Page 33 of What Sleeps Within the Cove

Lupa stepped up behind me, placing her nose beneath me and using it to lift me onto Fenrir’s back as he lowered. I did my best to pull myself into position, laying my weight atop his and sinking a hand into the fur at the side of his neck. I gripped it tightly as he stood, rising to his full height.

The sound of wings fluttering nearby was my only confirmation of the Morrigan taking their raven form, soaring overhead to avoid the creatures coming for me.

Fenrir walked forward, offering me a silent warning that I shouldhold tight. His gait increased to a trot, and then an outright sprint. The sounds of Lupa and Ylfa running beside us brought me comfort as I stared into the darkness, doing everything in my power to keep my eyes open.

I wanted nothing more than to fall asleep and give into the weakness plaguing my limbs, but I couldn’t.

“If the phoenix will bring Brann back in the morning, wouldn’t she bring me back, too?” I asked, the sleepy sound of my voice jarring even me.

“You are not a part of this place,” Fenrir said, the words growled in my mind. Despite how quickly he ran, he did not sound even remotely out of breath.

I hugged Fenrir tighter, snuggling the side of my face into his fur as Brann’s screams of pain ripped through the night. I’d never be the same after hearing them, not knowing if I could have saved him. Turning my back on him was something I never could have imagined, never picturing a life without him in it.

The uncle to my children one day. The protector I’d never asked for that I couldn’t get rid of.

I didn’t know if I’d ever get to see him and my mate argue over my well-being, and while that might have seemed like an inconvenience to deal with a few hours before, now I wanted it more than anything.

I drowned out the sound of his screams as the wolves ran with a quiet hum in my head, even knowing that Fenrir could hear the pathetic noise. His body rumbled with a deep purr-like growl, as if he was answering a song that no one else could hear.

Brann’s screams stopped finally, and the silence was deafening for more than one reason.

There was only one place the monsters would go next, one more meal to hunt with the scent of my blood more clearly imprinted on their senses than ever.

They were coming for me, and I would be able to do nothing to help the Cwn Annwn fight them off.

Fenrir leapt over a boulder, jarring me on his back as I clung on for dear life. The creatures at his back blended into the darkness, but Icould feel them closing in on us. I could practically feel their breath beating down my neck as Fenrir fought to move faster.

The Morrigan flew overhead, their caws sounding out warnings. Fenrir moved in tune with those noises, as if he understood the instructions in them. Ylfa and Lupa ran at our sides, fighting for just a little more time. They defended us against any of the creatures who braved Fenrir’s wrath to come at his flank, taking them down one by one.

They’d fought for hours, their exhaustion finally catching up with them. We’d lose precious time to sleeping during the day if we survived the night, all of us needing to take whatever opportunity we could to rest.

“Look out!” I called, the dimmest lights of the fires swirling behind us as dawn broke out.

Fenrir jumped to the left, loosening my grip as he bucked me to the side to avoid the gnarled hand that reached for me. The creature missed only barely, his claws raking down Fenrir’s spine as the wolf howled in pain. That same hand struck me in the side, knocking me farther sideways until my only remaining grip slipped through Fenrir’s fur.

“Neamhai!” his panicked voice called as I tumbled off his side, rolling onto the red earth where it had only just begun to illuminate. The creature behind me snarled, skidding to a stop as Fenrir collapsed beneath his own weight.

I rolled over in the dirt, wincing in pain as I shoved my hands into the earth and forced myself to my knees. The creature spun for me, but it was the mass of red streaming down Fenrir’s back that I couldn’t take my eyes off of.

I stood slowly, staggering to the side as I reached over my head and pulled my swords from their sheath. The creature stood on its back legs, rolling its neck as it ran straight toward me. It was an almost-human motion, a reliever of tension right before devouring its meal.

I forced my legs shoulder width apart, leading with my blades as I waited for the impact I knew was coming.

Ylfa charged the creature, slamming into its side and knocking it off course as Lupa jumped on its back. She wrapped her teeth around the creature’s neck, sinking her teeth deep as blood poured down its chest. I kept my distance as long as I could, watching them grapple with the creature as two more closed in.

The phoenix was nowhere to be found, the sky clear of all things that flew except for the Morrigan where they circled overhead,swooping down to claw at the creature and offer brief moments of distraction.

I turned my attention to the coming wave of creatures, swallowing as I readied myself for what was sure to be my death. I glanced toward where Fenrir bled on the ground, attempting to get to his feet and falling beneath his weight each time.

Putting one foot in front of the other, I positioned myself between him and the coming creatures. He whimpered as he looked back at me, the pleading in his eyes nearly melting my resolve. “Run,you foolish girl.”

But there was no force to the command, because he knew as well as I did that I wouldn’t make it ten steps before they descended upon me.

The creatures came, running forward in a wave of terrifying skin and teeth, of fur and claws that would tear me in two. I met the beady red eyes of the one closest to me, determined to take him down with me as I raised my swords to position.

I drew in a deep breath, letting the air fill my lungs as the phoenix cried in the distance.

Too far.

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