Betrayed By One. Bound To Three-Chapter 70: Monsters And Wolves.

The brothers ran through the trees as the heavy pounding of paws followed behind them. Branches scraped against their arms and faces while roots rose from the ground like traps waiting to catch their feet. Kael pushed past a low branch and glanced over his shoulder, his breath growing heavier as the dark shapes of the wolves moved between the trees with frightening speed.

"They are gaining on us," he said.

"I know," Edris replied while scanning the forest ahead, trying to find a path that would slow the beasts without trapping them as well.

Another growl echoed behind them, closer now. Kael could almost feel the heat of the creatures’ breath in the cold forest air.

"We cannot outrun them forever," Kael said.

"Then we make the forest work for us," Edris answered.

They pushed through a narrow stretch of trees where thick roots rose from the ground and twisted across the path. The space forced them to slow slightly, but it forced the wolves to slow as well.

Kael leaped over one large root and nearly slipped when his boot landed on loose leaves.

"Careful," Edris warned.

"I am trying," Kael muttered while regaining his balance.

A dark shape burst through the trees behind them as one of the wolves lunged forward. Its jaws snapped shut only a short distance from Kael’s leg.

Kael turned sharply and swung his blade. The steel cut across the creature’s shoulder, forcing it to fall back with an angry snarl.

"That will slow one of them," Kael said while turning and running again.

"But not the rest," Edris replied.

The forest grew thicker the farther they ran. The branches above tangled so tightly that very little light reached the ground, and the air grew heavy with the scent of damp earth and rotting wood.

Kael’s chest burned as he forced himself forward.

"How much farther do you think this forest goes?"

Edris did not answer immediately. His eyes searched the darkness ahead as if he were listening for something deeper than the sound of the wolves.

"Far enough to hide many dangers," he said at last. "But also far enough to hide a way out of this hunt."

A loud crash sounded behind them as two wolves pushed through a cluster of young trees, snapping thin trunks as if they were nothing more than dry sticks.

Kael shook his head in disbelief.

"Those things are too large to be normal wolves."

"This forest is not normal," Edris replied.

They ran downhill suddenly as the ground sloped sharply beneath their feet. Loose stones rolled under their boots and forced them to slow again.

Kael grabbed a low branch to steady himself.

"If we keep running like this we will break our necks before they reach us."

Edris raised a hand for silence.

For a brief moment he listened carefully.

Then he spoke again.

"Do you hear that?"

Kael listened through the sound of his own breathing and the pounding of the wolves behind them.

At first he heard nothing.

Then he noticed a faint sound ahead.

Water.

Running water.

"There is a river," Kael said.

"Yes."

Hope flickered briefly in Kael’s eyes.

"If we cross it, we may break their trail."

"That is the plan," Edris replied.

They pushed forward with renewed energy, forcing their tired legs to move faster. The sound of water grew louder as they moved through the trees, and soon the ground became rocky and uneven beneath their feet. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

The river appeared suddenly between the trees.

Dark water rushed over smooth stones while the current moved faster than it first appeared.

Kael stepped to the edge and looked down.

"That current is strong."

Behind them the wolves crashed through the forest again.

Edris did not hesitate.

"We do not have another choice."

Kael gave a short nod.

"Then we jump together."

The first wolf burst through the trees only seconds later, its massive body leaping over a fallen log as its glowing eyes fixed on them.

"Now," Edris said.

Both brothers jumped into the rushing water.

The cold struck them immediately as the current pulled hard against their legs. Kael lost his footing for a moment before grabbing a large rock to steady himself.

"Move to the other side," Edris called while forcing his way across the river.

Behind them the wolves reached the riverbank.

One of the beasts stepped into the water and snarled as the current pushed against its legs.

Kael climbed onto the opposite bank and turned to help Edris up the slope.

The wolves paced along the riverbank for several moments, their yellow eyes burning with frustration as the current carried away the scent of their prey.

Kael collapsed onto the ground and tried to catch his breath.

"That was closer than I would have liked."

Edris remained standing while looking back across the river at the restless pack.

"They will not follow us through the water for long," he said quietly.

Kael slowly sat up and looked around the dark forest on their side of the river.

"I have a feeling those wolves were only the beginning."

Edris nodded slowly.

"So do I."

The forest beyond the river felt different.

The moment Edris and Kael stepped beneath the trees again, the air changed in a way that made both of them slow their pace. The ground was darker here, and the soil felt colder beneath their boots as though the warmth of the sun had never touched it.

Kael glanced back at the rushing river behind them before turning his attention to the silent forest ahead.

