Kai and Harper rode at full speed for as long as they could before Kai was forced into a trot by his mare's exhaustion. Although he urged Harper to go on without him, she stayed, claiming that they had a better chance of survival together. Since she had burst out of the woods a day ago, an unspoken agreement to stay together had passed between them. She was right, though. They would have a harder chance of surviving these horrors on their own. They would also need to take watches starting tomorrow night—if they survived that long. He tried not to dwell on the thought, and instead readied his knives for an encounter that would surely come. Although they had gotten a ways away from the monster by the fire, howls sounded nearby, each growing closer. From the sounds of them, more of the beasts were on their way. Harper had not spoken about what they had seen at the fire, but her face was still pale as snow, eyes widening at every howl that pierced the heavens.
Kai didn't dare dismount his horse as she lapped water from a stream cutting across the path, still panting from exhaustion.
"Kai." Harper tugged at her braid, gesturing toward the path ahead. "We're going the wrong way. Toward the forest and the wraith."
Wraith. That seemed like a good name for the invisible creature from the day before. Kai only nodded. He had known where they were going soon after they left their camp; little could be done with the bear-like creatures cutting off access to the other side of the path, and he didn't dare go through the woods. If such horrors lurked along the path, he would rather not find out what prowled among the trees.
"I know," was all he said. He hadn't wanted to worry her by revealing what they rode toward—the very thing they had run from just the day before. She nodded, cocking her head as she saw the knives and sword nestled at his side. He noticed the look, preparing for the worst.
"Are you... a warrior?"
Kai winced. "No. I am—was—an...an assassin." She widened her eyes, sitting up on her horse, and he scolded himself for his stupidity.
Why did you tell her that? You left Northshore to escape the past, not relive it!
"Not anymore," he added. "I...I stopped." He knew the words sounded as dumb as he felt, and watched for the look of disgust or terror she would surely give him. He received neither, amazingly. Instead she simply nodded, cocking her head and eying him. Was she...sizing him up? He shook his head in wonder. This girl must have seen dark days, to face down an assassin as if he were nothing. He felt a strike of sympathy for her, though he wasn't sure why.
It took an effort to stop from gaping at Harper. Did she really not fear him? There. A shadow filled her eyes as she studied him. Kai recognized that shadow, that darkness. Knew it as well as he knew himself. A shadow of guilt, of regret, of pain and despair. Yes, he thought. She has seen dark days. She has felt suffering—or perhaps inflicted it. But then, is there any difference between the two?
Kai opened his mouth to speak but twisted his head to the side as another howl pierced the night. This one was close. Caught in his own mind, thinking of the past, the hound-like creature had caught him unaware. Only this time, when there once had been one, three stood. They were still a few hundred feet off, but their monstrous forms were unmistakable. Bulky and pug-like. Their short legs were a small blessing—the hounds were too slow to catch a horse running at full speed. Unfortunately, Kai's mare was exhausted, and Harper's stallion would likely be in the same state before long. They couldn't run forever—Kai had to kill the beasts now, before their pack grew and converged on their prey. If the hounds were anything like wolves, they would not give up chase easily.
"Go." Kai gestured for Harper to hurry, pausing at the worry that shone in her eyes. ". Don't worry about me, these beasts are as slow as snails. I have a horse. I'll catch up to you if things turn south," Kai lied.
Although hesitant, she nodded, pulling her stallion around before racing down the rocky path. Despite the terror that clouded his brain, making it hard to focus on what approached, Kai knew that hope was not lost. He had trained most of his life for a fight, although his opponents had been men. That was little matter; if his life had taught him anything, it was that men and beasts were one and the same.
Kai jumped off of his mare, watching as Harper galloped away, riding toward another danger, but possibly a lesser one. He could only hope that she made it past the wraith looming within the shadows of the wood, however impossible it might seem to escape from an invisible assassin.
