Chapter 11 The Beast Unleashed
Zevran moved like lightning.
His jaws closed on one soldier's throat. Crack. The soldier went down.
Another soldier jumped on Zevran's back. Zevran rolled, crushing the soldier against the rocks. The soldier yelped and went still.
"Kill them both!" someone shouted. "Now!"
Three wolves attacked Zevran at once. They buried him under their bodies, biting and clawing.
Mara ran forward. She bit one wolf's leg. Hard. The wolf screamed and turned on her.
Now two wolves were fighting Mara. She was smaller and weaker. She didn't know how to fight properly. They drove her back toward the edge.
One wolf's claws raked across her side. Pain exploded through her. Blood soaked into her white fur.
The wolf grinned. "Not so special now, are you?"
He lunged at her throat. Mara tried to dodge but she was too slow. The wolf's teeth closed on her neck.
Then suddenly the wolf was gone. Ripped away by something huge and black.
Zevran.
He had thrown off the other soldiers. Now he stood over Mara, protecting her. Blood dripped from dozens of wounds on his body. But his eyes burned like ice on fire.
"Touch her again," his voice rumbled in everyone's mind. "And I'll show you what a real beast can do."
The remaining soldiers hesitated. Four of them were dead or dying. Only four were left standing.
"He's just one wolf," one soldier said, but his voice shook. "We can take him."
"You can try," Zevran said.
The soldiers attacked together. All four at once.
Zevran met them head on. The fight was brutal and fast. Teeth flashed. Claws tore. Blood splattered across the rocks.
Mara tried to help but her wound hurt too much. She could barely stand. She watched helplessly as Zevran fought four soldiers by himself.
One soldier got past Zevran's guard. He ran straight at Mara.
"The girl first!" the soldier snarled. "Then we'll finish him!"
Mara tried to run but her legs wouldn't work. The soldier was going to kill her.
Then Isla appeared. She stepped out from behind her hiding rock. She was holding the knife Zevran had given her.
"Get away from her!" Isla screamed.
She threw the knife.
Her aim was terrible. The knife flew wide, missing the soldier completely.
But it distracted him. He turned his head to see where the knife went.
That was all Zevran needed.
He leaped over two other soldiers and landed on the distracted wolf. His jaws closed on the wolf's neck. There was a terrible cracking sound.
The wolf fell and didn't get up.
Now only three soldiers remained. They looked at each other. At their dead friends. At Zevran, who was still standing despite all his wounds.
"Retreat!" one soldier said. "Back to the prince! Tell him we need more men!"
They turned and ran down the mountain path.
Zevran didn't chase them. He transformed back to human form and fell to his knees.
"Zevran!" Mara tried to transform too. It hurt more this time. When she finally became human again, she crawled to him.
He was covered in blood. So many wounds. Too many.
"I'm okay," he said. But his voice was weak.
"You're not okay! You're dying!"
"Not yet." He tried to smile. "Still have... some fight left."
Isla ran over. "We need to stop the bleeding! Both of you!"
She tore strips from her dress. She started wrapping them around Zevran's worst wounds.
"The soldiers who ran away," Isla said as she worked. "They'll bring reinforcements. We have maybe an hour before more come."
"Then we... keep climbing," Zevran said.
"You can't climb! You can barely move!"
"I can move." Zevran tried to stand. He made it halfway up before his legs gave out.
Mara caught him. "Stop being stubborn! You need to rest!"
"No time to rest."
"Then I'll heal you again."
"You used too much power last time. You almost died." Zevran grabbed her hand. "Save your strength. You'll need it."
"I need you alive more than I need my strength!" Mara put her hand on his chest. She called to the healing power inside her.
Golden light began to glow. It spread from her hand into Zevran's body.
His wounds started to close. The bleeding slowed. Stopped.
But the effort was draining Mara. Her vision went blurry. Her whole body felt weak.
"That's enough," Zevran said, pulling away. "Stop before you hurt yourself."
"But you're not fully healed yet."
"I'm healed enough." He stood up. This time, his legs held him. "See? Good as new."
He wasn't good as new. Mara could see him favoring his left side. But he was standing. He could move.
That would have to be enough.
"What about you?" Isla asked Mara. "You're bleeding too."
Mara looked at the claw marks on her side. They were deep. They hurt badly.
"I'll be fine."
"You're as stubborn as he is," Isla muttered. But she wrapped cloth around Mara's wounds anyway.
"We need to go," Zevran said. "Before those soldiers come back with friends."
They started climbing again. Slower this time. Both Mara and Zevran were hurt. Every step was painful.
The sun was getting lower in the sky. Soon it would be dark.
"How much farther?" Isla asked.
"Two more hours," Zevran said. "Maybe less."
"I don't think we have two hours," Mara said. "Listen."
Far below them, she could hear sounds. Lots of sounds. More soldiers were coming. Many more than before.
"They're bringing an army," Isla said. Her face was white with fear.
Zevran looked back down the mountain. "At least thirty soldiers. Maybe more."
"Can we outrun them?"
"No."
"Can we fight them?"
"No."
"Then what do we do?" Mara asked.
Zevran was quiet for a long moment. Then he said, "You and Isla keep climbing. Get to the safe house. I'll hold them off here."
"What?" Mara grabbed his arm. "That's crazy! You can't fight thirty soldiers alone!"
"I don't have to win. I just have to slow them down long enough for you to escape."
"No! We stay together!"
