Tale of the Heart Queen (Artefacts of Ouranos #4)

Chapter 66

C HAPTER 66

NADIR

“ W hat do we do?” Lor asks as we circle. I’m no stranger to grizzlies—plenty live in the Beltza Mountains—but these things are monstrous. They close in around us, their eyes hungry with longing. They pause as if giving us a chance to gather ourselves, probably so they can enjoy their victory more thoroughly.

“Normally, you’re supposed to shout at them when you encounter bears in the wild,” I say. “It usually scares them away.”

Lor snorts. “Sounds like a great plan.”

She peers over her shoulder at me. I see fear in her eyes but also determination. This queen, who was always a queen, is the bravest person I’ve ever met.

We look away, and I scan our surroundings to take stock of our assets. If I’m lucky, I could fire off at least two or maybe three arrows before they’re on us. But it’s been a while since I’ve used a bow, and my aim is rusty.

“Hide in the quicksand?” Lor jokes, and I toss her a rueful smile.

They’ll go for me first.

Lor doesn’t give any indication that she’s heard me as she blows out a heavy breath.

So I’ll just fight them off with my bare hands, then?

If anyone can do it, it’s you, Lightning Bug.

Her shoulders jerk, and I can tell she wants to laugh, but her face remains expressionless. Our survival depends on keeping this connection a secret from Herric.

I’ll fire arrows at the one in front of me. When the others charge, you fight them off with your dagger and the sword. Aim for their eyes and mouths.

We continue circling as I slowly pull out an arrow and notch it before peering over my shoulder. Lor holds up her weapons, gripping them in her fists.

“Ready?” I ask, and she nods.

“Let’s end these fuckers.”

And then I fire, aiming for the eye of the closest bear. It hits its mark, and its head rears back as it lets out a roar and stumbles to the left, its legs tangling together. I don’t have time to savor the moment because the next bear is already charging, and I pull out another arrow, notching it and firing, somehow managing to keep my hands steady.

It goes wide and lodges into the side of its neck. The bear roars and tosses its head, but it continues running as I reach for another arrow. I fire, and this one hits its front shoulder, causing its leg to buckle. It all happens in an instant, and my head spins as I try to maintain my balance. It feels like it’s been days since we bonded inside the cavern, and it’s impossible to gauge the timeline. I wonder if the minutes pass like they did in the Evanescence.

Behind me, I see the flash of Lor’s sword as she uses two hands to slice a bear across the face. It roars and lurches away while another lunges from the other side. I call out to her as she pulls the blade from her thigh and arcs it overhead, plunging it into its muzzle. I note the surprise on her face as she stumbles into me. Catching her with my free arm, we both watch the injured bear bleat as blood sprays our clothing. It shakes its head and then swipes at her with a large paw.

I scuttle back, pulling her out of its reach before I set her back on her feet.

“You okay?” I ask, and she nods.

“I think so.”

The bears left standing close in, forming a half circle as they prowl closer on their massive paws. Going on the offensive, I swing and crack a bear across the face with the bow. It leaves a gash but does little to deter it. I try again and the bow nearly snaps in half, then I duck when it hooks a massive paw at my head. Catching me in the shoulder, it tears the leather of my jacket.

Lor slashes and hacks, and I watch the bear open its mouth and close it over her arm out of the corner of my eye. She screams, and her knees buckle just as she thrusts the sword upwards and pierces through the top of its skull. The bear pauses and then collapses in a heap. Lor releases the hilt of the sword now lodged in its skull and, without missing a beat, picks up a rock and hurls it at the next bear as it paces back and forth. It strikes the bear’s flank, earning us an ominous growl as it starts pacing faster.

Lor’s arm and hand are bleeding, and I can’t tell how badly injured she is, but at least she’s still standing.

The bear that just attacked me is coming in for another round, and I duck again, dropping to the ground and rolling under the beast as I snatch a fallen arrow. It roars and shakes its head as it spins around, trying to dislodge me. Icy rage billows through my limbs, fury curdling in my chest. I’m so fucking pissed that Lor was dragged here by my father and that instead of saving herself, she’s forced to protect me .

With a cry born of three centuries of anger, I thrust the arrow up, piercing the soft skin of the animal’s belly. It slides into the flesh like a knife through butter before warm, thick blood coats my hands. The bear roars, lifting up on two legs, and I waste no time leaping up and driving my shoulder into its ruined stomach, tipping it off balance.

Lying on its back, it pedals in the air, screaming and roaring. This poor thing didn’t deserve this either, I’m sure. That doesn’t stop me from picking a large rock and smashing it into its face. The bear whimpers and then rolls onto its paws before it starts to drag itself away.

I watch it heave itself across the ground as ragged breaths saw out of my chest.

Only one animal is left, and Lor and I spin around to face it as it charges, swiping a paw as she cries out and jogs back, lunging for her dagger where she dropped it. I pick up the bow and another arrow and fire at close range. The shot lands right between its eyes, and the bear roars, a paw swinging again and catching Lor across the stomach.

She screams as she goes flying, landing in the grass with a thud. I want to go to her, but the bear drops back onto all fours, its head swaying side to side as blood drips down its face. Again it charges for Lor, who’s hunched over, clutching her stomach, but instinct takes over, and I throw myself on its back.

It swerves with the weight of my body, and we both careen to the side, back and forth, before it loses its footing and crashes to the ground. We both go rolling, and it feels like my organs are going to squeeze out of my body as it tumbles over me.

