Chapter Ten
We both stiffened before I moved Snow behind and then my guard was right there with us. Snow held a hand over her mouth stifling her scream as she watched Miron fall to his knees. The chicken falling to the ground and rushed away. An arrow sticking out of his right shoulder.
My eyes looked behind him where the arrow came from. The hunter crept out of the bushes. His crossbow pointed our away. He looked just as determined as ever with his eyes trained on Snow but the arrow trained on me.
"Tsk. Tsk. Told you boy to never stand between me and my prey."
As quick as I could, I soon had the gun my grandfather made sure I had on me at all times out and waiting. Most importantly when I go off on my own with a guard. It wasn't much at all. Thank god I've been taught how to use one from the time I was twelve years old. My mother wouldn't let me learn any sooner than that.
"I do like her hair like that. Looks like beautiful rays of pure sunlight. A shame that I have to end that light forever."
His eyes flashed for a second to Miron. "I should have known he lied to me. Not everyday that I'm fooled so easily and give out such precious herb."
Snow fisted my shirt and I was happy she was staying close to me. "Thank you by the way." Her voice didn't waver and sounded so strong as she mocked him. "If you hadn't given him the herb, I would have died from infection. So you see, you saved my life."
The hunter grimaced as it felt like something about what she just said affected him. He growled deeply. "Stop that! Don't thank me."
Snow slipped out from behind me. "But I do thank you with all my heart. I know you have a heart too because you felt compassion for Miron when he told you the story of his sister. She had died from what you saved me from. He only lied about whom his sister was not how she was before she died."
Her words were affecting him. Even so, both my guard and I matched her as she walked toward him. His crossbow bowed now and he fought hard against her goodness. His head shaking a bit and it looked to me that he was pressing the butt of the crossbow into his sternum.
Suddenly his crossbow snapped right back up and now was pointing right at Snow. "Stop it! I will not be deterred from my prey. The only way my prey lives is if I'm dead."
"Please no one needs to died today." Snow placed her hand over her heart. "I don't wish to see anyone die."
"Sorry to disappoint, but my agreement only ends with a death." His eyes darkened. "Yours or mine beautiful." His eyes flashed to me for a second when he said mine.
Was he telling me to shoot him?
Miron moaned and turned over. The hunter walked over to him and nudged him with his foot. "He'll be fine. I made sure not to hit anything too vital. Just make sure it's a physician the removes my arrow."
Miron looked up at the hunter and grabbed his leg. "Don't kill her, please. I know you lost your family but she's my family."
The hunter knocked his hand away. "I know she's not because she's an only child."
Miron latched onto the hunter's cloak now. "But she is family to me. Not by blood but by our spirits. I won't let you take her away from me."
With a yank, the hunter pulled his cloak from Miron's grasp. "I've told you before, all I have left in this world is my reputation for never failing to get my prey." The hunter turned his arrow on me once again. "And from the embrace I witnessed, she wouldn't live without."
I gasped as he started to pull the trigger. Everything that happened next was so quick and chaotic. Snow flinging herself in front of me because she would rather die instead of seeing me die. Three shots ringing out of the woods. And the hunter flying backwards as all three hit at once.
My gun laid on the ground next to me unfired. Snow laying beneath me because I had pulled us down and twisted till I was shielding her. Our eyes locked on each others. Both assessing if the other was actually alright.
We were snapped out as we heard feet pounding against the ground. Looking up, I saw guards coming out of the forest with their guns still trained on the hunter. They were the other shots that I had heard taking down the hunter. I knew he had wanted me to kill him, but I needed to protect Snow even more. Even so, he got his wish. He was dead.
Snow threw her arms around my neck and held me tight. I smiled as I held her just as tightly back. The hunter wasn't after her any longer and that meant she was safe. I hope safe enough to return with me now because I didn't want to let her go. Never ever again for a very long time to come. Eternity if I could manage it.
Shifting her, I stood up with her in my arms cradled knowing nothing can take her out of my arms. Her petit body feeling like she didn't want to be away from me.
But the moment passed when she lifted her head and gasped wide eyed at me. "Miron." Swiftly she shifted out of my arms before I could blink and was over to the man on the ground. The man moaned as she placed his head on her lap. A guard was dressing his wound, the arrow still in place, so we could get him to a doctor.
"I'm so sorry Miron."
He lightly shook his head. "Not your fault little sister. He must have valued me a threat and wanted me out of the way in the beginning."
"But look at you." Then she smirked. "He made you lose the chicken. Now what will we have for the guys?"
He chuckled and then groan out of pain. "Guess they'll have to deal with just having the sides." He winced but not from pain. "Though Naro will be very upset we lost the chicken he bought yesterday just so he could have wild chicken for dinner tonight."
She smiled down at him. "Then he'll have to prove that he can hunt after all his boasting."
I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up to my grandfather. "We heard shots. Are you alright?"
Nodding, I pointed toward Snow. "Fate brought me to her side when she needed me."
He shook his head. "Seems us stopping here wasn't an accident. Someone threw hand held spikes at the lead vehicle's tires."
My forehead scrunching with confusion. "Who..." Then I looked at the hunter. "But why would he make sure we were here to save her." My eyes moving now to Snow as she talked with Miron to keep his mind off what one of the guards were doing to his wound.
"I don't know son."
My great-grandfather walked over to Snow and she looked up with him. He bowed and she blushed with Miron looking at her shocked. Guess he didn't know who she was really but his smiled said that he should have known.
Looking back to my grandfather, a thought came to me. "Would it be possible to stay here for just a time? She was going to make dinner for whose who took her in yet now their main course has run off."
He smiled and laughed. "You want to meet them I take it?"
I nodded. "And to give my thanks for all they have done for her."
"I'll get a few men to stay and see if I can get together a fine dinner for them to return to while we see to that wounded man gets the help he needs."
"Thank you."
He smiled ruffling my hair. "Just get over there to your girl." With a shove, he walked off.
I took his cue and went over to Snow as Miron was placed on a stretcher. I wrapped my arms around her and held her to my chest.
He looked at me seriously. "Take care of her."
I nodded. "No need to worry now that the hunter has been taken care of."
Miron gave a sharp nod as he laid down fully and closed his eyes while he was taken away. Snow using me for comfort as she watched him go. I could feel her worry over him as I had worried over her when she was hurt.
"Did you want to show me inside while we wait?"
She twisted in my arms and looked at me confused. "We're not leaving too?"
Shaking my head, I placed my hands in hers before I slowly pulled her over to the house. "The others would worry about you both and I wouldn't be able to give my thanks to them for taking such perfect care of you."
She giggled. "They hoped you would feel that way."
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