Drawing his sword, he watched as the hounds broke into a run toward him, unfazed by the blade he balanced in his left hand, a knife readied in the other. The beast's tongues lolled against their snouts, saliva dripping from their maws. Kai hurtled the knife towards the nearest hound, relief washing over him as it found its mark in the beast's throat. The creature went down, choking on its own blood as it collapsed on the stony path—blue blood, by the looks of it. Kai would think about that later.
The beasts were not completely invincible to attack, then. Kai threw another knife at the second creature's throat—only for it to be deflected off its skull. These hounds aren't as dumb as they look, he thought as another knife sang toward the beast, this one finding its mark in one of those depthless eyes. The hound crashed to the ground, blue blood spilling mere feet from Kai's worn shoes.
That left one more of the beasts, now only feet away. Kai waited a precious second before jumping to the side, feeling the hound's panting breaths reverberate through the stones beneath his feet as he plunged his sword through the creature's massive chest, the hound's bones and muscles snapping from the force of barreling into his outstretched blade.
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Kai rode slowly along the stony path. It seemed that animals and humans were not so different. They both bled and died, and that was enough. But then, he wasn't so sure that the hounds were animals... He had never seen a creature with such strange features, let alone blue blood. He had analyzed one of the beasts for a few minutes, but had failed to find any answers. Once killed, the darkness in their eyes had faded into nothing, snuffed out by death itself. Only empty eye sockets remained.
Kai rubbed his mare's neck, inspecting his surroundings. On his left, massive trees shielded him from the warm day, stretching farther than Kai could see. On his right, a thin grove of trees gave way to rolling hills wrapped in green grasses and peppered with small boulders. Squished between the two sides lay the path on which he stood. Small gray pebbles held in place by larger stones and boulders made for a path.
"Kai!"
Kai's thoughts were cast from his surroundings as a clear, familiar voice rang out from the trees to his right. He pushed Lunar into a canter when he saw her.
Kai threw himself off of the mare's back once he reached Harper, studying her for any signs of harm or conflict. She had stopped beside a stream, barely off the stone path.
"You shouldn't be here. The hounds were hardly a quarter mile away, if I hadn't dealt with them..." He tried not to think of what would have become of his newfound companion and their horses, had he failed to kill the hounds.
Harper shrugged, patting her stallion as he lapped water from the stream. "I had faith in you. And my bow, should they have caught up to me." Her face paled, nonchalance falling away to reveal terror.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I should have stayed with you and fought, instead of running like a coward."
Kai shook his head. "You were right to run, although you did not run nearly far enough." He glared at her and she scowled, turning her head to the side.
Kai sighed, expression softening. "I'm just glad that you're safe." He was surprised by how true his words were. He hadn't known Harper for a day, but already dreaded the feeling of losing his companion. It was nice to care. Nice, to feel a spark lit within him, a reminder that something was there, that he was not lost. It was also scary to care. What if hounds or the wraith had snuck up on her from behind? What if she had fallen? How could he embrace the light in his heart, knowing that at any moment it could be snuffed out?
Kai knelt beside the stream, gulping greedy mouthfuls of water.
"What's her name?"
Kai stood, taking a moment to understand what Harper was talking about before looking toward his horse. "I don't know, actually. I haven't named her yet, but I'm open to ideas."
She pursed her lips, studying Kai's mare."How about... Lunar."
He smiled at the name, nodding as he watched the white crescent on Lunar's forehead lift from the rocky stream. "Well then, Lunar it is. And your horse?"
"Dusty." She patted his gray and brown colored coat as if in explanation. "So," she said. "What do we do now?"
"We should stop here," Kai said. "The horses need rest, and I wouldn't mind some sleep..."
"But after that? Where do we go next? Aria is still a ways away."
"Sleetshire is only a few hours away," Kai said. "It's our safest bet."
Harper nodded, settling beneath the shade of an oak tree. Kai still felt nervous in the woods, but couldn't bring himself to risk staying out in the open.
"I'll take first watch," Kai said. "Get some sleep."
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Kai watched as blades of grass bent in the breeze, flowing one way and another like rippling water. The sun was beginning to rise, casting the world into a bath of soft red light. Trees, bushes and even blades of grass seemed to perk up at its arrival, standing taller as if to reach toward the sun in the sky.
