Beyond a Darkened Shore(33)

Her words turned my blood to ice. She had seen the j?tnar? My surprise broke my silence. “The giants—have you fought them? Where did you see them?” Pray not Mide. Surely we hadn’t been gone long enough.

The stag lowered its head, its sharp antlers pointed toward us threateningly. “You dare question me? As though I am merely a mortal peasant for you to command?” Her words triggered the hounds to growl again, until the woods were filled with the sound of snarling. “I may not be able to hunt the abominations from the north in the mortal realm, but you are in my realm now.” The stag reared, and the hounds’ eyes glittered as they stalked toward us.

My hand tightened on my dagger. Fear again settled upon me like a great bird of prey, but I pushed past it and centered myself. I couldn’t take control of the owner of the voice, but I might be able to grab hold of one of the hounds. I grasped for the mind of the creature closest to me, and once I connected, I nearly pulled myself free immediately, as the hound was picturing in vivid detail what it would feel like to rend my flesh, and to drink my blood while it was freshly flowing. Despite the horror of its black thoughts, I held on. The hound stopped in its advance, shaking its head wildly as though it might throw me from its mind. I pushed harder, bending its will to my own.

It broke under the force of my onslaught, capitulating to my desire to have it fight for me instead of the voice of the stag. Before one of other hounds could make the first leap for my throat, my chosen champion turned on it, sinking its teeth into the unsuspecting neck of the hound beside it.

Though I’d been spared for now, a massive hound launched itself at Leif, who immediately cut it down with the sword. Two more replaced the first, but I could no longer track Leif’s battle. Another hound, eyes glittering with malice, attacked me from the side. Its jaw snapped mere inches from my throat. I slashed with my dagger while simultaneously summoning my hound with enough force to make it lunge for my attacker, sending it slamming into the rocks behind us.

Another hound replaced the first with a vicious snarl. Before I could even take a breath, it launched itself at me. I deflected it as best I could with my dagger—catching it in its neck. It struggled wildly, leaving long scratches from my ribs to my hip. I cried out in pain but still held on until it collapsed. Panting, I turned to the next threat. Two stalked toward me, their muscles bunching. The hound I controlled cut them off before they could attack, and then they were growling and snapping and tearing at one another, the sound as loud and terrible as war.

Leif moved closer to me with every kill, the pile of dead hounds in his wake growing exponentially. His every movement was a fatal blow—no wasted effort. He was fast and he was strong, slicing the sword through multiple hounds as though they were as insubstantial as blades of grass. His fighting ability went beyond merely skilled and entered into the realm of inhuman.

And then, the worst possible outcome. The hound I controlled fell, its mind plunging into darkness as though a candle had been blown out.

The hounds that had killed it came at me.

I sank into a defensive position, balancing my weight on the balls of my feet. One feinted left as the other sprang, its heavy paws hitting me square in the chest. I was knocked to my back, and my head slammed onto one of the rocks. Darkness followed, and I blinked rapidly as the hound’s fetid breath felt hot upon my face. My vision returned, but the world spun around me.

I shook myself free of my daze and grabbed the hound’s throat, pushing against it from my prostrate position. Yellow teeth snapped inches from me. Its claws struggled for purchase against my leather chest piece. I couldn’t get my hand free to stab it with my dagger. Desperately, I reached for its mind.

Leif shouted my name through the heavy sounds of the hounds he was defeating. Still, I knew he wouldn’t reach me in time—I pushed past my own terror and flagging strength and grabbed hold of the hound’s mind. The hound’s teeth snapped closer; the muscles in my arms screamed with the effort of keeping it from tearing into my throat.

I forced the creature to stop in its efforts to kill me just as a flurry of beating wings rang out over the quiet wood.

Six ravens, as big as eagles, flew low over the heads of the hounds. They landed on the branches above us, watching with dark, intelligent eyes. The hounds glanced back at the stag, as though suddenly unsure.

Taking advantage of the hounds’ momentary distraction, Leif raced to my side and cleaved the menacing hound in two. Spraying me with blood, the two halves sank wetly to either side of me. Leif kicked the hound away from me and spat on the ground. He hauled me to my feet. Deep scratches covered his arms, but he appeared whole.

A crow’s caw drew our attention to the sky, where it circled far above us. It tucked its wings and dived. Just before it crashed into the ground, it transformed—but only partially. It was the body of a woman clad all in black except for her head, which was still that of a crow with its inky-black feathers and sharp beak: the Morrigan

It turned its gaze toward me, its eyes red. Beside me, even Leif looked suddenly unsure, his grip on the sword so tight his knuckles were pale.

The stag lowered its antlers and pawed the earth, but when it raised its head again, its dark eyes were anxious.

The Morrigan shot forward, as fast as a viper, and sank each hand into the chest of a hound. With a sickeningly wet sound, she pulled out their hearts. It happened so fast the beasts fell over dead without a sound.

I trembled as the blood dripped down her arms, so red against her pale white skin. Holding the hearts before her, she tore into each organ with her crow’s beak, spraying blood until I was sure I would be sick. The stag seemed frozen in place—whether from fear or shock, I didn’t know.