30. Twenty-Seven

Twenty-Seven

Another Escape

A sher's tail flicked as he seethed silently from his cage. He'd tried transforming into his human self to get the lock open, but a key was required. He'd had to turn back into his tiger form to stay warm that night. Now, he watched the barbarians begin to gather in the stands, all wearing their best clothing. He had watched them decorate the entire village with flowers, twigs, bones and horns, and colorful ribbons.

Undoubtedly, for Lily's wedding.

Asher growled and tried again to reach his paw around to pick at the lock. How could he leave her to such a fate? He couldn't. There would be an opportunity to get her out. There just...had to be.

His ears twitched when he heard Lily's voice, and he stood to turn around.

She walked side by side with one of the men from the day before, the one she was to wed. Based on her tight lips and clenched jaw, she was anything but happy. That brought him comfort. Her husband-to-be gestured to a seat, which she took, and then he turned and headed toward Asher.

Asher bared his teeth at the barbarian as he approached.

"I'm going to take you down to the arena. You'll be fighting Ulbrect's cougar. So far, it's undefeated." The man held out a leather strap, and Asher realized it was supposed to be a collar.

He growled and pinned his ears back.

The man raised his eyebrow. "If you don't fight, you don't eat. Not only that, but Lily makes it sound like the two of you are very close." He crouched and looked Asher in the eye. "As she is now my slave, I can do anything to her. Anything I want. And if you're naughty, well..." He wrapped the belt around his hand and flexed, letting the leather tighten around his hand and allowing the threat to hang it in the air.

Asher hated the man even more than before, but he stopped growling and lowered the fur on the back of his neck.

"Good boy." The man smirked and removed the key from a strip of rope hanging around his neck. "Come here so I can put your collar on."

Asher reluctantly moved his head toward the doorway of the cage so the man could secure the collar around his neck. He had half a thought to burst out of the cage and attack, but there was a small group of people around Lily who could snatch her away before he could reach her. He would only be putting her in danger.

Once the collar was on, the man unlocked the door and led Asher out.

"I've never seen such a feline before, Torbjun!" a man with red hair bellowed.

Torbjun grinned. "That is why I had to have him. He is perfect for our fighting ring and will be a good ally in battle."

"Waelreow is undefeated," Ulbrect bragged. He stood by the gate with his cougar on a leash at his side.

Torbjun scoffed. "Not today. Be ready to render him aid."

Ulbrect chuckled.

Asher walked with his head held high. He could hear the murmurs of people talking from the seats, like the wind rustling summer leaves. There was laughter and giggling, children eagerly kneeling near the arena wall, watching and waiting with nervous excitement. The fighting arena was dug down into the hill, making the stone walls below the seats at least six or seven feet high, and a wooden fence had been added along the top, likely to discourage the little ones from leaning too far over. To the right and left of the seating area were two holding cages, also in the ground, with small staircases leading to the back of each cage. On top of the wall were the mechanisms to close and open the door to the cage, allowing the animals to be released into the arena without endangering any people.

Asher met Lily's gaze and he saw her swallow. She offered him a weak smile and then darted her eyes quickly away and back. She did the movement three times before tilting her head the final time. Asher realized she was hinting at something and looked in the direction she hinted toward to see a pen of horses.

She was hinting at a way to escape.

He looked back at the arena, assessing the walls. He could easily scale them.

Beside him, Torbjun lifted a fist in the air, and his people began to cheer. The children gossiped with each other about who would win and why. They were oblivious that Asher was searching for any weakness.

He'd never been in a similar situation, but he'd grown up climbing and playing. Even if the walls were made of stone, the stone wasn't flat and he could get his claws in the gaps and launch over, if he was given the opportunity. The run to the horses would take perhaps twenty large strides. The trick was getting to Lily and then getting to the horses. Luckily, Lily sat near the walls. He could grab her and then run to the horses. They could make it.

Asher followed Torbjun down the steps before he was pushed into the larger cage. The door behind him slammed shut and rattled as it did so.

Across the arena, the mountain lion walked into his cage. The cougar was indeed a monster, much larger than any Asher had spotted in the wild. He wondered if there had been some magical alterations done or if the cougar was even wild. What if it was a Karasha?

As a child, Asher had grown up playing in his animal form, and even hunting. But Asher had never come across a wild predator that he needed to fight in real life, actually using his claws. He got a sinking feeling. This was clearly an adult cougar he would be facing, not a juvenile such as himself. And if it truly had an unbeaten reputation, it knew how to fight much better than he.

The cougar let out a roar at him, and Asher responded with as powerful a roar as he could muster. Both gates lifted and the cougar sprinted right for him.

