Now Jace did hold her gaze for a moment. The longing glowed dimly in his eyes, but was strangled by fear. Too many betrayals, damaging words, and demons from his past destroyed any confidence he might have had, and the struggle played out on his face.
Elôm, Rayad said he believed once. Please show him his faith was real, that he does belong to You, that You do love him. He needs assurance so badly. She forced a lighter tone to her voice.
“Well, do you think we should get moving?”
Neither one had touched their remaining lunch for a while.
Jace nodded and looked eager to put the conversation behind him.
They packed up the uneaten food and set off again. This time, Kyrin paid particular attention to what might be hiding in the leaves and underbrush, but her thoughts lingered on Jace and his struggle. He had to have a soul. Rayad believed he did, and so did she. After all these days spent with him, no one could convince her otherwise. She wanted to help him believe it too, but only Elôm could truly do that.
When evening closed in on them, it appeared they would return to camp empty-handed this time. However, drawing near to camp, Jace stopped. Instead of pulling an arrow from his quiver as he usually did when he and Tyra spotted game, he looked over his shoulder and motioned Kyrin forward. With painstaking movements, she came to his side, where he pointed ahead. Kyrin peered into the trees. Her eyes picked out movement and landed on a small, yearling doe.
She looked up at Jace. He nodded to her and then to the deer. She pointed to herself and mouthed, “Me?” He nodded again, and her pulse pattered to a higher rate. What if she missed? She hated for such a good meal to get away. But something lit Jace’s eyes she had not seen before. Confidence—in her. Her heart rate spiked again with a surge of determination.
She reached back for an arrow and slowly moved into a better position. The deer’s head shot up, and Kyrin froze. It stared right at her, and she held her breath. For a long moment, all was still. At last, the deer put its head down again to nibble at the grass. Kyrin raised her bow and drew back the string. She forced herself to draw a long, slow breath. If she rushed the shot now, she would surely miss. Everything stilled and quieted inside her. The bowstring slipped off the tips of her fingers.
The arrow flew away, and the doe leaped forward, but crumpled. She’d done it. Her first deer. She looked back at Jace. A smile lifted his lips.
“Good shot.”
She grinned, and her breath rushed out with a short laugh. “Thank you.”
Together, they walked over to the deer.
“A very good shot,” Jace said, and Kyrin delighted in the tone of admiration in his voice.
She walked around the doe and knelt down. Looking up at Jace, she held out her hand. “Can I borrow your knife?”
His expression lifted in surprise, but he reached down and pulled out his knife, handing it to her hilt first. Under his expert guidance, she gutted the doe. When she had finished, she wiped her hands in the leaves, and Jace picked up the deer to carry to camp. Just before they arrived, however, he paused and turned to Kyrin.
“Do you want to carry it into camp? It’s your kill.”
Now Kyrin lifted her brows as she considered it.
“Take off your quiver and turn around,” Jace told her with a smile in his voice.
She did as he instructed.
Carefully, he draped the deer around her shoulders. “Got it?”
“I think so.”
It was heavy, but manageable, being a yearling. Once he was sure she had a good grip, Jace picked up her quiver and they walked on.
She chuckled. “If only Kaden could see me now.”
What a thought, considering his reaction to her all dressed up at the palace. No doubt he’d be just as shocked, but much more pleased. He wouldn’t be the only one.
“If only my father could see me.” She smiled wistfully with the distinct feeling he would be proud.
They walked into camp, and the sight of Kyrin caught everyone’s attention. The men ahead of them talked and pointed, and soon gathered around. Now they’d really be enamored with her. She smiled as they questioned her about the deer and tried to minimize it, but they still made a fuss. She glanced at Jace, who stayed outside the ring of admirers. The little smile twinkling in his eyes made it worth it.
Once the men let her pass, she continued with Jace to the supply shack. Neither said anything, but the comfortable sense of camaraderie between them brought Kyrin much happiness and contentment.
“See these tracks?”
Kyrin knelt next to Jace and nodded. A narrow path was worn into the forest floor, the soft ground imprinted with many little paw prints.
“This trail is used often. It leads back to the spring.” Jace pointed the way they had come. “It’s an ideal location to set a snare.”