"Mara." Zevran turned to face her. His ice pale eyes were sad. "If we all stay, we all die. If I stay alone, you and Isla might survive. That's the only choice that makes sense."
"I don't care about what makes sense!" Tears were running down Mara's face. "I won't leave you!"
"You have to. The curse, remember? You need to expose Prince Ronan. You need to break the second chain. You can't do that if you're dead."
"I can't do it if you're dead either!"
Zevran cupped her face in his hands. "Listen to me. I've been dead inside for ten years. Ever since they cursed me. But you... you brought me back to life. You made me feel again. You made me hope again." He pressed his forehead against hers. "Let me protect you. Let me do this one good thing."
"No," Mara sobbed. "Please. Don't make me leave you."
"I'm not making you do anything. I'm asking you to trust me." Zevran's voice was gentle. "Can you do that? Can you trust me?"
Mara wanted to say no. She wanted to refuse. She wanted to stay and fight beside him.
But she knew he was right. If they all stayed, they would all die.
This was the only way.
"I hate this," she whispered.
"I know. I hate it too." Zevran kissed her forehead. "Now go. Before I change my mind."
Isla grabbed Mara's hand. "Come on. We have to go."
"Take care of her," Zevran said to Isla. "Get her to safety."
"I will," Isla promised.
Mara let Isla pull her away. But she kept looking back at Zevran. He stood alone on the narrow path. Waiting for the soldiers to arrive.
"I'll come back for you!" Mara called. "I promise!"
"I know!" Zevran called back. "Now run!"
Mara and Isla ran up the mountain path. Behind them, Mara heard the soldiers getting closer. Shouting. Snarling.
Then she heard Zevran's voice. Loud and commanding.
"Stop right there! If you want them, you'll have to go through me first!"
There was a moment of silence. Then someone laughed.
"One wolf against all of us? You really are the King's Blade. Too stupid to know when you're beaten."
"The King's Blade died ten years ago," Zevran said. "I'm something much worse now. I'm the Shadow Beast. And I'm going to show you exactly what that means."
Mara heard Zevran transform. Heard his wolf form roar.
Then the sounds of fighting filled the air. Snarling. Screaming. The crack of breaking bones.
"Don't look back," Isla said, pulling Mara forward. "Just keep running."
They ran. The sounds of fighting grew quieter. More distant.
Tears blurred Mara's vision. But she didn't stop running.
She had to survive. Had to reach the safe house. Had to break the curse.
For Zevran. For all of them.
The sun set. Darkness fell over the mountain. Still they climbed.
Finally, after what felt like forever, Isla pointed ahead.
"Look! A building!"
Mara saw it too. A small stone house built into the side of the mountain. Smoke curled from a chimney.
Nyra's safe house.
They had made it.
Mara and Isla stumbled to the door. Mara pounded on it with her fist.
"Nyra! It's me! Mara! Let us in!"
The door opened. But it wasn't Nyra standing there.
It was Corin.
The little spirit fox looked tired and his fur was singed in places. But he was alive.
"About time you got here," he said. "I've been waiting for hours."
Mara fell to her knees and hugged the fox. "You made it! You're alive!"
"Of course I'm alive. I told you I was fast." Corin wriggled free. "Where's Zevran?"
Mara's face crumpled. "He stayed behind. To fight the soldiers. To give us time to escape."
Corin's ears went flat. "How many soldiers?"
"Thirty. Maybe more."
"And he fought them alone?"
"Yes."
Corin was quiet. Then he said, "Come inside. You're both hurt. Nyra has medicine."
They went into the house. It was warm inside. A fire burned in the fireplace. Nyra stood beside a table, grinding something with a stone bowl.
"You made it," the witch said without looking up. "Good. I was starting to worry."
"Zevran is still out there," Mara said. "We have to go back for him!"
"You can't go anywhere. You're half dead from blood loss." Nyra finally looked up. Her purple eyes were serious. "Sit down. Drink this. Then we'll talk."
She handed Mara a cup filled with green liquid. It smelled terrible.
"What is it?" Mara asked.
"Medicine. It will help you heal faster. Stop asking questions and drink."
Mara drank. It tasted even worse than it smelled. But almost immediately, she felt better. Stronger. The pain from her wounds faded.
Isla drank some too. Color returned to her pale face.
"Now," Nyra said. "Tell me everything that happened."
Mara told the story. The escape from the dungeon. The fight at the cabin. The climb up the mountain. Zevran staying behind to fight the soldiers alone.
When she finished, Nyra was quiet for a long time.
"He won't survive," the witch finally said. "Not against that many. I'm sorry, Mara. But your mate is probably dead already."
"No!" Mara jumped to her feet. "He's not dead! I would feel it! The bond would break!"
She touched her chest. The golden thread connecting her to Zevran was still there. Faint. Weak. But not broken.
"He's alive," Mara said firmly. "And I'm going back for him."
"That's suicide," Nyra said.
"I don't care."
"Well, I care. I didn't go through all this trouble helping you just to watch you throw your life away." Nyra grabbed Mara's shoulders. "Use your head, girl! Zevran gave his life to save yours! Don't waste that sacrifice by running straight back into danger!"
"I'm not leaving him to die alone!"
"He's not alone." A new voice spoke from the doorway.
Everyone turned.
A man stood there. He was tall and scarred, with wild black hair and fierce eyes. He wore clothes made of animal skins. A sword hung at his side.
Mara knew that face. She had seen it in the shrine's vision.
"Riven," she whispered. "My father."
The man nodded. "Hello, daughter. I hear you need some help rescuing your mate."