coming from the other side of the hill we were about to climb. It had sounded like a crack, followed by a thud. I heard something hiss, a sound that made my already freezing blood run even colder. There was another thud, another crack, and what sounded like a scuffle.
I wasn’t sure what was happening, but none of it was good. Valerian and I found ourselves backing away from the hill, watching the source of the noise that had died down as suddenly as it had been initially heard.
“What was that?” I dared ask.
“I’m not sure,” Valerian said. “Stay behind me.”
My worst fears were realized when a creature rose to the top of the hill. At first, all I saw were antlers. I was expecting to see the hunched form of a Souldirge follow those large antlers, until I realized, this creature was way too tall to be one of those beasts.
Watching on bated breath, my eyes widened, and my heart surged as the creature that crested the hill wasn’t a Souldirge at all… but a Maukibou, tall, and white, and majestic against the full moon behind it. The creature padded the ground, warm puffs of breath issuing out of its nostrils. Its white fur was scraggly in places, patchy, and dirty, and one of its antlers was busted and broken, but it was unmistakably him.
“Colbolt?” I dared.
The Maukibou padded the ground once more and lowered its head.
“Colbolt!” I yelled, and I broke past Valerian and sprinted toward the creature, climbing the hill like a mad woman and throwing my arms around the warm, fluffy, white Maukibou’s neck. “It’s really you,” I cried, tears spilling from my eyes. “I can’t believe you’re here.”
Colbolt snorted. When I pulled away, I realized he had a series of nasty scars down the side of his face. The scars went past one of his eyes, which looked milky, and unseeing. I rubbed him gently along his mottled neck, feeling more scar tissue under my hand.
“What happened to you?” I asked, my heart breaking. “Have you been out here all this time?”
Another snort. He turned his head, giving me his good eye. In it, I saw recognition, determination, and happiness. Without having to say the words I knew, hehadbeen here, in this forest, since we left… waiting for me to come back. Who knows what he had seen, or what monster he had run afoul of to have been left with those scars.
Valerian joined us at the top of the hill. He also patted Colbolt on the neck, and Colbolt rubbed his cheek along Valerian’s hand. “That’s a good boy,” Valerian said. “Thank you, my friend.”
Colbolt lowered his head, padded the ground, and snorted again. “I think he wants us to get on,” I said.
Wasting no time, Valerian climbed on Colbolt’s back. He extended his hand, helping me to do the same. When we were both settled, Colbolt turned around and started moving down the hill.
“Where is he taking us?” Valerian asked.
“I’m not sure,” I said.
Colbolt grunted.
“I could be wrong,” Valerian said, “But I think that means,somewhere safe.”
“I hope that’s true,” I said. “I could do with a rest.”
“Wherever we’re going, we would probably do well to remember… this isn’t the same Arcadia we left behind. There are going to be dangers and monsters everywhere.”
“I know… but if Colbolt survived out here, waiting for us all this time, then there’s hope, too. That’s worth fighting for.”
CHAPTERTWO
Iopened my eyes with a start, my heart wedged in my throat. I blinked rapidly, trying to get my bearings. Had I fallen asleep? Turning my head up slightly, I found myself staring at Valerian’s chin. He had his arms wrapped around my waist, and I was leaning against his body. Both of us were bobbing gently up and down as Colbolt carried us along the frozen wasteland the Winter Kingdom had become.
Valerian gently tilted his head down. “You’re awake,” he said.
“I didn’t realize I’d fallen asleep,” I croaked. “How long was I out?”
“A few hours.”
“Hours?”
“You were clearly more tired than you knew.”
