I stop breathing.

  The creature circles the tree, not releasing its gaze from me for even a second, despite the loud noise of the men in the distance.

  Unlike the others, this one doesn’t charge blindly into battle. It doesn’t lunge, doesn’t snarl or snap. It’s watching me. Pacing. It knows I'm trapped and weaker than the others. I slowly bring my knees to my chest, gripping onto the tree as I move. Caspian, if you get yourself killed now, I swear to God…

  A low guttural growl rattles from its throat. My stomach sinks. It's smart, it knows I’m defenseless. Where is he?! The fight continues in the distance, swords cshing, men shouting, but they’re too far away to see what’s happening over here.

  It takes a step forward, gauging the height of my branch. I inch back along the wood, a twig snapping at my staggered movements. The creature tenses.

  “Oh, shit.”

  The creature suddenly lunges, and a strangled scream escapes me as I tighten my grip on the tree. Its cws scrape the bark as it leaps up. But it miscalcuted, missing me by a few inches. It nds on the ground with a thud, snarling at the loss. But it doesn’t leave, circling the tree once more.

  “CASPIAN!” I yell from the branch, praying to God that he could hear it from wherever he was. Without thinking, I take my shoe off, throwing it at the creature. He lets out a whine before cwing at the tree aggressively.

  “FUCK OFF, YOU MANGY STREET DOG!” I scream at the spawn from hell. Tears swell in my eyes as my life fshes before me.

  That’s when I hear it.

  Hooves.

  I twist, nearly slipping from the branch as a familiar form barrels towards us.

  “CASPIAN, KILL IT!” Caspian reins his horse to a sudden stop, the horse rearing as a result.

  Keeping his eyes locked on the creature, he uses one hand to swing off his horse onto the ground. His armour is covered in blood and dirt as if he’d been fighting for hours. As he steps dangerously towards the creature, his sword slowly drips a trail of fire. It is no grand entrance, just lethally trained purpose.

  The creature jerks its head towards Caspian, knowing it met its match. It flicks its gaze between Caspian and me, judging who it should go for first. I shuffle closer to the tree, but in the effort of doing so, I accidentally knock Caspian’s cloak onto the ground. The creature makes its decision, turning to me.

  “Tsk.” Caspian lets out a slow, deliberate disapproval at the creature. The creature’s ears twitch. Its head jerks toward the sound.

  “Not her.” He murmurs. His tone telling. It wasn’t a warning, nor a plea. No, it was a fact. As if the creature would be foolish for even considering otherwise. My breath catches as the beast lowers its body, snarling, inching closer to Caspian. It listened to him? Of course it did. Even a wild animal would recognise a predator standing before it. Caspian doesn’t react to the beast closing in on him. He simply watches, his eyes squinting, taunting the beast to attack him. And he knows it will.

  The creature lunges, and Caspian doesn't even flinch. Instead, he lifts his sword, sshing the beast clean in half, its body igniting, and left to burn on the ground. Caspian kicks the body out of the way, slowly raising his head to catch my eye. Scanning me briefly, lips cmped shut, he gives me an unreadable expression.

  He looks back at the fight, the chaos is dying down. With his hand, he wipes his fming blood off his sword, and the fming heaps his sword once created in the distance immediately die out. Ash repcing where the fme once stood. Caspian locks his gaze back onto me, walking under the branch.

  “Jump.” I freeze, my body uncooperative to his words. The drop suddenly appearing much farther than before.

  Caspian steps closer, his face unreadable. He lifts his hands, waiting. “Genevieve.”

  “I will catch you.” He states, reassuring me, a twinge of annoyance in his tone. I don’t want to need him. But I’m out of options. Gritting my teeth, I slide off the branch.

  Air rushes around me briefly until Caspian’s hands cmp around my upper thighs, absorbing the fall as if it were nothing. I instinctively put my hands on Caspian’s shoulder to hold myself up. He takes a step back and slowly guides me to the floor. His fingers press into my sides, lingering for half a second longer than necessary. I try to pull away from his grasp, but he pulls me closer. He tightens his grip as he drags his eyes over me, assessing for any damage he couldn’t see from afar. His thumb unconsciously brushes along my ribs before he finally lets go. His eyes flick up to mine, something hidden behind his gaze. Intrigue.

