In the far distance behind him, a howl sounded. He could barely hear it down here in the tunnel, but someone had discovered him missing and searched the kitchen.
There had been no chance for Bosse to cover his scent yet.
Had one of the shifters Krol often paid to deliver fresh game stayed last night at the castle as Alifair had warned? He’d heard talk of some being sent for a servant who escaped.
Trackers in animal form would move more quickly than him on two legs. He hadn’t shifted to hold out until he needed Titan more than the human body.
What to do? He couldn’t go back.
He stabbed the torch into the ground to the side of him, put the cloth bag below it, then let his claws out and started digging like mad. Three feet in, he scratched wood. He dug harder and began knocking the dirt away from the wood. The ground above had collapsed, covering what had been the way out. He located the rusty hinge first and clawed across to the other side. He flattened his hands and pushed.
It gave a little.
Dirt fell on his head. Would this tunnel collapse again?
He knocked dirt aside wildly until he found the top and bottom of the structure. Leaning back, he kicked the wood. That hurt with no boots, but it gave a little more. Two more kicks and the wood fell apart. He grabbed the bag and doused the flame in a pile of dirt, leaving the torch behind.
Clawing his way out of the tunnel, he dragged himself free. When he stood, he took a deep breath of fresh air that almost sent him to his knees with thanks.
Freedom—a dream he’d given up on.
He owed Alifair and would pay her back when the time came. He didn’t care what help she ever asked of him. It was hers.
Ahead of him lay a forest where a partial moon sent light diving through the branches and leaves overhead. His shifter eyes could see well enough to run now, which is exactly what he did.
He would reach North America and find the place with her people, but only after waiting a month as she’d asked. That would give him time to be sure no one followed him to her clan.
If she did not show up in the Mississippi place by five weeks, he would come back here for her.
A wolf howl shrieked through the air. That one was on the hunt.
He ran harder, plowing through thick undergrowth when he couldn’t leap over it. His feet were tough enough to handle this terrain. He did not know this land well, but Alifair had said he’d have to make his way west from the tunnel, then turn southerly to find Italy. He tried his best to stay in a straight line, but without the sun, he would not know for sure if he stayed on track until daylight.
He could make all this work better if he didn’t have to contend with a half-moon blazing overhead.
Level ground beneath the trees began to descend. He tied the bag differently so that it lay across his chest with the loop hooked over his shoulder with the bag under his arm. Hands-free now, he could grab at trees to keep him upright as he ran without his feet sliding out from under him.
When the branches thinned, he found the peak of a hill in the distance where moonlight outlined it. He slowed before breaking free of his dense cover, watching everywhere as he reached the edge of a gradual drop-off.
Titan informed him,I hear something above us.
Bosse froze and dropped flat on the ground. A frisson of worry ran up his spine. The flapping sound grew louder until a huge shape passed between the moon and the ground. As it did, the silhouette of Krol’s creature ran across the flat ground ahead.
His wolf could outrun a tracker, but having that abomination flying overhead just ruined their chance to make good time across the open plain beyond this slope.
He told Titan,We have to skirt the flat land between here and the next hill to avoid drawing the Lammogo’s attention.
I run faster.
You do, but I doubt we’ll be able to run fast through the thick woods we’ll take to circle this area. Let’s save you for now. Even when I tire, you’ll still be strong enough to take over.
Bosse searched straight across the wide opening and made a mental note of where to pick up in the same direction he’d been running. He worked his way to the right around the slope, taking every chance to head downhill by running from bush to rocks.
He kept an eye on the Lammogo that continued to hunt across the flat area as if expecting Bosse to run straight across it.
Did that creature have any tracking flaws? He’d take one right now.
Krol’s wolf, still far behind him, howled again.