Kai shivered, pulling his arms around his knees as he inspected his companions. They had decided not to light a fire tonight. Better to suffer through the cold than be eaten by hounds. Dusty was asleep, snoring softly, while Lunar grazed upon the section of field nearest to the stream. Harper slept near her horse, a cloak wrapped around her to ward off the cold. Kai turned back to the field and path. He hadn't seen another soul during the entirety of his watch—nearly three hours. Where were all the travelers, the merchants? Dead, most likely. Dinner for a hound or wraith, or whatever other monsters lived here. He cringed at the thought, pushing it from his mind as he yawned, eyelids growing heavy. Kai stood, moving to wake Harper as the sun rose into the sky.
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"Kai! Wake up!"
He felt a hand shake his shoulder and opened bleary eyes to see Harper leaning over him. Had it already been three hours? Surely not. And the alarm in her eyes...Kai groaned. It seemed that he would never get a full night's rest.
"What's wrong?" he asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He glanced upward, catching a glimpse of the sun. Nearly two hours had passed. Lunar and Dusty had been moved further under the cover of the trees, where they grazed quietly.
"Wagons," Harper said, pointing toward the path, which was only a few meters away. Kai turned, craning his neck to look along the path. There, just past a bend on the stoney trail. Two horses pulled a large covered wagon. Figures sat atop the horses, though Kai could not make out their features. Another wagon wobbled forward behind the first. Then another, pulling past the bend. Another. They kept coming, and by the time the first reached Kai and Harper their numbers reached nearly a hundred.
"What do we do," Harper whispered, face pale. It was strange, Kai thought, that she trusted him—someone that she hardly knew—to lead. But then, they had been through far too many near death experiences together in their short time knowing one another. Perhaps trust was inevitable when the only other option was death.
"They don't look dangerous," Kai said. "They must be travelers—we might as well speak to them. We need all the information that we can get."
Harper nodded, and Kai pushed out of the treeline, walking toward the first wagon in what he hoped was an unthreatening way, arms placed above his head.
"Stop!" a figure from the first wagon cried, leaping from his horse. He held a spear with trembling hands. Kai winced as he took in the figure's apparel. Dirty trousers, a ripped shirt, shoes that were too big. And his face...he must have been older than 20, but he quivered like a child. His eyes shone with fear, adam's apple bobbing as he leveled his spear toward Kai.
"I mean no harm," Kai said. "I'm from Sleetshire, just the same as you." He assumed that they had journeyed from the port-city. Where else could a group of this size have come from?
"I see," the man said, pulling back his weapon. "I am sorry to tell you that we have no room for more, although..." He eyed the sword strapped to Kai's side; the knife-laiden belt at his waist. The man turned to the figure behind him, who still sat atop his horse. They spoke for a few moments, gesturing toward Kai every now and again. Finally, the first man returned his attention to Kai. "I suppose you may stick along, if you can feed yourselves."
Harper trudged up to stand beside Kai. They shared a glance. Should they stay with the wagon train? It would be safer, perhaps. More bodies to defend themselves against wraiths and hounds and whatever else Ath had in store for them. But why were the wagons here in the first place? Kai studied the figure who still sat atop a horse, looking down upon them. Though he tried to act strong, shoulders squared and chin raised, the man's eyes gave him away. Terror filled them, just as they did his friend's. These men must have seen something. More monsters? Where?
A scream sounded, loud and shrill. Kai tensed for a moment, but relaxed as Harper pointed toward the nearest wagon.
"Don't tell me you're afraid of crying babies," she whispered. Kai's face reddened. A baby. Well, it was no surprise that entire families had set out from Sleetshire. The baby quieted before long, and Kai thought that he could hear a faint lullaby sounding from within the wagon.
"Why have you all come here?" he asked the two men.
"Monsters," the first said, swallowing. "Huge, terrible monsters. They took over Sleetshire."
"What did they look like?" Harper asked, face paling.
