Page 27 of These Fractured Bonds

She could do this. No, shewould. For as long as Tuom lived, she would not allow herself to die.

“What are they?” she whispered to Leo.

“Howlers.”

Yareli thought back to his lesson about the nox creatures that plagued Izmari. Howlers hunted in packs, finding sport in the pursuit. It was likely there were more than a few in the shadows beyond the visible tree line.

A howler dashed past them, testing their defense. Another followed. Soon, it was a constant barrage of attacks. Leo and Bri protected her, blocking attacks sent her way, but it didn’t go unnoticed. Changing their tactics, two groups rushed at Leo and Bri, forcing them to fall away from their position. Leaving Yareli alone.

Rooted in place, fear clasped her in its claws. Nearby, Bri deftly blocked snapping jaws with her sword, landing blows, but the howlers were quick to retreat, preventing her from dealing a killing strike. Leo moved with surprising speed, his large axe catching a howler unaware. The corpse flopped. Another took its place in an instant. A cold liquid dripped down her throat. She couldn’t do this; she couldn’t fight.

“Eyes up front,” Bri yelled.

Her voice snapped Yareli out of her daze. A howler the size of a large dog barreled toward her; it had thick fur with a tail that looked like a scorpion’s, except instead of a stinger at the end, it had a second mouth with sharp teeth.

She threw herself to the side, narrowly escaping its jaws, and rushed to her feet. It circled back to her, slobber falling off itsmaw in globs. Yareli glanced at Bri and Leo, who were still battling several howlers; she was on her own.

Nox creatures were notorious for their tenacity. Only beheading the creatures would truly kill them, and her daggers weren’t built to slice through tissue and bone, but to puncture. If she wanted to take one down, she would have to be creative.

It charged at her again. Yareli could picture herself in its eyes—she was the weak fawn, easy prey. But it underestimated her. She knew her limitations, and she was prepared to be a step ahead of them.

Yareli held still until the last possible second, spinning out of its charge and using the momentum to drive her dagger deep into its shoulder. The mouth on its tail yowled in pain, and the howler stumbled to the ground. She dropped to her knees and stabbed its neck. Her only hope was to damage the tissue between the neck and the body enough to sever it. Blood splattered on her, and her arm burned from the exertion, but she kept hacking until it finally stopped twitching.

She slumped over her dagger, which was still impaled in the dead howler’s neck. Her chest rose and fell in short bursts.

“Yareli!”

Her head whipped toward Leo, who stood on the opposite side of the clearing, surrounded by corpses. He held his palm outward, and a bright flash of green light flew past her cheek. Something yelped from behind her.

Stupid.

She had let her guard down. A howler lay on the ground, writhing in pain. She leaped onto it and plunged her dagger into its neck, but she struggled to lift the dagger through the skin and muscle.

Not enough, she needed more strength.

Too slow to sever the nerves, she caught a flash of movement on her left, and her reflexes kicked in. She raised her dagger intime to block the howler’s attack. Its tail reared back, snarling, its yellowed teeth on full display. Her arm trembled. She couldn’t block another attack, but she also doubted she could dodge in time.

As the gaping maw rushed at her, she braced herself, praying her strength would hold, but the blow never came. Leo appeared by her side, severing the howler’s head with his axe, just in time. The tail flopped to the ground, lifeless.

She looked up at him, her dagger clattering to the ground. “I don’t think I can move anymore.”

He dropped to one knee, catching her as she fell backward into him. He held her shoulders, her back leaning into his leg. “It’s okay. It’s over.”

The ground was littered with corpses. Bri walked amongst them, confirming they were dead. There were so many, and Yareli had dealt with only one. She didn’t count the last one, certain she would have died were it not for Leo.

“You did great,” Leo said, squeezing her shoulders, his eyes warm.

She opened her mouth, then closed it. She had been about to reject his compliment, but she thought better of it. “I guess… I really did.”

She smiled and yawned. All she wanted was to fall asleep, but coughing wracked her chest. Bri rushed over to her, placing her palm on her chest, and soothed Yareli’s lungs with magic.

Bri frowned. “We’ll have to get your lungs looked at again.”

Yareli nodded, massaging her throat. It was not her first coughing fit. In the earlier weeks of her rescue, she had had several, but they had gradually subsided with medicine. She had pushed herself hard, and now, her body demanded care.

The brush in front of them rustled, and Yareli tensed.Bri stepped in front of them while Leo picked her up, ready to run.A howler’s twisted face popped into the clearing, and her blood ran cold.

“Go,” Bri said. “I’ll hold them off.”