Page 19 of The Heartless Archer

Now it was time to replan.

Noora dug her hand into the boy’s back. “Slowly bend down.”

“What?” he asked, his eyes still on the hovering grizzly.

“Neal,” she snapped, as she slowly bent her torso. She bit her tongue at the pain on her back but it was mostly drowned out by the adrenaline pumping through her veins.

The man finally obliged and bent down beside her, a small hiss leaving his lips. He was hurt.

Noora slowly let her hand wander down her left leg, praying that she left the hammer-sized machete on the side.

Her hand wrapped around the grip, her heart thumping against her ribcage in the beat of a hummingbird’s wings.

She sighed.

The grizzly roared.

She drew the blade and threw it right into the side of the monster, as lightning shot from the side at the bear tackling it to the ground.

“What?” Noora breathed out in surprise, as the grizzly stumbled down the deep hill, crying out in agony. A roaring howl was the answer to it.

She froze at the familiarity of it.

The white fur ball mingled with the black of the bear, as they stumbled and landed somewhere near the river.

The forest lay in silence.

After a moment of hesitation, something climbed up the hill again, and at the sight of it Noora relaxed.

“We are going to die.” Reminded by the stranger beside her, she turned to shoot a quick look at him.

His pale cheeks were flushed in fear, golden locks obstructing half of his view.

She narrowed her eyes at him, catching the glint of the royal coat of arms at his sleeve. Someone from the palace.

She turned her head back when it growled.

The wolf charged at her with alarming speed and before she could dodge him he tackled her to the ground and slid his tongue over her cheek.

“Stop it you monstrous thing!”

The wolf guffawed before sniffing her hair and licking her face again.

Noora pushed gently at his snout, still in shock when she looked at the white wolf.

One scar ran down his eye from when the alpha swiped at it. But even without the familiar trademark, she would recognise it.

“Look who made it,” she said and the wolf looked at her as if to tell her something.

A low whine left its mouth as if he could sense she was in pain.

“Get away from her! Hey!” Both their heads turned to the stranger, who had picked up a branch pointing at the wolf.

His eyes were narrowed in concentration as he advanced on them.

“It’s all right, he is not dangerous.”

“He’s not dangerous?” his voice was pitched high, disbelieving. “He just killed a grizzly!”

---