His tracks led left now, not going toward the castle. Nyfain’s mouth-watering smell of pine and lilac tinged with honeysuckle dusted some bushes.

She was just as terrified to find a broken dragon at the end of this trail as I was. Nyfain hadn’t said why, other than that he wished to grant us freedom. Pain and sadness radiated from her, the effect of Nyfain’s dragon ripping away our connection to them. I could feel my animal holding her breath. Nyfain’s tracks led away, heavy and clumsy. On the other side, I heaved a shuddering sigh.Ī strange creature with oily, grayish scales lay twisted, its back broken and its head torn off. Blood smeared the green and streaked the ground. A large hole had been chopped through dense bushes, Nyfain’s huge dragon form forcing the foliage to make room. Evidence suggested Nyfain had won the others, but panic still skittered through me as I followed it away right.

This was the third battle scene I’d come across since leaving home. Branches lay on the ground, ripped from the trunk. The bark of the closest tree had been abraded by a tough hide. It must’ve lunged out from the trees, because its tracks seemed to come from nowhere. The creature, whatever it was, walked on four feet. These were slender and long, with three toes and an imprint in the dirt that suggested claws. I spotted the extra set of tracks mingled with those of the dragon. My gut twisted as I slowed, panning my gaze over the area. The dappled light highlighted a huge splotch of deep red on the ground. Health Insurance for Students in Australia: Detailed Discussionīut he’d refused my request-my order-for him to rest. The effects had worn off, and he was in pain. Still, it was obvious the elixir I’d given him hadn’t fully restored him. They zigzagged on the trail, bumping into a tree here, stomping through thorn bushes over there.Įverlass made for a potent cure, and I’d learned that the leaves of a crowded plant, which could be lethal if used incorrectly, were capable of reversing the effects of poison. The tracks I was following only proved he needed time to recover, curse the goddess. It didn’t matter that he was our prince, our only hope of escaping the curse. His duty might be to guard the wood, to protect our kingdom’s villages from the creatures the demon king unleashed on us each night, but he was in no shape to play Mr.

Granted, he had a substantial head start, since he’d left my family cottage last night after feeding us sleeping herbs to keep me from following, but I couldn’t shake the fear that I’d stumble upon his broken and bloodied form. I’d left home hours ago, in late morning, and there was still no sign of Nyfain. My animal roiled inside me, stalking him with me. My heart thudded in my chest as I searched the Forbidden Wood for the beast, the same ground-bound dragon I’d once run from in terror.

A Throne of Ruin by K.F. Breene