Page 154 of A Curse of Hope and Shadows: Part I
And then he lunged.
A body shot out of the dark and knocked her off her feet, rolling her over the muddy ground. Dimitri soared overhead, snarling and snapping, turning back towards his prey.
More voices, more shouts sounded through the undergrowth, and he shot off downstream.
Adeline scrambled upright, determined to follow.
A hand snatched her back. She tried to shake it off, hissing to be let go, but it held firm no matter how hard she struggled.
“Adie!Adie!It’s me!”
She turned to face him. Jean.
“You all right?” he asked.
“It’s Dimitri,” was all she could say.
“I suspected as much,” said Jean, voice firm. “But Adeline… that isn’t him anymore.”
Hot tears pressed against her eyelids. “I know,” she whispered hoarsely. “I know, and yet… it’s still him. I can’t… I can’t let Guy kill him.”
Guy, seemingly recovered from his terror, skidded down the bank and leapt across the stream to join them. “You shot at me! You could have killed me—”
Adeline pointed the gun to his chest, stopping him shortly in his tracks. “If I shot at you, you’d be dead,” she snapped. “So pray you don’t tempt me.”
“You can’t… you can’t make threats like that!”
“Then don’t shoot at the people I love!”
Guy stared at her, and then he did the worst thing he could possibly do in such a scenario.
He laughed.
“What? You’re in love with that monster? I supposed I shouldn’t be surprised, two ugly, filthy freaks—”
Adeline crunched the butt of the pistol down on his nose so hard it cracked. “Don’t you dare speak about him that way!”
Guy screamed, spitting blood. His pistol tumbled to the ground. “You—”
He moved towards her, but Jean stepped between them. “Go,” he said. “But Adeline—don’t do anything reckless.”
Like let him live?
She kicked Guy’s pistol into the stream, making him swear loudly, and nodded her thanks at Jean. She could do no more.
I won’t let you hurt him. Not you.
She tore off downstream, following the narrow dots of light, the yells. Stumbling, half blind and frantic, she emerged on a rocky ledge. Three villagers surrounded Dimitri, thankfully without pistols. They advanced on him, pitchforks raised.
Behind them, Adeline saw someone else emerge out of the dark. Thomas, Hughes, Mrs Minton, and—
Oh Gods, Elliott? What was he doing here?
Elliott moved forward, but Thomas put his hand out to stop him. Mrs Minton turned away as the prongs crept closer, burying herself in Hughes’ shoulder.
Was this it? Was this how Dimitri was going to die? Speared by strangers while the rest of them just watched?
She spared a brief thought to wonder where the Duke was, if he was sitting comfortably in the Manor, washing the blood off his hands, or if he was out summoning more villagers to hunt down his only son.
