Page 13 of Conflicted Fate
“There’s no way Lycaonus’ men have found us,” I muttered over my shoulder. “It can’t be, can it?”
“No,” Kiel said tightly.
I frowned at something in his voice. “You don’t sound curious.”
His reply was a wordless grunt.
“You know what’s coming, don’t you?” I asked, facing him to better see the look on his face. “Don’t you?”
“I have a guess.”
Whatever it was, he certainly didn’t look happyabout it.
“Care to share with the rest of the class?”
Our unexpected company was close enough now that we couldseethe ground shaking, little pebbles vibrating as they drew nearer.
“Look at the river,” Kiel said. “Where are the mountains?”
I glanced to the side. “On the other side of it?”
“And the sun is settingbehindthe mountains, isn’t it?”
“Yeah …” I frowned, putting two and two together. “Shit. We’re on theeasternside of the mountains, aren’t we?”
“And on the eastern side of the river,” he added.
I swallowed, my throat turning abruptly dry as I processed what he meant. We were outside the Canis Empire.
“The Wildlands,” I whispered fearfully, mouth dry, heart suddenly racing, a roaring sound in my ears to match the oncoming thunder of whatever lay just out of sight.
The northern and eastern borders of the empire were ringed by mountain ranges. Beyond them was the river that marked the end of Canis territory. Everyone knew that. It was taught in class growing up, a border that had been secured long ago by the Alphas. Our “protectors” who’d fought long and hard with the creatures of the Wildlands to secure the safety of the empire’s citizens.
“What’s really out here?” I asked. “Are the stories true? Feral shifters and such?”
“Yes.”
“Shouldn’t we, you know, run for the river? If we can cross it …”
Kiel snorted. “Out here, the river is just an obstacle. These people respect courage and bravery. Their entire culture is based on fighting and warfare, constant raiding. They don’t care about the river. It’s a symbolic thing. Nothing will happen if they follow us across it.”
“Oh.” Another lie by the Alphas.
“So, what should we—”
The forest shook, and then branches bowed outward as creatures boiled out. Four-legged beasts with hooves that smashed stones and trampled grasses as they swiftly and efficiently encircled us.
“What are you staring at?” the biggest one snarled as I stared in a mixture of awe and abject terror, hoping I wasn’t pissing myself from the fear.
The centaur, for that was what the thing was, trotted forward until the beast could lower his face to my level, revealing dirty teeth as he sneered at me, a perfect match for his untamed beard and hair, each full of bits of the forest that had become stuck in it.
“Are you scared, little pup?” he spat.
I glanced at Kiel, unsure of what to do. He shrugged and inclined his head slightly.
Their entire culture is based on fighting. They respect courage and bravery.
So, taking that into account, I acted in my own best interest.