"Like dogs," the man atop the horse said. "Great big dogs, with teeth the size of my arm. From the look on your face, I'd bet you've seen them too, miss."
She nodded, tugging on a strand of her hair. "You say they took over Sleetshire?"
The second man grunted, which Kai took as confirmation. He was larger than the first man, and had makeshift bandages wrapped around his right wrist and ankle. From the looks of it, he had lost one of hands and a chunk of a foot.
"How," he asked, "could dogs have done that to a city."
Were these men lying? The hounds that Kai had seen had been scary, yes, but to run down Sleetshire... no, it could not be.
"There must have been hundreds of them," the second man said. "They ran us over like horses, they did. A few of us," he said, gesturing toward the wagons stretched behind them, "were able to make it while the monsters were busy eating our friends and families." He turned, wiping his eyes with his good hand.
Kai felt a shiver crawl up his spine, and felt a spike of guilt for thinking that man was a liar. No, the terror in his eyes was not feigned. He had seen something terrible. But to think that hounds had taken over an entire city? How? How could beasts, no matter how strong, coordinate an attack against a city?
"You should have stayed in Sleetshire," he said. "The hounds won't just leave you alone. They'll be back when they're done with the city."
"I know," the first man said softly. He blinked, tears slipping down his cheeks. He already knew his fate.
"We have to leave," Harper whispered to Kai. "These people are too slow, and the hounds will be on their trail soon. There isn't much time left."
Kai nodded, swallowing as he turned to follow her back to the horses. She was right, but it still hurt, to turn his back on all of these people. Hadn't he come here to turn his life around? To help people, rather than condemning them? He shook his head, banishing the thought. He couldn't save these people, even if he did decide to stay. He couldn't fight off a hundred hounds. It wasn't his duty to care for the wagon train; they had sealed their fate when...when what? When the hounds had decided to attack? Was this their fault? Did they deserve this?
Kai gritted his teeth, stopping a few meters away from the first wagon, feet planting into the ground. Harper turned after a moment, noticing his expression.
"We have to help them," Kai said softly.
"Do you honestly think that we can make a difference here?" she asked. "We...we don't need to throw our lives away for them." There was a hesitance to her voice, a desperation. As if she could not convince even herself that turning their backs on the people was the right decision. She sighed, shoulders slumping.
"You don't need to stay with me," Kai said. "Take Dusty and go—"
"Where? Where is there to go? Aria is blocked by the woods, Sleetshire by those monsters. Besides, you're right. I can't just leave them here to die...I have to give whatever help I can. Otherwise, I'm no better than—"
She cut herself off abruptly, averting her gaze.
"I...I'll go get the horses," she said, taking off toward the campsite.
What has she seen? Kai thought. What is she not telling me? Well, it wasn't his place to pry. Besides, her past didn't matter right now. They had more important concerns. How were they supposed to protect the wagon train—a group of simple cityfolk—from the hounds?
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Kai was pleased to learn that a portion of Sleetshire's city guard—nearly 50 in number—had fled with the rest of the group. Perhaps there was hope yet.
He sat around a fire with a number of those guards, along with a man who clutched two small children close behind him. They couldn't have been older than ten years old, and had already lost their mother. Kai turned back to the guards, who roasted meat over the flame.
"During the escape," he said. "Why didn't you flee by boat? Surely that would have been the safest option."
A man across from Kai wearing stained trousers and a chainmail vest scowled. "Don't you think we tried? By the time we realized what was happenin' the hounds had already overrun the docks. I'd wager that 'least half of Sleetshire escaped by boat, but the rest of us...we had no choice but to go by land."
Kai nodded, grimacing. How many had died in the port city? How many had been eaten alive by those monsters?
Where did they come from, anyway? he thought. The hounds had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, without warning. Had they been...hibernating? No, that didn't make sense. It also didn't explain their unnatural behavior. The creatures acted strange. As if...as if they had been trained. But who had trained them? And why? None of it made sense.