Kyrin listened intently. They had plenty of meat at camp, so Jace turned his focus on teaching her other survival and hunting techniques. She welcomed not only the knowledge, but the reason to spend most of the day in the forest. Her worries and thoughts of the emperor seemed to fade in the quiet and peaceful green surroundings.
“This sapling will work well.” Jace grasped the small tree and bent it down to show her how to rig the snare. “I usually prefer to hunt, but in the winter snares are helpful when game is harder to find.” He tripped the snare and motioned to her. “You try it.”
She traded places with him and reset it exactly as he’d shown her.
He gave her a nod of approval. “We’ll check it tomorrow to see if you caught anything.”
Kyrin rose with him, and they headed in the direction of a wild raspberry patch they’d discovered. If they brought enough back to camp, Lenae promised to make hand pies like the ones Kyrin had enjoyed so much back in Valcré. Maybe she could learn to make her own before Kaden showed up. She could just see him trying to sneak some of her baked goods. The thought brought a grin to her lips. Those days couldn’t come soon enough.
“I never imagined I’d love living like this so much,” she remarked, enjoying a walk without the worry of scaring off game. “I don’t know what it would be like to live in the city again.”
Jace glanced at her and wrinkled his nose in distaste. “I could never live in the city. Especially not Valcré.”
“Have you seen Valcré?”
“Twice.”
He still looked like he’d swallowed something nasty, but Kyrin’s thoughts went beyond the city itself. “We came that close to meeting, but both ended up here.”
Jace considered this in silence. She tried to read his expression. He seemed hesitant about such a notion; no doubt because of the life he’d lived at the time. Hating to spoil a beautiful day, she searched for a lighter topic to discuss.
She opened her mouth to speak again, but Jace stopped and held up his hand. Kyrin halted. A low growl rumbled from Tyra, who stared into the trees, the hair rising around her neck. Kyrin scanned the vegetation, but nothing stirred. She looked up at Jace. His eyes, bright with alertness, swept the area.
“What is it?” she whispered.
He shook his head. “I don’t know.”
Kyrin’s eyes flicked down. His fingers wrapped around the hilt of his sword, and he withdrew it slowly.
“Stay close,” he murmured.
Her heartbeat quickened. Jace spent so much time in the forest that nothing would concern him unless it presented real danger. She drew a breath to calm her nerves. After all, they had no idea what it was yet. Still, she reached for an arrow, feeling a lot more confident with the projectile fitted to her bowstring, ready for use.
Tyra growled again, and Jace followed her line of sight. Kyrin looked too, but sunlight and bright green leaves offered her a deceptively calm view. Too calm. The forest had become unnaturally quiet. A chill washed down her back, and Jace moved to stand in front of her. Something crackled the leaves several yards away. He straightened, and his forearms flexed as he squeezed the hilt of his sword.
&nb
sp; “Someone’s out there.”
Kyrin gulped. Had the emperor’s men found them? Her fingers sweat as she gripped her bow tightly. They wouldn’t take her back to Valcré. She’d fight it first.
Jace’s voice rang out, hard and demanding, to break the stillness. “Who’s out there? Show yourself!”
Silence followed. Kyrin’s eyes jumped from the trees to Jace and back again as she waited for the emergence of black and gold.
“Look what we have here.”
She almost choked on her own breath as she and Jace spun around. Tyra snarled. Kyrin took a quick step closer to Jace as she witnessed every Arcacian citizen’s worst nightmare. Less than four yards away stood three black-haired, wild-eyed, burly ryriks. With the snapping of brush, three more appeared behind Jace and Kyrin, cutting off any escape.
At Tyra’s menacing growl, Jace murmured, “Easy,” his eyes trained on the ryriks.
The head ryrik, the biggest and fiercest of the group, examined the three of them. A wickedly satisfied grin spread across his bearded face.
“We’ve stumbled upon quite a prize, now haven’t we?” He glanced at the other ryriks, who grinned their agreement. His almost glowing eyes settled heavily on Kyrin. Repulsion skittered under her skin, and she shivered hard. “Aren’t you a pretty young thing?”