The forest had grown older here. The trunks were wider and twisted in ways that seemed unnatural, their bark dark and rough like old scars. Strange vines hung from the branches and swayed slowly even though the air was still.

A faint mist clung to the ground.

Kael frowned.

"This must be the place."

Edris nodded slowly.

"The witch’s territory."

They walked carefully now, their senses sharp as they moved deeper between the ancient trees. The silence returned, but it felt heavier here. It pressed against their ears and made every small sound seem louder than it should have been.

After several minutes, Kael spoke again.

"Do you smell that?"

Edris inhaled slowly.

The air carried a strange scent. It was not rot or decay like the swamp behind them. It smelled almost sweet, but there was something bitter beneath it that made the back of his throat tighten.

"Yes," Edris said quietly. "Something is growing here."

Kael pushed aside a low branch and stopped.

The ground ahead was covered in strange plants.

Their leaves were dark and thin, and their flowers glowed faintly with a pale violet light. The soft glow made the mist around them shimmer like smoke.

Kael stared at them carefully.

"Are these the flowers that make the poison?"

"I do not know," Edris replied. "But we should not touch anything."

They moved around the plants slowly.

Trees leaned at unnatural angles as though they had grown away from something hidden deeper in the woods. The mist thickened until it wrapped around their legs with every step.

Then the ground moved.

Kael froze.

The soil ahead of them shifted suddenly as though something large was moving beneath it.

"Did you see that?" he whispered.

Edris nodded slowly.

Before he could answer, the earth burst open.

A long, pale creature forced its way out of the soil.

It looked like a snake, but its body was thick as a tree trunk and covered in smooth gray skin that glistened in the dim light. Its head rose high above them, its mouth opening to reveal rows of narrow teeth.

Kael pulled his blade free instantly.

"That was not here a moment ago."

The creature let out a low hiss that echoed through the trees.

Edris stepped back slowly while keeping his eyes on it.

"Do not let it coil around you."

The creature lunged.

Kael moved first.

He swung his blade as the creature struck, forcing it to pull back with a violent twist of its long body.

"Run," Kael said quickly.

They moved again, pushing deeper through the trees while the creature crashed through the undergrowth behind them. Its heavy body knocked over small trees as it chased them.

"Why does everything here want to eat us?" Kael muttered while jumping over a fallen trunk.

"Perhaps it has been a while since they have seen two handsome rogues," Edris teased.

Another sound joined the chase.

Heavy footsteps.

Kael glanced over his shoulder and felt his stomach tighten.

The giant wolves from earlier had returned, somehow finding another way across the river.

"Look who is back. Our old friends."

Edris turned slightly to see the wolves closing in on them.

"And they brought friends."

Two more shapes moved through the forest behind the wolves.

These creatures were even stranger.

Their bodies were long and hunched, with limbs that bent at sharp angles like broken branches. Their eyes glowed faintly in the dark, and their skin looked pale and stretched tightly over their bones.

Kael swore under his breath.

"I do not like the look of those things."

The creatures moved quickly despite their strange shapes, leaping over rocks and fallen trees as they closed the distance.

"We cannot keep running forever," Kael said.

Edris’s eyes searched the forest ahead.

Then he saw it.

A clearing.

Mist swirled gently in the open space between the trees.

And in the center of the clearing stood a figure.

A woman.

She stood perfectly still while the mist drifted around her feet as though it obeyed her presence.

Her long dark robes hanging loosely around her thin frame. Her hair drifted slowly in the mist as though it were moving in water.

Kael slowed slightly.

"That must be her."

The wolves burst into the clearing behind them, their snarls filling the air as they prepared to attack.

The strange pale creatures followed closely behind.

Kael turned, raising his blade as the first wolf leaped forward.

Before it could reach them, the woman lifted her hand.

She made a small motion with her fingers.

The air around them shifted.

The wolves froze in mid leap.

For a brief moment the entire forest seemed to hold its breath.

Then the giant bodies of the wolves shrank suddenly.

Their dark fur folded inward, their long legs shortening and their massive jaws disappearing as their shapes twisted and collapsed into something small.

When they hit the ground, they were no longer wolves.

Tiny gray mice scattered across the clearing.

The strange pale creatures shrank as well, their long limbs curling inward until they too became small mice that hurried across the ground.

The tiny animals ran quickly through the grass and gathered near the woman’s feet.

Kael slowly lowered his blade.

"Well," he said quietly, "that was unexpected."

Edris stared at the woman in silence.

She stood there calmly, the mist curling around her feet as the small mice gathered beside her robes.

Her eyes lifted slowly to meet theirs.

A faint smile touched her lips.

"Welcome," she said softly.

"Welcome to my home."