Kai tried to shut off his thoughts, standing and walking toward Harper, who sat around another fire a few wagons away. She, along with a dozen other men and women, was sifting through arrows, picking out damaged ones and placing the rest in small barrels. Luckily, the city guard had claimed more than enough equipment, especially for such a small party.
Kai stopped, taking in his surroundings. Men distributing armor and swords while women repaired arrows. Sparks flying through the air as weapons were sharpened, clangs of metal on metal as chainmail hauberks were resized.
How has it come to this? Kai thought. It had all happened so quickly. He had only come to Ath a few days ago, and already he was preparing to fight. To kill. This time, though, it felt different. Felt good. He was not killing defenseless cityfolk. No, today he would do all that he could to save them.
Harper looked up, and Kai for a split second, he saw a reflection of his emotion on her face. The look of someone who had found a purpose, no matter how small, and clung to it dearly. Or perhaps he had just been seeing things.
"How are things looking?" he asked.
She smiled, gesturing toward the thousands of arrows laying in piles around them. "We should have enough. Well, more than enough." Her smile fell. "Most of the people here aren't fighters, Kai. We hardly have a dozen archers."
He swallowed. A dozen archers, each with unlimited arrows, against how many hounds? Hundreds? More?
"That might be enough," he said. "Most of the men and some of the women are willing to fight. That adds up to nearly 200 soldiers, plus the archers."
Things weren't as bad as they had seemed. Perhaps it would even be possible to win this battle. Perhaps.
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Kai shivered as a horn sounded, cutting through the din of battle preparation. The hounds had been spotted. He turned to look upon the fortifications that stood alone in the field. The wagons had been arranged in a circle, two layers locked against each other to form a barrier. The children, the sick, the old, and the women lay within the barricade of wagons, along with the soldiers. Kai tried not to think of what would happen to them, should their defenses fall. There was nowhere to run now, no escape. Only endless grasslands and forests. Losing meant death.
A line of archers was clustered a few dozen meters before the wagons. Harper was right, there weren't enough of them. Kai sighed. It would have to do. The scouts returned shortly, galloping into a shifted wagon that functioned as a makeshift gate. It would stay open until the archers retreated.
Kai clutched his bow in one hand, knuckles white, heart pounding in anticipation. This was the part that he had always hated. The time before the battle, before the killing, the time of worry and anxiousness and fear. He wanted to stop thinking and start fighting.
There. In the distance, movement. Dust billowed into the sky as the hounds grew closer and closer. Kai distantly heard commands.
Ready your bows.
The words were a mere buzz in his ears, drowned out by his own thoughts.
Nock.
Why were the hounds in such a straight formation? They bore down on the wagons like an army of trained soldiers, not beasts.
Mark.
He positioned his bow as the first line of hounds came into range.
Draw.
He aimed for the closest beast, trying not to be swept away by its void-like eyes.
Loose.
Kai's arrow flew through the air, catching the hound in the throat. It fell, blood spurting from its neck, eyes blinking out. He shot another arrow, then another. Each met its mark, dropping one of the beasts. The creatures were drawing closer and closer, new hounds filling into the frontline to replace their fallen. Their tongues lolled out of their mouths, slobber dripping to the ground. Kai loosed another five arrows in quick succession, each killing a beast. Luckily, the creatures were big targets. They would fall easily enough to arrows. He looked to each side as the hounds grew near. Half of the archers had already fallen back, and those who stood beside Kai trembled like children. They had never seen battle, he realized.
"Retreat!" someone shouted.
Kai turned, running toward Harper, who stood still, eyes glazed over as she stared at the line of hounds.
"We have to go," he said, grabbing her by the arm. That seemed to pull her from her daze, though her face was still pale and her fingers trembled as he led her into the ring of wagons. They passed by the makeshift wagon-gate, which was quickly closed upon the archers' successful retreat. If it could be called successful. Kai had managed to kill a few of the hounds, and he wagered that the rest of the archers had killed at least two dozen all together, but would it be enough?