  However, no amount of soft nding and affectionate touches can change the fact that he left me to die.

  “Asshole,” I mutter, snatching my shoe and his cloak from the dirt. Fucking asshole. Caspian exhales, barely acknowledging my words. I feel his eyes watching me as I trudge over to the steed.

  Piece of shit. I throw the cloak on the horse and grapple the tall saddle, attempting to climb the horse. I refuse to ask for help, but my legs ache from the ride, making it hard to move in an efficient way to get on. As I’m debating my next move to climb the giant horse, I hear him step forward.

  His hands cmp around my waist before I can protest, and I’m lifted clean off the ground, and my thighs meet the horse once again. My hands scramble against the saddle for bance as I cmber the rest of the way.

  “Don’t touch me,” I hiss, furious.

  He doesn’t respond and proceeds to grasp my clothed thigh, tugging it into pce, then moves my lower back forward so I’m sitting properly on the horse.

  “There.” His tone is ced with irritation and impatience. “Sit right this time.”I gre at him, re-faced and seething. There’s no right way to sit on a horse. It’s a horse.

  I scowl, gripping the saddle tighter. Caspian swings himself up behind me, adjusting himself, his arm then reaches past me and grabs the cloak. He flicks it out, and attempts to wrap it around us.

  “I don’t need it.” I sneer at him, swatting his hand away. If it wasn’t for hellish beasts, I wouldn’t have needed him at all. I don’t know why he’s trying to act kindly towards me when he said he doesn’t trust me. I don’t trust him. I can’t trust him.

  Caspian doesn't sigh or argue. He just stares with an authoritative gaze, and wraps the cloak around us.

  The thick fur engulfs me before I can reject. His movement, strong and firm.

  “I said I-” His hand tightens the cloak around us, securing it with a knot, locking us in.

  “Enough.” His words are soft, yet commanding.

  I fall silent, he’s not comforting me, he’s warming a liability. He doesn’t spare me a second gnce as he pulls the reins, his arm brushing against mine as he urges the horse onward. However, the sudden movement jolts me forward. Instinctively, Caspian snaps an arm around me, pulling me closer to him. Heat radiates from his chest, pressing against my back. He doesn’t say anything, he just keeps a tight grip around me, as if I’m due to fall off the horse again. I distract myself by gripping onto the saddle, so that the need for his help lessens, but Caspian doesn’t let go.

  We regroup with the army, and the men are quick to get themselves back in order. The clerics quickly heal soldiers, and others help them by wrapping up- Bodies…I gulp at the realisation that not everyone made it out of the assault.

  Sir Leiman rides up beside us, his expression grim. His armour is spttered with dirt and blood. I look uneasily at him. Everyone went through hell, just to find it again on the way home…Leiman’s steed falls into step with ours, and he speaks from under his helmet.

  “We lost fifteen, out of three fifty.” He states in a low tone, ashamed he couldn’t do more for his comrades.

  Caspian exhales through his nose, his grip tightening on the reins. Yet he doesn’t curse or show his frustration. He keeps a stoic appearance, but I can feel his breath slowing at the information.

  “More than I wanted.” His grip on me closing in ever so slightly. “But not enough to stop.” I have no sympathy for him, but leading an army must be difficult…forcing yourself to bury your grief, just so your men can mirror your strength and keep pushing forward? Takes a special kind of person to do that.

  Leiman nods, his gaze shifting to the men behind us. Caspian continues. “We can’t stay out here. The rations we were given won’t st, not with what they threw at us.” His jaw tenses at the continuous maltreatment being piled onto his men.

  “And the Krehvins?” Leiman hints at something, as if beckoning Caspian to have a different conversation. If it were up to me, I’d say nuke the bastards.

  “Crazed. I’m not sure how it spread so far west. But they don’t hunt in packs, and I don’t doubt more will come with so much blood in the air.” Leiman nods, thankful that he wasn’t the only one who noticed the ‘beast craze’ affecting the creatures.

