Page 54 of Wolf Embraced

I spun around when I sensed a soul standing behind me, but stopped when I realized it was a child. She was a young witch, in her mid-teens with tangled ash brown hair. I touched her forehead, giving her a quick death and caught her body before it fell. Right away, the virus started oozing out her nose, mouth, and ears.

“A few killed with mercy won’t be enough.”

I looked up at the familiar voice, and saw Hydum removing the beige cloth hood hiding his face. Of course, it was Hydum with his brutal honesty. He was one of Tedara’s followers, the one who had first helped me astral travel to the Red Realm.

“Hydum,” I said with joy. He was still alive, thank the Goddess, and his large eyes softened as he smiled at me. But just as I was about to greet him properly, a troll appeared.

Luna leaped from my body, attacking the troll and lifting him into the air.

Hydum was stunned, but there wasn’t time to catch up, because we were soon under attack again. He wasn't wrong, though. A few acts of kindness wouldn’t make up for all the other lives that took a little more force to put down. Still, I couldn’t bring myself to kill that little girl in a cruel way.

With a sword in each hand made from my chaos, I fought through the infected souls and animals, the weight of my weapons a little heavier than usual. That girl was one of many undeserving of death, cruel or not.

This nightmare was closing in, and the sorrow under my skin was bleeding out, making my movements slow.

I’d lost track of the Goddess, but Hydum and I were sticking together, making our way through the upper city. Several towering trees that resembled overgrown mushrooms were on fire, as were many buildings.

I peeked into every infected soul's mind that I came into contact with, but still, there was nothing. The more I looked, the angrier I got. If I could get nothing from anyone here, I needed to get to the City of Souls.

Perhaps one of Cedric's dragons was there, one that wasn't infected, and their mind would be perfect for prying into. The City of Souls was the largest city, so I assumed Cedric would send most of his forces there.

A sea of flames came rolling towards Hydum and me, eating everything in its path. Hydum stepped forward, staff in hand, and banged it down hard on the ground, creating a barrier. He stepped back and rooted his feet to the ground.

“You have to close the portal!” he groaned from the weight of the flames, and I looked up.

Four massive creatures—what they were, I didn’t know—fell from the portal, their impact causing a tremor. So I took to the sky, then called Luna back to me and gathered all my chaos. I allowed it to consume my body, creating a red mist surrounding me as I flew towards the portal.

When I was close enough, I released my power, and it entered the portal like a laser beam. The portal exploded and folded in on itself, and I was thrown like a ragdoll from the blast.

“I’ve got you.” I heard Lucian's voice, and I shook my head, clearing the haziness before my eyes.

"Lucian!" I said breathily, and beneath us, Sif chirped. "Thanks for saving me, Sif.”

"I saved you, and you thank her," Lucian laughed. "But no matter, I brought back-up.”

Hundreds of Driggom, like Sif, in various colors were flying with us. There was a symphony of screeches as Sif led the charge, and I slipped off her back and out of Lucian’s arms to fly on my own beside them.

“Right on time,” I told Lucian, and he winked at me.

The action was a little strange for him. It reminded me of Rumir.

“Sif, you know what to do," he said, and she dipped in the air.

The others followed, and their sonic cries tore through the infected ranks. Some infected in close range exploded, and houses were reduced to shattered piles. I had no idea Sif’s kind had such impressive power.

In a matter of minutes, the number of infected souls lessened from thousands to hundreds, especially now that the portal was closed. I spotted the Goddess, who'd found Lucian, but when I saw Hydum, my blood went cold.

Tedara whispered in my ear, her words unclear, and I fell from the sky like a missile.

One of the beasts that had fallen from the sky just before the portal closed had Hydum pinned under its massive feet. The creature’s left arm was larger than its right, its skin a muddy brown. I slammed into it, throwing it off Hydum, but as its feet lifted, I realized a spike under the creature’s foot was embedded in Hydum’s chest, leaving a gaping hole.

“No!” I screamed, tumbling with the beast.

I was on my feet in seconds and leaped onto the creature's chest before it could get up. I screamed because I could feel Hydum dying, and I was hit with a wave of agony that wasn’t mine—it was Tedara’s.

Her pain blended with mine, fogging my senses.

Hydum had been a true friend to her, and the only one who had stood up to her, trying to dissuade her from going through with her intentions to kill everyone. He was a good man, a great man!

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