Page 11 of A Thieving Curse

A stronger gust of wind whipped past, and she pressed closer to Opal. “How to build a fire would be helpful knowledge right now.”

Her family would search for her, obviously. If the manticore hadn’t killed them all. She swayed as she recalled the sound of tearing flesh and the knight’s scream when the manticore’s tail pierced him.Don’t let that have been Gareth.No, it couldn’t have been. The knights were capable and outnumbered the monster; of course Gareth and her parents were alive.

But how would they find her? Should she look for them? She hadn’t a notion which direction to go. If she moved, she might wander farther from help. If she stayed, she’d sleep. And if she fell asleep, she was certain she’d be eaten by some wild beast.

Staying still was folly. Moving was out of the question.

Raelyn rubbed her eyes.How to move without moving?

“Come on, girl.” She tied Opal to an aspen’s slim trunk. Then, holding her cloak tightly about her, she began to pace.

She took up a path between a large juniper bush with threatening dark recesses and an oak. Worries shadowed her every step. What if she was wrong, and Gareth had been injured? No, he’d trained his entire life with a sword. She had to believe he was all right, or she would lose her mind. How long would it take them to find her? She stopped. What if they were late for the wedding because she lost control of her horse? She’d let her parents down before she even met her husband.

A gust of air stung her face, and she pulled her hood lower and returned to pacing. She just had to stay alive until her family found her.

After pacing for what felt like ages, her whole body ached. Her eyes burned, and she developed a stitch in her side. If she sat down, she would fall asleep, but she couldn’t remain standing. She untied Opal and remounted. At least this way, if an animal attacked, Opal would carry her away.

Her eyelids fluttered as Opal meandered through the trees. Raelyn shook her head and blinked.Come on. Stay awake. Listen for someone looking for you.She half-smiled, thinking of hiding with Gareth. For once, she wanted to be found.

A howl sounded in the distance, and Raelyn straightened, alert. Opal’s ears twitched, and the mare skittered. Raelyn gripped the reins like they offered some protection.

Another howl, this one closer. She gulped. Should she halt Opal so they wouldn’t draw attention, or ride away quickly so the wolves couldn’t catch her? A beast howled almost immediately in front of them, sending Raelyn’s heart into her throat. Opal bolted forward, then reared as a wolf leapt into her path, throwing Raelyn from the saddle.

Raelyn’s back slammed into the ground and the wind rushed out of her lungs. She gasped for air and sat up as Opal disappeared into the shadows.Opal, no!She scrambled to her feet, then froze.

A wolf crouched a few feet away, ready to spring. She drew in jagged breaths as her pulse hammered. Her instincts screamed to run, but she couldn’t outrun a wolf—and no one was there to help her. She gulped, her mind racing. She needed to get out of their reach.There.A tree a couple paces away with branches low enough she might be able to climb it. Howls filled the night, and the wolf snarled.

She sprinted for the tree. The wolf sprang forward, giving chase. As Raelyn jumped up and grabbed the lowest branch, teeth latched onto the heel of her boot. A scream ripped from her throat. She kicked, and her other foot hit the beast’s snout, causing it to yelp and release her. Raelyn strained and flailed until she climbed up. She laid on the branch, chest heaving.

Something grabbed her ankle. She looked down to see a wolf biting her boot, its back paws on the ground. It bit down harder, and she cried out as its teeth broke through her boot and pierced her skin. The wolf pulled, and she slid sideways.

“No!” She wrapped her arms around the branch and swung her other foot as her eyes watered. Her heel caught the creature in the chest, and it fell back. She clenched her teeth against the pain and hauled herself back up.

The branch wasn’t thick, and she wasn’t sure it would hold. Four wolves now crowded below her, growling. One jumped at the trunk, then pushed off toward her. Its mouth snapped next to her arm, and she cried into her sleeve. She was going to die here, alone.

No. If I make it through the night, Gareth will find me.She breathed out slowly as her resolve strengthened.I just have to get higher.She pushed against the branch and wobbled to her feet. The branch quaked. She couldn’t fall, shecouldn’t.Trembling, she reached for the next closest bough. The wolves chomped their jaws as she leaned across the empty space above them.

Another wolf jumped and got too close, almost catching the dangling edge of her cloak. Her lungs seized, but her fingers found the higher limb, and she heaved herself up, her arms burning and threatening to betray her to the predators below. She scarcely breathed until she straddled the new branch. The wolves stalked beneath her, but she was out of their reach.

The bough dipped down. She held her breath.

A sickeningcrackshot through the air. Raelyn sucked in a sharp breath and eyed the next branch, directly above her. She pushed to her knees, which caused the branch beneath her to shudder. A sob caught in her chest. Slowly, her whole body shaking, she reached up.

The wood split, and she fell, screaming, to the ground.

The wolves jumped out of the way of the falling bough and girl. Raelyn shot to her feet as the beasts lunged. One caught her cloak and pulled. Another tore a piece of her dress away. A third just missed her gloved hand as she leapt toward the tree, but she was yanked back by her cloak. The last wolf crouched before her, tail swishing. She threw her hands in front of her face and squeezed her eyes shut.

A roar crashed through the forest, and the wolves yelped. The tug on her cloak stopped. She pried her eyes open as the wolf in front of her ran into the darkness. She quivered from head to foot as she turned, afraid to discover what monster could scare away a pack of wolves.

In the darkness, a shape stepped closer. Something humanoid with glowing red eyes, black horns, and massive, leathery wings. Raelyn stepped away, but her heel caught on her shredded cloak. She toppled backward. Her head slammed against the trunk of the fir tree, and she blacked out.

Gareth

THE MANTICORE ROARED, its wings stretched to a formidable length. Gareth leapt off his horse, sword in hand. The beast’s tail jabbed into a knight, and the man screamed. Gareth raced toward it, low to the ground, searching for an opening as the thrill of battle coursed through him.

The monster yowled as one of the knights struck its haunches. Gareth sprang forward and slashed into a leathery wing.

With a roar, the manticore redirected its attack. Its claws raked down Gareth’s left arm, but he didn’t falter despite the burning pain. He drove his blade into the monster’s shoulder as its tail curled above its back. He shoved his sword deeper, eyes wide as the tail raced toward him. Sudden weight pulled on his arms, and the tail jerked. Gareth dove to the side, barely evading the stinger as the manticore collapsed. The beast shuddered, then went still, the hilt of his sword glinting in its fur.

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