  “We need to reach Arleigh before dawn. We’ll ride through the night.” Caspian, already pulling the reins forward, states in a commanding voice.

  Leiman salutes, turning his horse away to rey the orders down the line of scattered men. The soldiers don’t compin, nor hesitate. They just finish up their after-attack duties and press forward.

  I bite the inside of my cheek, watching as the world around us darkens and the blue stars watch over us from above. A twinkle of fireflies flutters through the tall grass as we ride on.

  The air feels heavy.

  This world has monsters. Of course it bloody does.

  cxxx{}::::::::::::::::::::::::::::>

  We travel along the edge of a vast ke, the water dark and glimmering with the light of the moon. The path starts to become slushy with damp soil, the air thick with the scent of wet earth. This must be a marshnd.

  Then, in the distance, a vilge emerges.

  Half of it is built on the marshnd, but the majority of it lies on wooden stilts built above the water. The ground too soft for the whole vilge to lie on it. The flickering glow of nterns reflects off the ke’s surface, casting long streaks of gold light along its rippling surface.

  The soldiers sigh a wave of relief. Their voices mutter about ‘how good it feels to be home’ and for some, at least ‘close’ to home. Even the more war-weary men among them seem to breathe easier, being in their own nd again.

  As we approach, some of the soldiers break away from the main group. A handful of them, turning towards the vilge, greeted by families who heard the army’s commotion. While others disappear down winding paths that lead to nearby settlements, the army’s total lessening.

  Caspian and Sir Leiman pull ahead, conversing in low voices as the soldiers begin setting up camp outside the vilge boundaries. Some begin unloading what little provisions they have left, while others settle into their bedrolls beneath the open sky. It being too te in the night to restock, or take on other duties besides sleep.

  “We’ll take the inn?” Leiman asks, dismounting. “There should be enough room there for the high command.” Caspian nods in response.

  “Set up guards around the perimeter. The rest of the men will stay outside.” Caspian turns to the weary men. “It’ll give them some time to rex without restrictions.”

  I frown, shifting in the saddle.

  What about me?

  Before I can dwell on it, we move into the vilge with the other high command. Passing through the sleeping vilge, we arrive at a Tudor-style tavern. The smell of smoke and alcohol emanating from it. Caspian unknots the cloak and, without warning, grips my waist and lifts me from the horse. I tense as my feet hit the ground and I yank myself from his hold before he can steady me. He says nothing, just raising a brow at me, before turning back to Leiman.

  Caspian, bracing his wounded arm, swings down from his horse. He hands the reins off to a very sleepy stable boy, adjusting his gloves as if this were just another routine stop.

  “The maiden?” Leiman asks, taking off his helmet, barely gncing at me.

  I stand with my arms crossed, warming my arms up at the sudden heat loss.

  “She stays with me.” Caspian replies ftly, removing a bag from his horse before handing a coin to the stable boy.

  “What?” I snap my head towards him, disgust written all over my face. “No.” My voice sharp in defiance. I’m not staying in his room.

  Caspian tilts his head ever so slightly, furrowing his eyebrows. “Oh. You’d rather sleep outside?” My thoughts go back to the beasts from the grass and the bodies buried behind us. I have no choice. My jaw clenches, and I turn my face away from him without answering.

  He doesn’t tease or gloat at me. He simply walks to the inn and opens the door without a word, gncing over his shoulder at me to ‘come in’.

  Reluctantly, I follow, each step heavier than the other.

  Just great. My life keeps getting better. First kidnapped. Then dragged through the fucking woods. Now I’m forced to share a room with a man who fucking dumped me in creature infested grass? Did I screw God over? Is this my retribution for my sins in a past life?

  I smell like a bog and probably look like I crawled out of one.

  What did I do to deserve this? This is just a bunch of bullshit…Dad, if you’re listening, please help me.

  I step through the tavern’s threshold with a scoff, brushing mud from my sleeves.

  I can’t believe I have to share a room with this asshole.