Somehow, we get turned around, and now the bear is on top, blood dripping down its face. I try to scramble away, but it pins me to the ground, and it opens its jaws wide as it dives.

A moment later, the bear jerks, and Lor appears on top of the beast, both hands clutched around the hilt of her dagger, the blade wedged into its skull.

After several heartbeats of silence, the bear starts to collapse. I scramble out, and Lor tips off its back as we stumble towards one another. She leans against me, breathing heavily.

“I . . .” she gasps.

The bear’s claws tore straight through the leather over her stomach, and she’s covered in blood. We both are. I look around frantically. Herric doesn’t plan to kill her, but he clearly intends to let her suffer .

She clutches her stomach and sinks to her knees.

“Hold on,” I say. “I’ll be right back.”

I run to retrieve the pack from where I dropped it, then pull the dagger from the fallen bear and tuck it into my belt. I consider the sword, but it’s firmly stuck, as well as the bow, but all the arrows have been scattered. Deciding I don’t have time to collect them, I scoop Lor into my arms and start running. We need to find somewhere to regroup and maybe wash this blood off.

Lor’s eyes flutter open and closed as I crash through the brush, hoping no surprises find us. Finally, I spot a small stream and beyond that the opening to a cave. Perfect. Setting her gently on the bank, I reach into the cool water and scrub my hands, arms, and face. Then I do what I can for Lor, being careful as I clean away the worst of the blood from her arm and stomach. She grits her teeth as I maneuver her, clearly trying to be brave.

“Hold on,” I whisper as she shivers. Then I scoop her up again and duck into the cave to discover it’s shallow enough to ensure nothing is concealed in its shadows but deep enough to keep us hidden from anything passing by.

I lower Lor to the ground and then open the pack, praying there’s something useful inside. I find some food—hard bread and strips of dried meat—and wonder why Herric has bothered. My only thought is that he wants a show and this is all just window dressing.

I find a thin blanket, some socks, and, by a miracle, some bandages, along with a tin of what smells like pine needles. I hope it’s some kind of ointment. Carefully cutting away some of the leather on Lor’s torso, I apply the salve to the jagged lines of torn flesh.

She groans as her chest expands.

“Is that okay?” I ask.

“Yeah,” she says, gritting her teeth. “It’s great. I’m just having the fucking time of my life.”

I snort a dry laugh. Then I wrap the bandages around her to stave off the bleeding. Once she’s patched up to my liking, I hand her some dried meat. I’m relieved to see some of the color is returning to her cheeks.

“Eat this.”

As she chews, her eyes spread wide. “Nadir. Your shoulder!”

I look down at the exposed meat of my arm where the bear clawed me. I was so focused on Lor that I didn’t feel anything, but the reminder makes my vision blur, my head swimming as my surroundings tilt.

She shuffles over and forces me to lean against the wall. It’s her turn to tend my wounds, using the salve and the remaining bandages. Once she’s done, she digs into the pack, but there isn’t much else to find. A second canteen and a small hunk of cheese, along with a single apple. I could eat everything in a single bite right now. I try to recall the last time I ate—it was before the bonding ceremony, which might have been only a few hours ago, but it feels like it’s been a century.

“Here, eat this,” she says.

“We should save some,” I say. “We don’t know if there’s more coming.”

“We need to keep up our strength.”

“Lor,” I say .

“Just eat it. I don’t think we’re meant to be here long anyway.”

We exchange a meaningful look, and I know she’s right.

With a resigned nod, I tear into the apple’s flesh. We eat everything, refilling our canteens in the stream as the light outside dims.

“Is it supposed to be night?” she asks. “Is this real?”

I shake my head. “I think he’s just making it seem that way.”

“Do you think this will be worse in the dark?” she asks.

“I don’t know.”

“Do you think he can see us right now?” she asks, looking around while I scan the cave.

“Fuck, I hope not.”

“Herric?” Lor calls. “Can you see or hear us?”

Not surprisingly, there’s no answer.

We exchange another wary look.

“We should try to sleep,” I say. “Just for a few hours. I think we are better off waiting for daylight.” I draw her in close, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

“I’ll keep the first watch.”

When I see she’s about to protest, I silence her with a kiss.

“Shh. I promise I’ll sleep after you do.”

She nods, and I can tell she’s desperately trying not to cry.

“I’m scared,” she whispers so softly that I barely hear it.

“I am, too,” I say, and she nods. I’ve never been more scared in my life. I don’t believe for one moment that Herric plans to allow either of us to walk out of here, nor will he allow her to leave without forcing her to destroy the ark, probably using me as leverage .

I take her hand and expose her palm and the silver marking Herric claimed would bind him to his promise. Sweeping it with my thumb, I assess it, not trusting him at all.

He will find a way to get what he wants and, in the process, get rid of us both.

Lor looks up at me, and I flip her hand over, touching her ring.

“Remember when I gave this to you? Do you remember what I said?” I ask, and she nods, her mouth pressing together.

I will follow you until the very end.

“I still mean every word.”

“I know,” she whispers. “I’ve never doubted you or your intentions for one moment.”

Then I press a kiss to her forehead. I don’t know what else to say. I wish this weren’t happening. I wish I could take her away from this. All I’ve ever wanted is to protect her, and I feel like I’ve failed at every turn.

She seems to understand and nods.

“Get some rest,” I say again.

Then she lays her head on my shoulder as we watch night descend inside our prison.