Page 46 of The Shadow of Polaris

Every piece of my being wanted to lose myself in him, to pour out the darkest parts and lay it all out for him to see, but betrayal was still heavy in the air and it couldn’t be ignored. My blood turned to ice as I thought of his broad stance next to his mother, smirking cruelly as the thorns cut into my flesh.

Aryx flinched as I brought the point of my dagger to his throat.

“Step aside.” I cleared my throat, regaining composure. “This will never happen again. We will be allies, we will work together towards our common goal and nothing more. I hate you, Aryx.”

His jaw dropped, and a painful fury welled in my chest.

“Step aside or I’ll slit your throat.” I gripped the hilt of my dagger tighter.

Silently, he stepped away from the door. Before he could turn back toward me, I rushed through, slamming it behind me.

Flying down the stairs and out the front door, I hurdled to the pasture, threw myself across Kratos’s back and urged him to go.

He broke into a fast gallop, Arcturas sprinting behind us.

Tears blurred my vision as we traveled down quiet dirt roads. When we reached a shallow lake, Kratos whirled to a stop, the muscles beneath his powerful legs flexing against the earth. I dismounted and kneeled beside the shoreline, looking upon the stars reflected in the lake’s stillness.

Finally alone, I let myself out.

Sobs disrupted the stillness in the air as all the progress I had made collapsed around me.

I was close, so sure of finding myself.

I’d seen glimpses of the woman I once was.

I’d felt her course through my veins.

Now, only emptiness remained. Emptiness and a hurt so deep, it dug its claws into my very core.

I’d let a man get under my skin, let him see the shadows that lurked there, and he deceived me. None of it was real. How could I have been so stupid? Now here I was, alone. I’d left behind my only true ally. I wished Frya could see me, to hold me in those ancient arms. She’d pat me on the back and brush my hair through her hands, and when all the tears dried up and nothing was left, she’d pull me up from the ground. And she’d probably’ve told me I was a stupid girl. I chuckled under my breath. Gods, I missed her. Strength was feeling grief. Not becoming consumed by it.

The harvest moon cast golden light across the lakeside. I whispered a quiet prayer to the goddess above. My mother, the omniscient force of night.

Arcturas padded over, nuzzling me gently with her snout. Her yellow eyes gleamed as she pointed her nose towards the moon and let out a long, winding howl.

A battle cry.

“Elpis, watch out!” A male voice struck out from behind me as I whirled around to meet it. Towering above me, a beast with glowing, silver eyes outstretched its claws and was ready to strike.

Chapter 25

Abroad, sinewy chest loomed over me, and the tendons and muscles of two hairless hind legs crushed the surrounding earth beneath massive paws. Its claws were as sharp as daggers outstretched above my head. I froze, my blood putrefying in my veins as it opened its wolfish mouth to growl. Oily brown fur pricked up along its spine. Then it pounced.

I squeezed my eyes, waiting for the impact that never came.

An arrow whizzed past me, brushing my cheek, then striking through the beast’s chest. It roared in agony, howling and clawing at its wound. I kicked at its hind legs, pressing into the cool soil beneath me.

Arcturas lunged for the creature, her claws scratching at its brown skin. Distracted with my wolf’s attack, the beast fell to its knees, swiping its long, muscular arms at her as she bit into its fleshy neck. A vicious roar poured from its open mouth. Hot, sour breath thawed the frosted night air like a dense smoke.

It gripped Arcturas by the abdomen and flung her into the lake. She sunk below the surface. I watched as the beast pounced onto the shallow shoreline after her. Arcturas struggled to stay afloat in the depths further from shore. Each press of her paws hit the surface with a plunk. Whining and yelping, she sunk back beneath the depths, only to burst back into the air, wriggling frantically.

My feet barely touched the ground as I sprinted into the shallows and dove to her aid. A trail of murky silver leaked from the beast’s wound, like an oil sheen on the water’s surface. I leapt for its back. With my full weight wrapped around its neck, we disappeared into the liquid darkness beneath us.

My grip around its monstrous frame slipped with each desperate lurch for air. I hoped that my attack had bought my wolf some time. My hold wouldn’t last much longer. Splinters of wiry fur scraped the tender skin of my cheek as I lost my grip and slid down his back.

No light transmitted beneath the water. The sounds of struggle were muffled, as if there was cotton stuffed into my ears. I took a leap of faith into zero visibility and sped away from the black mass. Arms outstretched I searched for Arcturas, pleading to the gods that she was unharmed. The tether between us still pulsed. It emulated from my core like a second heartbeat.

Just as my lungs reached their bursting point, I hit the surface, gasping for air. All was quiet. The lake, once violently rippling, was silent and still. There was nothing as I scanned the shoreline for the beast or my wolf. I was utterly alone. Or so it felt.

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