Denna

DENNA

T he stinger slammed into the ground where I stood a heartbeat ago, kicking up dirt and debris. I rolled to my feet, sword in hand, my heart pounding against my ribs.

Three monstrous creatures surrounded me, their exoskeletons gleaming in the harsh sunlight. Multiple eyes, each as big as my fist, swiveled to track my movements. Enormous pincers clicked menacingly, ready to snap me in half.

I swung my sword at the nearest beast, but the blade clanged uselessly against its armor. The vibration numbed my hand, and I stumbled back, cursing under my breath. My weapon might as well have been a twig for all the good it did.

A pincer swept towards me. I ducked, feeling the rush of air as it passed over my head. Too close. I needed a new strategy, and fast.

As I circled the creatures, I noticed a gap in their armor near the joints. A weakness. I feinted at one of the beasts, drawing its attention. It lunged forward, and I ducked under its pincers, driving my sword into the exposed area.

The creature shrieked, an ear-splitting sound that made me wince. It stumbled, ichor oozing from the wound. But I had no time to celebrate.

The other two closed in. I backed up, nearly tripping over a rock. Panic clawed at my throat as I realized I was running out of options.

In desperation, I grabbed my pack and swung it at one of the creature's eyes. It reared back, momentarily blinded. I seized my chance and sprinted past them, heading for a narrow ravine I'd spotted earlier.

As I ran, something sharp stung my arm. I didn't slow to check the wound, focusing only on escape. The ravine loomed ahead, a sliver of safety in this nightmarish landscape.

I squeezed through the gap, scraping my shoulders on the rough stone. Behind me, I heard frustrated clicks and screeches as the creatures tried to follow, their bulk too large for the narrow passage.

Once I felt reasonably safe, I slumped against the ravine wall, gasping for breath.

I tugged at the torn fabric of my sleeve, revealing a red welt on my skin where the creature's stinger had grazed me. My knees wobbled with relief. The injury wasn't deep. No blood, just an angry mark. Thank the stars I didn't need medical attention—my pack held many things, but bandages and salves weren't among them.

As the rush of battle faded, exhaustion crept in. I slid down the ravine wall, my legs shaking under the skirts of the dress I'd found in the trunk with the sword and the cloak, no doubt the property of some long forgotten temple maiden.

But I couldn't give up. I fumbled for the bauble, checking its soft glow. I was still on the right path. Gritting my teeth against the pain in my arm, I forced myself to stand. I had to keep moving, had to find Mila and the others.

As I caught my breath in the ravine, my mind raced. Those creatures... they were unlike anything I'd ever seen or imagined. What else waited for me out here?

And how could I possibly survive long enough to complete my mission? The weight of the tracker against my chest reminded me of Niam's words. I had no choice but to press on.

Without warning, I stumbled onto a smooth path. A road?

The temple was clear. We were not to leave Terr. And there was no one else on this world.

So who built this road? Where did it lead? As I followed its winding path, the memory of the monstrous creatures faded, replaced by a growing sense of anticipation.

The bauble's pulsing blue light urged me forward, even as exhaustion threatened to overwhelm me. I'd been walking since dawn, fueled by nothing but presples and determination. The sweet fruit still lingered on my tongue, a reminder of my defiance against temple teachings against eating food grown outside the city.

"Will you fight?" Niam's words echoed in my head, driving me onward. I had to believe there was a purpose to this journey, that I wasn't just another mad girl sent into the wilderness to die.

I didn't want to die. And if fighting was my only option, I'd just have to get better.

The setting sun painted the mountainsides in brilliant oranges and purples. I should have looked for a place to camp, but the smooth surface of the road beckoned me forward. After days of scrambling over rocks and pushing through underbrush, the ease of travel was intoxicating.

My pack dug into my shoulders, heavy with fruit and what little supplies I had left. The cloak, necessary against the morning's gritty winds, now felt stifling in the evening warmth. I pushed back the hood, letting the cooling air caress my face.

What would I do if I succeeded? If I found whatever it was that could stop the temple's madness? Going home wasn't an option—they'd drag me back to that place of torment and strange rituals. But out here, alone in the wilderness, what chance did I have?

After an easy mile or so, the walls of a canyon rose on both sides of the road. There might be a place to shelter in there, so I kept on, even as the day ended. Then, a sound came to me.

A voice.

Quickly, I pressed myself against a shadowed canyon wall, but a light caught my eye. The stupid bauble! It blinked now, the color shifting to green, but so bright it would undoubtedly give my position away. Frustrated, I tucked it into my bodice.

More voices rang out, and I tied on the sword, hanging the pack over my cloak. My hand would not leave the weapon's hilt as I moved silently into the growing dark. Then—men!

No. Not men. Long hair of blue or green highlighted with silver. Skin of dark, dark bronze. They were large, hulking.

Far larger than any man I'd seen.

Some carried loads of wood, others skins of water.

Something shifted in my brain. I knew them. Knew who they were, what they were.

Shakai.

But that was impossible. How could I recognize these people, know them?

Strange words formed on my tongue but I swallowed them.

Where were they going? I could probably slip past them in the night, except I felt the bauble vibrate against my skin. Facing away from the distant figures, I looked at it. The thing blinked like crazy, now yellow-green in color.

Oh no.

The relic—it must be among these strangers.

Could I really do this? Laughter rolled out at me, echoing in the canyon, sounding strangely human. It at once drew me and reminded me of my solitude.

The strangers disappeared into a crack in the cliffside, and I shuddered.

Some sort of cave, then. There was no way I could enter. At least, not until I was sure the men slept. They looked rough, dangerous. I swallowed hard. Being captured by outlaws wouldn't do my mission any good.

My father and brothers may have been warriors, but I'd only ever played with swords as a girl.

It was one thing to fight those stinging creatures, something else to take on skilled opponents.

Back pressed against the wall of the canyon near where the cave split the rock, I waited. Night fell, stars above. The flickering light died away, and murmured voices dropped off. My feet and knees hurt from waiting in hiding. Finally, I could stand it no more.

I thought of Niam's strained face, the desperation in her voice.

I had to try to get that relic.

Burying my pack under some leaves and rocks, I moved to the entrance and peeked inside.

Only a long dark tunnel awaited me.

I stepped back out, daring to check the tracking bauble. It was red now. Bright. Not flickering at all.

Did that mean I was close?

All I had to do was sneak through the darkness, avoid sleeping giant outlaws, search their belongings, and not get caught.

This was ridiculous.

And I had no more choice than when I'd followed the temple's commands. I bound back the sleeves of my dress, and tied a dark cloth over my face, hoping it would hide me just a bit.

I hoped.

Then I slipped into the darkness, the tunnel swallowing me whole. The world narrowed to the sound of my own breathing, the feel of rough stone beneath my fingers.

One step. Another. There was no going back now.