was injured though. Had he run into a pivar back? I didn’t really care, but it was a clue that remained unsolved, which sat like a splinter under my skin.
My strength began to flag. My stomach and hips were sore as hell where they kept bumping against Crius’s hard shoulder as he ran. My head swam from hanging upside down for hours on end. If he didn’t let me down soon, I was either going to throw up or pass out. Maybe both.
I tried to remain optimistic. The light of Drak’s aura was angry, flames bursting forth from the orange ball. He knew something was wrong, but did he have any idea where I was? Like an idiot, I hadn’t told anyone where I went. I’d tried to be as stealthy as possible. Where was he looking now? Dread churned in my stomach.
As the sun set on the horizon, we slowed to a walk, then a stop. Crius tossed me on the ground like I was a sack of potatoes before whistling sharply. I tried to gather my legs under me, but my limbs weren’t working right, and the restraints made standing nearly impossible. I had just risen to my knees when the trees in front of me rustled. The pit of dread in my stomach widened to a gaping black hole when at least two dozen Kulks emerged.
“No,” I moaned through my gag.
Crius gestured to me. “She’s here. Now where’s my flecking information?”
“Orders were you are to travel with us to make the delivery,” a large Kulk said. “You’ll get your reward then.”
Crius’s nostrils flared. “I was told all I had to do was bring her to the check point.”
The Kulk shrugged, unbothered. “Those were my orders.”
“Flecking worthless.” Crius muttered under his breath. He sliced the vine at my ankles and hauled me to my feet. I rose on unsteady legs. “You’re walking this time, or I’ll have one of them carry you. Trust me, he’ll knock you out first.”
I shot him the best hateful glare I could. In my head, I told him off and described in detail all the ways I’d like to rip him into pieces.
I didn’t want to be carried by a Kulk. The armor would hurt like hell, and they smelled bad. So, I trudged behind Crius, jogging to keep up to the asshole’s long strides. I got angry. I could feel it burning in my gut. The tears had long dried, and I began to work on a plan. I couldn’t do much with the contingent of Kulks leading us, but no way would I let them get me inside the walls of Alazar. Fuck. No.
I worked on my gag, steadily loosening it with my jaw and teeth until I was confident I could spit it out. I let it rest between my lips for now. As the sky grew darker, I felt discouraged, but focused on the positives. I was alive. I was conscious. And for now, unhurt.
A slight buzzing tickled my ear and I brushed it with my shoulder, annoyed. The buzzing grew and I shook my head, trying to work my braids like a horse’s tail. What was that? A hunner?
Crius stopped so abruptly, I ran into the back of him. He slowly turned his head, eyes assessing the dense forest behind us. I followed his gaze, but everything was blurry to me. Hell, maybe I did have some sort of injury, because the air seemed to vibrate.
“Hunners?” I mumbled behind my gag.
Crius started to pant, mouth open, and his eyes widened just before he turned and shouted. “Night Kings!”
The Kulks turned. Crius yanked on my rope, but I wasn’t moving, not a fucking inch. I fell to the ground and Crius swore. He hauled me into his arms a split second before the trees swayed and a dozen black dots sped toward us.
I spit the gag out of my mouth and screamed. “Drak!”
Crius took off at a run, but even as fast as he was, he couldn’t outrun the Night Kings on their bikes. They flew toward us, growing larger and larger the closer they came. I kicked and flailed, refusing to be a good little burden. Crius nearly dropped me twice before finally throwing in the towel. He threw me to the ground, the length of rope held firmly in his fist, and turned to face his former warrior brothers.
The Kulks turned and ran past us, advancing on the Night Kings and creating an armored wall between us