Isla beamed at me. "You're a good friend. The best. We wouldn't have made it this far without you."
"Ah, I'm not sure about that, but thank you. We're not safe yet, though, and I'm not positive that we will be for a very long time," I confessed, the taste of the words bitter on my tongue. That was the thing about words—you could think them inside the confines of your own mind, but the moment they were spoken aloud, they were given life.
"We can't think that way. We need to stay positive, no matter how dire things get."
"Always the optimist," I teased, releasing her hand after squeezing one more time. We got back to work, gathering up what we needed.
"That should do it," Isla announced, gathering up the bundle of greenery she'd collected.
I stood and helped her up. "Let me take these from y—"
A twig snapped loudly. It hadn't been anywhere close to twenty minutes yet; there was no way it was Riv coming to find us. Isla and I stared at each other with wide eyes as I raised my index finger to my lips, silently relaying the need to be quiet. Another snap, closer this time, and Isla slammed her eyes shut.
Something was just on the other side of us, and it was closing in. Loud sniffing and heavy steps were easily heard now. Isla couldn't run.What are we going to do?!
A soft touch on my forearm drew my gaze back to my friend, who was staring at me with tears in her eyes. "RUN!" she mouthed.
Run?But she couldn't run. She couldn't even walk briskly at this point.
I winced as she dug her nails into my arm, bringing me back to the here and now. "RUN!" she mouthed again, pushing the herbs into my arms. "GO!"
I shook my head frantically.No, no. I wouldn't run. I wouldn't leave my friend.
A low growl from behind me sent every hair on the back of my neck upright. I stood there, frozen in fear, as Isla's eyes got even wider, staring at whatever was behind me. Her mouth dropped the higher her gaze climbed. Whatever it was, it was tall. Much taller than me. Swallowing harshly, I spun around slowly. Nothing could've prepared me for the sight that greeted me.
Black fur that never ended. Sharp claws. A maw of glistening teeth that promised absolute destruction, and finally, a pair of amber yellow eyes.
The bear stood easily eight feet tall, and the rumbling from deep within its chest vibrated the very air surrounding us. I stepped back carefully, trying to put every minuscule amount of distance between us. Even now, if the bear decided to, he could lunge and strike with one paw to rip my face right off.
"Evie," Isla whimpered softly. "Please run and save yourself."
I shook my head slowly so as not to startle the bear. Drool was beginning to drip from its open mouth, making the standoff so much more tense. With Isla behind me, I could sense her shifting back, further from the beast. Further from me. Good. Only seconds had passed, but it felt like hours. The bear inhaled deeply and then exhaled, releasing a roar that made me cover my ears. It dropped down to all fours and began moving in, death in its eyes.
"Isla," a voice whispered, and my heart hammered within my chest. Kael was here. "Keep moving backward." I didn't dare look to see where he was, but it was close enough that I could hear him. I stepped on something, almost tripping, and looked down to see a stick. It was thick enough and sharp enough to potentially do some damage... I just needed to get it.
My eyes lifted and locked on the bear's, and there was something so familiar about them. That shade. It was a crazy idea, but I had to try.
"Dair," I said, loud enough to cover up the sounds of Isla backing away. Surprisingly, the bear faltered in its steps, his eyes flashing from yellow to green, confirming my suspicions. "Yeah, I know it's you."
The beast cocked his head to the side and growled.
"Don't like that, do you?" I slowly lowered myself as I reached for the stick. "This game was supposed to be a secret, isn't that right?"
He snarled and took another step, putting us a mere two feet apart. My fingers curled around the stick as he lifted his right paw, preparing to strike me down. I stood now and chanced a look behind me, relieved to see Kael and Isla, now a good ten feet away, huddled together against a bramble of brush. At least he'd be able to get her out of here safely. If anyone could do it, it was Kael. My life was about to come to an end, and there was nothing I could do about it. Tears blurred my vision as I accepted it, grateful that at least my friends had a chance of escaping. I turned back to my killer, and something snapped in my brain as his paw lashed out.
"Alasdair!" I shrieked, shocking him and staying his paw. His ears went flat, his eyes turning green once more, but he still reared back. "Don't do this! Please! It's me, Evie!" His furry brow pinched together, and he shook his head. He'd hesitated!Keep going, keep going.
"This isn't you, Dair," I said, my voice shaking as I rose back to my feet, my makeshift weapon in my grip. "Don't hurt us."
If it was possible to confuse a bear, I'd just succeeded. He stared at me like he was seeingmefor the first time. Seeing where he was for the first time. Unfortunately, I saw the moment any lucidity that may have been there vanished. His now amber eyes hardened, and he slammed his front two paws down with all his might, releasing another terrifying roar. I prepared myself for the impact. My plan was to aim the sharp stick right at his nose. I never got the chance to try, though.
A second roar, a louder one, shook the earth beneath my feet, and both the bear and I followed the sound. My heart felt as though it stopped beating completely when smoke appeared first, filtering through the trees, and then the enormous red dragon followed. The beast's eyes were locked on Isla and Kael, and where Dair had hesitated, this creature did not. Not even when I screamed louder than I ever had in my life as the dragon opened its mouth and released a fireball directly at my friends.
It happened so fast. Kael pushed Isla hard, making her fall behind a rock. Flames flickered in his blue eyes as they slammed into mine for a split second.
"NO!" I cried with every fiber of my being as Kael, my protector, my best friend, was engulfed in an inferno of fire. I vaguely processed the bear running past me toward the dragon, snarling in outrage. My feet moved of their own volition toward Isla, who was already on her feet, bracing herself against the rock as sobs wracked her body. Kael's body crumpled to the forest floor and continued to burn, while the sounds of a dragon and a bear viciously fighting each other eliminated any other noise.
Someone grabbed my shoulders and spun me, forcing my eyes from Kael.