She tried to swallow back the rising tide of fear, but her throat convulsed. Elôm, help us! Her heart thrashed violently and ignited a panic she fought to contain. Every gruesome story she’d ever heard of ryrik attacks screamed through her mind.
Jace’s firm hand closed around her arm, and he pulled her behind him to shield her from the leader’s lecherous gaze. The ryrik gave a low chuckle, and Kyrin peeked around Jace’s shoulder.
“You can’t keep her from us, boy.” The man eyed Jace, and his expression sank into a frown. “Wait…you’re a ryrik.”
“Half ryrik,” Jace ground out.
The ryrik’s eyes widened. “Half ryrik? Now there’s a surprise.” He considered Jace, looking him up and down. “Tell you what, since I’m in a generous mood, I’ll make a deal with you. You leave your weapons and supplies, and I’ll let you and your wolf walk away.”
Jace nodded his head back at Kyrin. “She comes with me.”
“I don’t think so. The girl stays here.”
Kyrin’s stomach lurched up toward her throat, and she almost gagged. A tremor ran through her body straight down to her toes. She looked at the three ryriks behind her, and their vicious eyes froze her blood. She shrank back against Jace.
“I’m only giving you this one chance, boy,” the lead ryrik said, his voice echoing his impatience. “You stay, you die.”
Kyrin glanced up over her shoulder. If only she could see Jace’s face! The frantic drumming of her heart dizzied her and brought a wave of unwanted thoughts of him leaving her to these monsters. Her eyes burned. No. He wouldn’t do that.
“Tyra.”
His voice helped her refocus.
The wolf looked up at him.
“Rayad,” he murmured. Tyra cocked her head and he repeated the name. She watched him intently. Kyrin’s heart pounded the seconds before he shouted, “Go!”
Tyra shot off like an arrow. One of the ryriks lunged for her. His hand grazed her back leg, and she tumbled to the ground. Kyrin gasped, but the wolf jumped back to her feet and took off again, disappearing in the underbrush. Kyrin loosed a great sigh, but any relief died at the head ryrik’s biting voice.
“Not a smart move.”
Kyrin looked around Jace. A growing fire flamed behind the ryrik’s eyes. She had seen that look before, but no chains or guards restrained this man. He dropped his pack and drew his sword. Each of the other ryriks followed his lead. Panic throbbed in Kyrin’s muscles, and her breaths came in shallow gasps. Her hands trembled so badly she almost dropped her arrow. How would they ever get out of this? Blood thrummed in her ears, and her thoughts grew hazy. She gritted her teeth and shook the haze away. She must think clearly.
“Jace.” Her voice cracked. She didn’t take her eyes from the three ryriks she faced. “I will only be able to shoot one of them before they reach me.” And they would reach her.
His shoulders moved against her in a slow breath. Voice quiet, but as sure she’d ever heard it, he said, “I won’t let them have you.”
She drew a steadying breath of her own. “I trust you.”
“Last chance, boy,” the ryrik growled. “Give up the girl.”
“Never.”
The strength and determination in his voice imparted just the courage Kyrin needed. She set her eyes on the nearest ryrik in anticipation of the attack. She had to make this one shot count. Ryriks were too resilient for her to fire just anywhere. She focused on his chest and pinned her eyes on where his heart was located. Her fingers still trembled, and she licked her lips. She’d never had to kill anyone before. Stay calm. But her pulse wouldn’t cooperate and kicked up yet again. Elôm!
The ryriks lunged toward them. Kyrin raised her bow, drawing at the same time. The shot came purely out of instinct and buried deep in the ryrik’s chest. Her gaze flew to the next man nearly upon her. She swung her bow. It caught him in the shoulder, but did little harm. He ripped the weapon from her hands. The third ryrik grabbed her by the arm. Hot adrenaline raced through Kyrin’s blood, and she yanked and twisted, kicked and scratched. Anything to get away.
“Let go of me!” she screamed.
But her struggles were laughable compared to the strength of the ryrik. He grabbed her hair and dragged her a couple of yards away, where he forced her to her knees.
