The Great Hunt (Eurona Duology, #1)(55)

“Incoming!” Tiern shouted.

Footsteps pounded the ground as hunters seemed to appear out of nowhere, Ascomannians and Zorfinans getting their first wide-eyed glimpses of the beast. Once they were a sizable group, Paxton and Tiern turned, dropped to the dirt, and aimed their bows upward. All around them men were yelling and arrows were flying.

What in the . . . ? The beast was no longer charging them. It had taken an abrupt turn.

“It’s going to the water!” Harrison called.

Paxton should have known—just like last time the beast was injured, it wanted to flee. He jumped to his feet and ran with the others toward the river. A jarring boom and splash sounded from the river, and the beast roared. Tinny voices of rivermen were crying out from boats, throwing rocks and lighting small black powder bombs to toss in the water. The far side of the river was lined with even more townspeople, thrusting fiery torches in the air and screaming curses at the beast that were muffled by the distance.

The beast ran up the riverside, northward, zigzagging back and forth between the water’s edge and the forest, where hunters shot arrows and emerged from the trees with war cries. Any who came near were batted away by the massive, clawed paws, but it never stopped to fight.

It proved to be faster than the men, but Paxton and the other breathless hunters ran on with fervent desperation. Paxton felt a horrible now-or-never urgency in his gut. He’d been the one to injure the beast and he wanted to be sure the job was finished by someone this very night. Watching the beast put distance between them filled him with a sinking sensation.

We can’t fail tonight. We can’t.

Some of the men had to stop, bending and grabbing their knees to catch their breaths. Paxton could hear Tiern’s panting breaths just behind him. To his right were Lord Alvi and Volgan. To his left were Harrison and two hooded Zorfinans.

The beast veered toward the woods again, and this time disappeared into the trees. The hunters followed. As a mile turned to two, the terrain became rockier and steeper.

“We’re nearing the ridgelands,” Tiern said, breathless. They peered at the jagged landscape through the dark. Paxton nodded and Lief gave a grunt.

They ran on until darkness fell and they could no longer see or hear the beast, which had been moving upward, away from the water. It became difficult to discern tracks in the sliver of moonlight. When the group of men stopped to catch their breaths and drink from their pouches, Paxton realized how cold it’d become.

Tiern jutted his chin toward the sky. “Look.” The word came out as a mist of steam in the cool air as he rubbed his hands up and down his arms. Hulking gray clouds rolled above them.

“It will pass,” Paxton said. Annoyance gripped him. He didn’t have time for weather issues. The beast was at their mercy. It was out there, injured, nearby, and it would need to stop and tend to itself soon. Paxton was itching to turn and leave the others, give chase on his own.

They looked around at the silhouettes of one another. Lief’s voice rang out. “Daybreak is in a few hours. We can track it thoroughly in the light, but we’ll be wasting precious time. And if rain comes, all will be lost.”

Paxton did not want to stop. Volgan glanced his way and seemed to read his mind, lifting his chin haughtily. “I say we continue on, my lord.”

“A storm comes. We have no supplies,” one of the Zorfinans pointed out in a broken accent.

“Then run back home where you’re safe and sound,” Volgan spat.

Paxton stopped the glowering Zorfinan from moving forward.

“It is suicide to go in ridgelands in cold,” the Zorfinan said to Paxton. The man was shivering already, accustomed to the dry heat of the Zorfina deserts, his clothing and head scarf too lightweight for these temperatures.

Volgan chuckled under his breath, and Paxton could no longer stomach it. He stepped close to the hairy man and spoke through clenched teeth.

“Shut your mouth or I’ll shut it for you, once and for all.”

Volgan’s eyes widened at Paxton’s threat, his hairy lips open, but Lief stepped between them and gave his man a push backward. “Our fight is not with one another. I was going to suggest some of the men stay here anyway, in case the beast comes back down.”

The seven Zorfinans gave tight nods of agreement. Paxton turned to Tiern, who was slightly shivering, too. He spoke to his brother under his breath.

“You should stay here.”

“No,” Tiern ground out, standing taller. He’d always been lean, which gave him no protection against the cold. Paxton quietly sighed.

Harrison stepped up and clasped both brothers on the shoulders. “I’m going.”

None of the Ascomannians volunteered to remain. They seemed immune to the cold and would do anything to impress Lord Alvi. So be it.

Just a few hours until the sun is up and warmth returns, Paxton told himself as they set off into the cold night.











Chapter


27


Rozaria clutched her cloak tightly against the bitter wind, cursing the Lochlanach climate. She missed the constant heat of Kalor, but her mission was too important to let personal comfort hinder her. She dug a pair of leather gloves from her deep pockets and slid her frozen hands inside—all the better to hide her nails. Gloves were frowned upon throughout Eurona for that very reason, but few would question it in this weather.