Onyx Blood [True North series book 2/3]

I looked around, and quickly ran into the forest, hiding between the trees as I tried to access the situation. The ground below my feet vibrated with low roars that roared out from deep within the forest. Feral, beastly roars — but not quite animalistic. Ardanian beasts.

I called out to Thor. “Where are you?”

No reply came, but I could still feel his lingering presence in my mind. Fine, I’ll find you on my own. I looked for my internal compass, and began running in the direction the needle pointed to.

The first thing I noticed was the forest floor. It was scattered with bodies — not Ardanians, thankfully, but critters. Little animals I had never seen before. There were rodents, birds, and even a few bigger, more predator-looking ones. All of them were dead — most of them looked as if they had been burned, others appeared unharmed externally. I continued my path down the forest floor, trying my absolute hardest not to step on any of the animals.

I looked up as I ran. Some of the trees were on fire, others had already burned out, now just sending tendrils of smoke up into the looming sky. The scent of death was thick in the air, making it uncomfortable to breathe.

I wondered how many had died so far — Ardanians as well as Kinians. I wondered how many families had been ripped apart in this battle — how many younglings would be left without their parents.

Suddenly, I picked up on some kind of subtle, whistling hum, and realized just in time what it was. An arrow. There were arrows being fired at me.

I ducked, and found cover behind the nearest tree. I snatched an arrow from the quiver strapped to my side and seamlessly nocked it, drawing my bow. I kept the arrow pointed to the ground as I peeked around the tree, trying to find my assailant. I waited and waited, scanning my surroundings, but I saw no one. There were sounds in the distance — agonized screaming, swords clashing, and beasts roaring.

I kept my bow drawn as I emerged from my hiding place, tiptoeing around the carcasses that were scattered on the forest floor. I had two goals — finding Thor, and staying alive.

I approached the battle sounds, ducking for the occasional stray arrow on my way there. I was nearing the tree line along the northern border, which was the one Thor was defending. I kept my eyes peeled for signs of his beast — the ginormous creature, with its long manes, twisted horns, and rows of razor-sharp teeth. I wondered how many bodies it had ripped apart using those.

The closer I got to the tree line, the worse the smell got. The pungent scent bore itself into my nostrils, making it hard not to gag. Death, blood and smoke, the scent of bodies on fire. I had smelled it once before, when a house in the village had caught on fire, trapping all its residents inside. Seven people had died — three kids, their parents and grandparents. I could still recall the scent of burnt hair and scorched flesh. I hadn’t been able to roast meat for over three months afterwards.

I could see it now, the battlefield. Several fiery pyres flickered in the distance, as their flames eerily consumed the fallen, which had been piled on top of each other, like logs in a fire pit.

My stomach churned as I approached the horrors. There was blood everywhere, staining the snow in hues of crimson and scarlet. No time to wallow in sorrow — I had to find Thor.

My eyes scanned the battlefield, skipping over Kinians and Ardanians in beast-form as if they weren’t there.

And then I saw him.

Across the battlefield, behind several burn piles, was my mate. My brave, unfazed mate, in beast form, ripping through a battalion with ease.

I didn’t have much time to behold the bloody spectacle, because my presence hadn’t gone unnoticed. One of the nearest Kinians turned toward me, and flared it’s slitted nostrils as it inhaled.

My scent. My connection to Thor. Our shared weakness.

I didn’t have time to think as it immediately stopped its attack on an Ardanian beast and started charging toward me. I instinctively raised my bow and drew the string, before narrowing my gaze on my target. Its pale, bald head contrasted against the deep gray sky, making for a particularly easy shot.

Time seemed to pause briefly as I adjusted my aim for its kneecap, and then the twang of the released string propelled the arrow toward its mark. Bullseye.

I didn’t wait around for another Kinian to pick up on my scent — I just scurried toward the nearest pyre, and knelt down. I stuck my hands out, grabbing two fistfuls of bloody ashes, and rubbing them all over me. I had to grit my teeth to keep from retching as I covered myself in the grimy dirt. I tried not to breathe through my nose as I drug my fingers across my face, leaving trails of black in their wake.

I rose to my feet again, and looked up, locking eyes with my mate’s beast across the field immediately. It let out a roar so loud it vibrated through my chest with an intensity that was almost painful. I could tell it was angry — not ripping-through-an-army-of-invaders-angry, but in a what-are-you-doing-here?! type of way.

I immediately heard Thor’s voice echo through my mind, but I blocked him out. Two can play this game. I used my last moment of being unnoticed to drain an entire bottle of red elixir I had brought, and then took a deep breath.

The moment I started running towards Thoridor’s beast, he began charging toward me too. He shrugged off his attackers like he was swatting away flies, and was by my side in a heartbeat. He tilted his enormous head toward me, and I grabbed onto one of his horns, so he could fling me onto his back. I crashed into his velvety fur, and used his long, disheveled manes to get myself seated onto his neck. It was as if we had practiced this a hundred times — we moved in tune, almost as if the whole segment had been choreographed. I nestled into the beast’s manes and instantly felt safe. Although the sparks that I usually felt with Thor were fainter in beast form, the magic in touching him was still there. I basked in the glory for a moment, before crashing back to reality when I saw a javelin soaring through the air, aimed straight for Thoridor’s beast’s eye.