Page 89 of The Shadow of Polaris

“Am I dead?” I whispered, sucking in a shallow breath.

He smiled at me, tucking a strand of escaped hair behind my ear.

“No, my love. Not yet. But I need you to be strong. I need you to fight.” His voice was as quiet as the rustle of leaves in a gentle spring breeze.

“I- I don’t understand,” I said. “How are you here?”

“You needed me, so I came.”

“I’ve needed you since the moment you left me.” A sob rose in my chest as the words I’d told myself over and over in my head finally poured into the air.

“Elpis. You need to fight.”

“I’m so tired, Aryx. I can’t do this without you. I brought my men to their deaths. Please don’t make me do this,” I cried, tears streaming down my face.

Aryx wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into a warm embrace. It felt like morning dew and early flower buds. The void in my chest filled, if only for a moment. It was safe here. Familiar. He smoothed back my hair and kissed me on the forehead. It had only been a few days, but I realized then that I’d forgotten what his lips felt like against my skin.

“You have to. The realms need you.”

“And I need you,” I murmured, letting his warmth melt away the frigid loss in my heart.

He chuckled, the gold in his eyes glimmering with tenderness. “You’ve never needed me.”

“What am I supposed to do? I can’t kill this beast. It’s too strong and my forces are all depleted. I don’t know what became of the other army, but most of my soldiers are dead or wounded. Hyppolytos is…” I trailed off, thinking of my silent teacher.

“Lytos will be okay. He will recover, I promise you. The Minotaur has a weakness. Those glowing red eyes aren’t used for sight. I have to go now. I love you. Always.”

“No. Please. Don’t leave me again. Don’t go,” I clawed at his biceps, frantic at losing him again.

“Elpis, I must. Keep fighting. This is almost over.” He brushed his lips against mine as his skin became translucent.

“No. Please. Stay. Stay with me. Don’t go.”

He smiled one last time, grasping my hand in his. With one final phrase, he faded into the night. “I love you.”

Chapter 48

As if with the snap of a finger, the Minotaur came to life. It raced toward me at lightning speed. The pain of losing Aryx a second time was too much to bear. I locked it down and promised I’d find the time to fully grieve it. But for now, for Lytos, for his son, his wife, I’d have to fight. He’d make it off this island alive, even if it meant I didn’t. I gathered what little strength remained and sprinted away from his unconscious body, praying the Minotaur would take my bait. It sniffed the air, finding the trail of my scent. With perked ears, it altered its course.

I skidded to a halt and took a deep breath. If the beast couldn’t see me, its other senses would be heightened. Diving to the ground, I rolled in the bloody muck, covering every exposed patch of skin until I was entirely coated in grime. The taste of iron seeped between my lips. The blood of my own men. Dizzy with nausea, I thought of their shredded limbs and vacant eyes. Bile rose in my throat. I swallowed it back down, refusing to come apart. There was a life far more significant than my own on the line.

The Minotaur continued raging toward me. I closed my eyes and took a breath, stilling the heartbeat pounding in my chest. When it was nearly within arm’s reach, I sidestepped. Barely dodging its pointed horns, my legs gave out beneath me. It charged right past, slamming into the fortress wall with a force that quaked the keep all the way to its core.

Dazed, it collapsed to its knees.

This was my time to strike.

Pushing my legs as fast as they’d take me, I leapt into the air, clinging to the beast’s back. It roared in protest as I squeezed my legs around its chest, feeling the sheer strength of its muscles contract with me. Clawing at its nostrils, my fingers laced around the pierced iron ring.

Perfect.

I pulled with all of my strength. Sinewy flesh ripped as the metal severed from its nose. Blood spurted from the gash, inhibiting its sense of smell. One more attack like this, and it’d be rendered defenseless.

The Minotaur thrashed in fury, shaking me from its back like a dog shaking droplets of water from its fur. I whipped through the air, somersaulting to the ground. My already wounded spine splintered again, sending shockwaves of pain through my body. Biting hard on my bottom lip, I had to suppress the scream of agony flooding up my throat. I couldn’t afford to make even the slightest of sounds.

As silent as the northern night air, I flew across the yard and again leapt for the Minotaur. This time, though, it heard me coming. At the last second, it tilted its horns in my direction, piercing the tender muscle between my shoulder and heart. It sliced clean through my breastplate. The wound, although shallow, lit my flesh on fire. Pushing away from the beast, I rolled to the ground. Dirt clung to the gushing wound, sticking to my glistening skin. Fragments of rock sunk into the muscle tissue, piercing my flesh like minuscule needles over and over again.

Arcturas dove for the beast, sinking her fangs into its bloody skin. It roared again, flailing and striking at the wolf. She was too quick for its frenzied attacks, ducking and dodging each swing of its powerful fists. Ignoring the pain, I let the tingles surge through me. I am in control.

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