Gulping in air, she locked eyes on Jace. He stood surrounded by four ryriks. The one she shot lay unmoving. Sword ready, Jace turned in a slow circle, eyeing each of his opponents. For a brief moment, his eyes caught with Kyrin’s, and she saw it—the fire, the intensity, building in them. Yet, it didn’t contain hate and fury—only desperation and a strong will for survival. And right now, it was her only hope they would survive this.
The ryriks took advantage of his distraction and charged in. Kyrin sucked in her breath and held it, but with lightning reflexes and perfect accuracy, Jace met each sword hurtling toward him. The forest rang with the crash of metal. Moving constantly, Jace turned, and ducked, and blocked one attack after another. He fought masterfully and matched the strength, speed, and explosiveness of the other ryriks. But could he keep it up for long?
Kyrin struggled again, but her captor reached into his pack for a coil of rope and shoved her face-first into the leaves, pinning her there. He gripped her arm and yanked it back. Though her shoulder had mostly healed, pain shot through it, and she hissed in a breath. The ryrik hastily wrapped the rope around her wrists and tugged it tight, but Kyrin fought against him with all her strength. He used the other end of the rope to bind her ankles, and then snatched up his sword as he rose.
Kyrin rolled to her side and lifted her head. The ryrik rushed toward the fight and straight at Jace, who had his back turned. Kyrin gasped, but Jace whirled around, his blade catching the ryrik in the arm and then driving into his side. The man stumbled away with blood pouring down his shirt. The four remaining ryriks redoubled their attack, but so did Jace. Kyrin could barely follow their movements. Many times, she braced herself to witness Jace’s fall, but he somehow avoided it with moves he must have learned in the arenas.
Keeping her eyes locked on the fight, Kyrin twisted her wrists and pulled against her bindings. Her previous struggles and the ryrik’s haste in tying her had created a little slack. If only she could loosen the ropes a bit more.
A second ryrik fell under Jace’s sword, which left only three, including the leader. Their eyes burning in their desire to take him down, they came at him in a rage. Sweat darkened Jace’s clothes, and his chest heaved. Kyrin begged Elôm to give him the strength to keep fighting, to win. But then he grunted in pain and grabbed for his side. Red seeped onto his jerkin.
“No!” Kyrin yanked at the ropes, not car
ing how the rough fibers dug into her skin.
The ryrik who’d injured Jace stepped in to finish him off. Please, Elôm, no! But Jace wasn’t through. Rallying a reserve of strength, he caught the ryrik off guard. They traded crushing blows. Jace drove the man back and off balance until, at last, he threw down his opponent. Now only two remained.
Their glares bored into one another. Jace’s heavy breathing filled the momentary silence. A wicked, sneering grin came to the ryrik leader’s face and revealed no sign of fatigue.
“You’re good, boy,” he growled through bared teeth. “But not good enough.”
The ryrik’s blade sliced in a deadly arc toward Jace’s throat. A small cry broke from Kyrin, but Jace jumped back just in time. The ryrik swung again. Jace managed to block, but the heavy ice sliding through Kyrin’s veins told her this would be the end for both of them. Though eating and sleeping better, Jace still had not regained full strength. It was too clear in the way his arms shook as his sword collided with his enemy’s.
Yet, somehow, some way, whether it was his ryrik blood, pure determination, or Elôm’s aid, Jace again rallied his strength and launched his own attack. Hope rekindled in Kyrin. With one more strong pull, one of her hands slipped free. She scrambled up and reached for the rope around her ankles. Her eyes shifted between them and Jace as she tugged at the knots.
When Jace’s sword locked with his opponent’s, leaving him open from behind, Kyrin’s heart stalled. Jace tried and failed to push the ryrik away and put space between them. Triumph lit in the lead ryrik’s eyes as the second man raised his sword, but Kyrin jerked her feet free and lunged forward, locking her fingers around her bow. She reached for an arrow and drew back without even a pause for breath.
A gargled choke burst out. Jace looked over his shoulder as the second ryrik slumped to his knees with Kyrin’s arrow piercing his throat. His eyes met hers a moment before flying back to the lead ryrik. Kyrin reached for a second arrow. The ryrik turned and bolted into the forest. She sent her arrow after him, but it deflected on a branch and missed him by inches. He disappeared before she could nock a third.