Kai dumped his bow and quiver of arrows on the ground, grabbing a spear from a supply station. It was of fine make, and had likely never been used. He hauled himself onto the wagon wall to join another hundred spearmen who sat atop it in wait for the hounds. He ignored the men's sloppy formations and weak fighting stances. Kai had never been properly trained as a soldier, and even he knew better than most of Sleetshire's city guard. Well, that hardly mattered now. These men would do what they could, and hope that it was enough.
The hounds approached quickly, clearing the space that Kai had stood with his bow moments before. He gripped his spear, moving into a fighting stance. He had hardly held a spear in months, and could only hope that his inexperience didn't get him killed.
Most of the hounds slowed as they reached the barricade of wagons, whilst others rammed into the wood. Kai felt the wagon beneath him wobble as a massive beast lunged into its base, snapping a wooden board.
Kai twisted his spear, muscles tensing as he plunged it downward and through the hounds neck. Blue blood flew into the air as the creature whimpered, eyes blinking out. He pulled back on his spear, freeing it from the hounds body as he stood to survey his surroundings. The first onslaught had left little damage, although some of the outer wagons had begun to cave in at the sides. How long would those hold?
Kai turned as a human scream rang out to his side. It came from a young man. His spear had fallen out of his hands, and a hound had jumped and grabbed onto his leg, pulling him off of the barricade and into the open jaws of a dozen monsters. Kai lunged toward him, grabbing onto the man's arms. He grunted, ignoring the sea of hounds that waited just beyond the safety of the barricade.
"Please," the man gasped. Another hound lept and grabbed onto his leg, pulling him to the ground. Another beast gnawed at his other leg. "Please help me."
Kai growled, panting as he felt the man slipping away. What could he do? How could he save him? Was there any—
The young man fell. He screamed, tears filling his eyes, face contorted in terror and pain as a group of the hounds devoured him.
Kai blinked the horror from his eyes, feeling numb as he moved back into his spot, noticing the spear lying on the ground.
Why didn't I use my spear? He wondered. I could have killed the hounds, or scared them away. I could have saved him.
In the moment, he had completely forgotten about his weapons. His only thoughts had been to pull the man up and save him. Stupid. Kai blinked again, annoyed by the tears that threatened to fill his eyes. The battle was not yet over. Now was no time for grief.
He swallowed, picking up his spear. The sounds of battle returned as he gripped the weapon's wooden handle. Men screaming, dogs whimpering, babies crying. Shouts of victory, of defeat. Kai shook away his stupor, turning to survey his surroundings. Clusters of men, women and children stood within the ring of wagons, many holding weapons in anticipation of the barricade falling. Kai spotted Harper among them, clutching a spear of her own in front of her. Her face was pale, and she flinched each time a man screamed or a hound growled, but she stood steady.
Kai turned back toward the other side of the wall, taking a deep breath. Nearly 70 hounds remained, and paced a few meters from the barricade wall—and the spearmen atop it. So then, they were learning.
There were very few casualties atop the wall, luckily.
Kai allowed himself a soft smile, pushing the death of the young man away. Overall, the battle was going well. Far better than expected.
Crack.
Kai swung to the side, looking for the sound's origin as dread filled him. It had sounded like...like wood snapping.
There. On a sector of the wagon barricade adjacent to the one that he was standing on. A dozen of the hounds had formed a tight group, barreling toward the barricade at full force. They took turns running at the wagons, five or six of the beasts running forward at once while the rest of the creatures defended them.
They're even smarter than we thought.
Kai watched as half a dozen men attempted to fight off the onslaught of hounds. As they reached the section of barricade under assault, the wagons started to collapse. Kai's breath caught in his throat as he watched the men tumble off of the barricade. He tried and failed to block out their screams as the spearmen were eaten alive.
Kai looked around, waiting for someone to act. For a command to be called, for men to refill the empty posts. Instead he saw terrified men and women, faces pale. Some vomited, while others cried. Kai's heart dropped as he turned in place. These people weren't fighters. No, most of them had likely never seen true conflict in their lives. He wouldn't let them die. Not like this.
