36. Aizor

Chapter 36

My mate was bleeding. Someone was carrying her. I was going to rescue her.

And then I would kill whoever took her, lay waste to him until there was nothing left for the forest beasts to pick over.

I followed the trail of her blood splattered on the ground. How could such a tiny being lose so much blood and still live? My heart roared, my pulse pounding in my ears as I ran along the trail, only slowing to make sure they hadn't left the path and traveled in a different direction.

Nevarn had stolen Vanessa, and I would rip his arms from his shoulders, his legs from his hips and then, while he lay whimpering on the ground, I'd sever his head from his body.

This I vowed.

As I wove through the forest, I had to slow my pace. Enormous trees towered around me, so tall, it would take hours to climb them. Had he taken her up into the canopy? It wouldn't surprise me. Without crystal god exoskeletons, where did his clan live? Krute suggested in wooden structures, but if they remained on the ground, they'd be eaten.

As I rounded the backside of yet another tree, still following the trail of my mate's lifeblood, someone bellowed on my right and leaped toward me. He smacked into me, trying to drive me to the ground.

I swung out, the back of my fist impacting with his jaw. He shuddered but held his footing. Spinning, I kicked, and he took the blow in his belly, stumbling backward. Big and broad, he had to be at least a head taller than me. As huge as whoever had been spying on my clan from the mountain range above my village?

He snarled, gnashing his tusks, his eyes wide and feral. I'd never seen him before, and if someone had mentioned a male such as him, I didn't remember.

Did he belong to a clan I'd never heard of?

He grunted and rushed me, his head lowered like a battering ram.

I flung myself to the side, rolling and rising to my feet. As he roared and raced at me again, I slashed out with my crystal blades. He spun and twisted, evading each blow.

Renewing my efforts, I bellowed and spun, swinging my swords.

He slashed out with his arms, deflecting them. With a grunt, his hands snapped out, and he gripped the sharp side of my swords, holding tight even as I tried to wrench them free. Like I'd impaled them in the trunk of a tree, they remained fixed and unmoving.

He yanked, trying to take them from me. I'd survived three worthy challenges in my rise to traedor, but I'd never seen anything like this before.

"Let go or I'll cut you," I snarled.

He gnashed his tusks and renewed his efforts, wrangling with me for control of my blades.

I released one and grabbed a short blade from the sheath on my thigh. I swung it up, gouging the side of his belly deeply, aiming for a non-vital area.

I'd killed. Too many times. I hated the thought of taking the life of this mighty warrior even if he had been watching my clan.

"Relent and I won't hurt you again," I snarled. "We can talk. As traedor, I'd welcome you by my fire." Or try to as long as he stopped attempting to kill me.

He tipped his head back and bellowed before flinging my sword up and grabbing the hilt when it came tumbling down.

Before I could threaten him with my blade once more, he pivoted and bolted into the woods, taking one of my swords with him.

I stood on the forest floor, panting, wondering who he was and where he'd come from. If he'd wanted to kill me, he could've done so. Instead, he appeared to want my weapon more than to battle.

Was he a member of the Celedar Clan? Before I killed Nevarn for stealing my mate, I'd ask him.

Down one sword but surprisingly unscathed after the battle with the enormous brute, I circled around to find the trail again and raced through the forest.

I ran across an open area leading directly to a large tree.

The trail ended at the smooth trunk.

Tipping my head back, I bellowed my mate's name.