Page 50 of The Lost Guard's Healer

I will not have an Oathlander complicating my life. No matter how good his heart is, and how strong and selfless he is. How heroic. How physically appealing.

I don’t want any of it.

The boys, Jonah and Milo, are picking berries from the field, placing them in baskets. They have made a game out of it to see who can pick the most berries. The wind has picked up and a cool breeze is struggling to fight against the warmth of the sun. The dark clouds on the horizon make me frown, reminding me of the storm over the mountain.

The world seems to be changing a lot these days. I’m not sure what to think about it.

“Have you thought of what you will do now that your big Task is done?” Leila asks as she digs the soil with a pick.

“I’m not even sure if this is my big Task,” I say. “I wouldn’t be surprised if father finds another way to test me. To push me. At least your big Task was straightforward.” I sigh and shake my head. “My fault for being such a disgrace to the family.”

“Hey, I’m also unwed,” Leila tells me. “People think oddly of me as well. And my Task was not straightforward.”

“You’re widowed. You have two children. That’s different. You’re a sister wife. That holds respect.”

“We put too much emphasis on doing what’s best for the village,” Leila says. “And not enough on what’s best for ourselves.”

“Careful. You’ll have the elders burning you on a pyre.”

Leila scoffs. “Let them try.”

I smile at her, feeling a little better about myself. The more time I spend away from Rourk, knowing he is getting farther and farther away from us, the more I’m able to relax.

So why am I looking around, as if I’m expecting to see him at any moment? What would I do if I turned around and saw him here? I shudder at the thought.

“Hey, boys,” Leila calls out. “No pushing. Come on.”

That settles them somewhat, but I can see that competitive look in their eyes and their smirks.

Leila looks up at me. “Well, if you’re going to be here, you might as well be helpful.”

Something shifts in the air. I look around to find the source of what suddenly started bothering me, but there’s nothing I can see. Maybe it was just my mind playing tricks on me.

The ground trembles.

Leila and I share a fearful look. My first thought is that another earthquake is imminent. The boys have stopped squabbling and are looking around them, more curious than concerned.

The ground rumbles and shakes again, sending a shiver through me. I hear muffled, heavy breathing a second before something enormous breaks through the trees in the distance.

A giant animal raises its head and roars into the sky. The deafening, reverberating roar shakes my bones and the force of it ripples my clothes. This is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. It has the size of an oversized elephant and the brown fur and paws of a great bear, with huge curled horns on its head and a snarling bull-like snout.

Leila screams for the boys and rushes to them. My bones rattle with jarring fear as the giant beast growls at us and breaks into a run on all-fours. The ground shakes enough for me to struggle to keep standing. Leila reaches the boys and drags them back as I run to them, but there’s no avoiding the beast. It bounds at us and rises for an attack, raising a massive furred paw.

The beast jolts and pauses as a knife plunges into its side. I turn to see a figure sprinting across the fields to us. My heart swells at the sight of Rourk running with a pickaxe in hand, muscles tense, his long hair flared in his wake.

“Find cover,” Rourk yells without looking at us.

The behemoth rears back and faces Rourk, its snarling face full of fiery rage. That gives us enough time to take the boys to a low rock wall surrounded by tall shrubs and a tree stump.

Rourk rolls away from a swiping reach from the beast and he comes up, swinging the pickaxe and slicing its arm. The beast roars back and prepares for another attack.

I cannot believe Rourk is really here. It feels like a vivid dream. How had he found us? Had he known of this behemoth? I reach for the knife on my belt and realize I have not brought it. I’ve left it back home. There was no thought of possible danger when I’d left earlier. I’d just wanted to get away from the village. Leila’s pick is over by the crops. Maybe I could run out and grab it before the beast notices me.

“How did he find us?” Leila asks me, echoing my thoughts.

“What is that thing?” little Milo asks, his voice quivering with fear as he hugs his mother’s dress.

Rourk leaps away from a paw swipe and sticks the pickaxe into the side of the hulking beast. As he lands and maneuvers away, a swinging arm slams into him and sends him flying several feet through the air. My chest tightens instantly with fear. Rourk rolls through the field and crashes into a tree.

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