"You, with me!" Kai shouted, running along the barricade and gesturing for men to follow him. They had to act now. There was no time to grieve the fallen. They had to seal the breach before—
The hounds growls and barks grew louder as Kai ran across the wagons, and he realized that they were running beside him.
Are they following me? He wondered. No, they must be joining the other hounds. They've noticed our weakness.
Kai reached the part of the barricade that was being destroyed by the monsters. The creatures had huddled together, forming a swarming mass of scarred skin and slobbering snouts. The barricade shook, wagons creaking as the hounds rammed into them, sending bits of wood flying.
Kai felt his footing fall away as the wagon beneath him collapsed with a crash. He lept backward, heart pounding as he felt wood beneath his feet once again. A group of hounds quickly moved forward, grabbing wooden boards and wheels with their maws and pulling them away. Within moments, what was left of the broken wagon lay a dozen meters away, far from blocking the hound's path forward. Once again, Kai was astounded by the intelligence of the creatures. Even trained dogs would have trouble performing such feats individually, let alone within a group. What were these things?
Kai didn't allow himself time to consider as he pulled a knife from his pocket, sending it into the throat of the closest hound. It fell, choking on its own blood. The inner wagon of the barricade still remained, though the beasts had begun battering it.
"Forward!" Kai shouted, ramming his spear into a hound. The men behind him reluctantly stepped forward, converging on the hounds. Though the beasts tried to fight back, they were defenseless against the spears.
He smiled, pushing closer to the edge of the wagon, perspiration sliding down his forehead as he thrust his spear through the neck of one hound, striking the heart of another with a knife. More men and women began to crowd around him, screaming in triumph as they slaughtered the hounds.
Kai angled his spear toward the throat of a hound, pushing it downward. The beast threw its neck upward, deflecting the blow off of its rock-hard head. In an instant, the hound twisted its mouth, leaping to grab onto Kai's spear. It pulled, and he felt himself fall into the shadows of the barricade—and the dozens of monsters beside it.
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Kai froze as he felt blood-stained grass crumple beneath his weight. The fall hadn't hurt—the wagons were hardly two meters tall. He hadn't been worried about the fall. He swallowed, taking a deep breath in an attempt to ward off the shock that threatened to paralyze him.
Why am I still alive? Kai wondered. I should've been eaten the moment I fell off of the barricade, like...like the rest of them. He shuddered, pushing away the thought as he took in his surroundings.
He lay on his side, and had fallen halfway beneath one of the outer wagons. Blue liquid that smelled faintly metallic slickened the grass beneath him. Blood. A dozen hounds stood mere inches from Kai's face. Their scarred skin smelled like rot and death. How had they still not seen him? He was right beside them, surely—
Kai felt his heart stop as a massive hound turned toward him, slobber dripping from its maw. Too-large teeth filled the creature's mouth, and Kai saw the remnants of blood and meat stuck between its canines. He tried not to think of where it had come from. And those eyes...he tried not to scream as he saw them. They looked like they were crafted from an abyss. A darkness so absolute that even the sunlight seemed to shy away from it.
The hound stood over him, saliva dripping onto his face as he stared at those terrible eyes. It sniffed, cocking its head for a moment in what Kai could have sworn was confusion. It lingered for another moment, sniffing every so often, snout a hair length away from Kai's face.
And then it moved. The hound moved, head turning as it trudged away.
Kai let out a sigh of relief, releasing a breath that he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He lay silently, watching as hounds fell beside him, blood puddling across the grass as the monster's numbers dwindled.
The hounds must be blind, he thought. They must be blind, but then...how have they been finding their prey? And picking up debris, and grabbing spears?
None of it made sense. Perhaps he was just lucky, or had somehow blended into the grass. Either way, there were more important things to worry about now. Kai watched, waiting for the hounds to be distracted as he eased himself further under the wagon. He crawled into the darkness, pulling himself out the other side, into the light. Into safety. He panted, breathless despite having hardly moved in the past couple of minutes.
Kai flipped onto his back, closing his eyes, too tired to move. He fell asleep to shouts of triumph and victory.