Another howl echoed off the walls of the ravine as Thom and I reached the edge and I unslung the bow I was carrying.\u00a0 The sound shot shivers down my spine and bile rose in my throat.\u00a0 I said nothing, not wanting any of them to see how terrified I was.<\/p>\n
Fucking <\/i>werewolves.\u00a0 What\u2019s the world going to throw at us next?<\/i>\u00a0 I bit my lip for a moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re getting close,\u201d Thordin said as he and Thom flanked me.\u00a0 Matt drifted up alongside Thom and Cameron did the same on the other side of Thordin.\u00a0 \u201cYou can tell by the number of echoes.\u00a0 I give it another five minutes or so, assuming they can find their way.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re tracking Phelan\u2019s scent?\u201d\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t really a question.\u00a0 I knew that they would be.\u00a0 We were lucky it had taken them this long to track him here.<\/p>\n
\u201cLike as not,\u201d Thordin said, his expression grim as he stared out at the bare trees, their trunks ink-black against the stark white of the snow-slick slopes.\u00a0 \u201cHe came from the south, did he?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom Chicago,\u201d I said, feeling slightly numb.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019d been with Teague and Kira.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thordin didn\u2019t bother to ask who Kira was, only nodded.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019d explain why they\u2019re taking a more circuitous route.\u00a0 Given the destruction west of here\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you know that there\u2019s destruction west of here?\u201d\u00a0 Cameron interrupted.<\/p>\n
Thordin ignored the question and continued.\u00a0 \u201c\u2014it made sense that they\u2019d come from due east, across that damned broken bridge, instead of from the south.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s three dozen of them,\u201d Thom said.\u00a0 \u201cDo you think we have a chance?\u201d<\/p>\n
Thordin winced and sucked in a breath.\u00a0 He exhaled it slowly and finally nodded.\u00a0 \u201cAye, well, we\u2019d better believe that we do.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s incredibly comforting.<\/i>\u00a0 I bit down hard on my lip and stared down at the ravine, watching for colors and movement as a howl echoed, closer this
\ntime.\u00a0 \u201cBetter make sure that everyone\u2019s loaded and ready,\u201d I said, my voice shockingly steady.<\/p>\n
Perhaps there was more from a past life in me than I\u2019d dared to imagine.<\/p>\n
Thom squeezed my shoulder and turned away from me, shouting to the others where they stood along the ravine.\u00a0 \u201cLoad weapons and ready to fire.\u00a0 They\u2019re getting close.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thordin tested the pull on the war bow in his hand.\u00a0 I could hear Cameron cocking the rifle he was carrying.\u00a0 Matt loaded Thom\u2019s shotgun, then his own, his expression grim.\u00a0 I wanted to take my brother\u2019s hand and squeeze it tightly, but there wasn\u2019t time\u2014and I was afraid that if I let go of my bow and the arrow I held at the ready, my hands would begin to shake so badly that I\u2019d be useless for hitting any mark.<\/p>\n
Keep it together, Marin.\u00a0 You can do this.\u00a0 You <\/i>have to do this.<\/i><\/p>\n
Why the hell did I insist on being on the front line anyway?<\/i><\/p>\n
I swallowed hard again.\u00a0 I was in front because I needed to be\u2014because there was no other choice for me.\u00a0 There was something inexplicable forcing me to the front of this, telling me where, exactly, I needed to be.\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t sure that I liked it.<\/p>\n
Then again, the first time I\u2019d had a vision, I\u2019d been sure<\/i> I hadn\u2019t liked those.<\/p>\n
Deep breaths, Marin.\u00a0 Deep breaths.<\/i><\/p>\n
Something moved beyond the bend in the ravine, a flash of gray and brown against the white and black.<\/p>\n
In one smooth motion, I drew back the bowstring and let fly.<\/p>\n
Suddenly, there was red splashed against the white of the snow.\u00a0 Something howled angrily, and that angry howl was joined by a chorus of others.<\/p>\n
The battle was on.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Another howl echoed off the walls of the ravine as Thom and I reached the edge and I unslung the bow I was carrying.\u00a0 The sound shot shivers down my spine and bile rose in my throat.\u00a0 I said nothing, … Continue reading