Asher escaped the cage, then crouched before springing to the side, kicking up dirt as his feet slid. The cougar slid and changed directions without much hesitation. Asher didn't know how long he could keep dodging the cougar, but he knew for certain he wouldn't be able to defeat it without getting messy.

He planted his feet and roared as loud as he could, making the cougar stutter to a halt. It bared its teeth and roared back. He puffed himself up as big as he could, fur standing, teeth showing. He roared again and got up on his hind legs, swatting his paws at the cougar. It sprung and met him. Asher punched at the cougar and made contact.

The cougar landed on all fours and swung at his side, claws extended. His claws tore into Asher's thigh.

If you're one of us, stop! I am a Karasha too!

The creature didn't stop. It didn't acknowledge hearing him at all.

Asher dropped back to the ground and swung around to bite at the cougar. Ignoring the pain in his leg, Asher ran toward the wall in hopes of sliding and facing the cougar again, to attack from the front.

But when he whipped around, the cougar was right there and slammed into his side. The cougar's teeth dug into his ribs. Asher yowled in pain but kicked and used his front claws to scratch the cougar across the face. He then turned and kicked the cougar, throwing it aside.

He didn't stand a chance.

He needed to get out while he still had strength to do so.

Asher made eye contact with a child watching from above. This was his chance.

With all the strength and speed he could muster, the white tiger sprinted for the wall opposite himself. He leapt, back paws launching him up toward the top. His front claws dug into the wood, his back legs scratched at the stones, and he pulled up and over the wall of the arena.

The children screamed and ran away.

Asher knew the cougar would be right behind him, desperate to go after its prey.

"Get him!"

"Someone catch him!"

"Get the children out of here!"

"Torbjun!"

"Ulbrect, get your cougar!"

Asher went straight for Lily, and she seemed to understand his silent pleading. She didn't even wait for him to stop before she jumped onto his back and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Stop her!"

"Grab Lily!"

"Get the girl!"

Whatever time Asher thought they had, they didn't. The barbarians were warriors, prepared to fight and act on a moment's notice. The men and women ran toward him and Lily, some with weapons in hand, while others ushered the children away from the chaos, and the cougar roared behind them.

"They're heading for the horses!"

"I'll head them off!"

Asher looked to his left and spotted a small group of men, and another group to the right trying to get to the horses first.

But Asher could move much faster than they could, even given their height and long legs, and in spite of his injuries.

Asher skidded to a halt outside of the horse pen and transformed.

Lily dropped off of him as he transformed, grabbed her skirts, and jumped over the fence. She clearly didn't care which horse they got, she just headed toward one of them.

"They're too close," Asher said. He ducked under the fence and limped after Lily.

She stopped at the side of a horse, spun around, and placed both hands out in front of her. Her eyes seemed to take on a green glow he'd never seen before, and he ducked. A wall of grass, weeds, and trees tangled together around the sides of the fence, somehow bringing it to life as if they were still trees, which then grew upward, creating a barrier around them.

Asher caught her before she fell and slung her up on the horse. "Are you okay?"

"I...Gitta, she gave me something that...I'm not supposed to be able to use magic." She closed her eyes. "I'm just dizzy."

"I've got you. You'll be okay, I promise." Asher practically flung her onto the back of the horse before climbing on behind her.

Although the barrier was impressive, it meant they only had one way to get out, and he could only hope the barbarians weren't already there. He kicked the horse's ribs and it launched forward.

"Did you see that?" Lily looked over her shoulder at him, smiling drunkenly. "I used a pretty big spell."

He leaned forward, protecting her just in case a barbarian began shooting arrows. "It was impressive. Hold on."

The horse leapt over the fence, and Asher steered it toward the only way down.

"Watch out!" Lily shouted. She reached behind him and groaned.

He looked down and then over his shoulder, his eyes widening. She'd launched fireballs at the barbarians, devouring the arrows they'd shot and scorching the ground in front of them, causing the barbarians to scatter.

"There's a canyon we can go to," Asher said, spotting the path ahead. "It's the fastest way to Vasha. Not the safest, but...we need to get home."

Lily's eyes were closed. "I trust you," she said sleepily.

He looked down at her. "Hey. Wait. Why are you like this all of a sudden? Are you okay?"

"It's from using . . . powerful magic. I . . . used my own energy and . . . and now I'm . . . tired. I just . . . need . . . sleep." Her words died down as she spoke, and she slumped against his chest.

"Lily?" He tried shaking her, but she wouldn't wake. "I'll keep you safe."