Acotar and Tog [Discontinued, Will be deleted]

The Princess of Wildfire

He had no idea how long he stood there. It had been day time when she left him. The sky had turned to night and the once clear skies now promised rain. His attention was instantly drawn to the little people before him. On the ground they had constructed an arrow pointing towards the old road, followed by what he could only describe as a warm hand pushing in the same direction. Aelin.

He smells the fire before he sees it. One rule, no fires. Two rules actually, no fires and off paths. Was it him, or did the girl have the inability to listen to anyone? He froze as a familiar scent of decay hit him. Skinwalkers.

Where is she. Where is she. Where is she.

He loosened a breathe, a breath he did not realize he was holding as the lightning from the storm illuminates her golden hair. He watches her from a moment, running from tree to tree, using the sound of the thunder to muffle the sounds of her movements. Alive. He moves closer towards her. He plans to appear just as she loses her footing and slams right into him. She lunges at him, with a stake in hand.  They did not have time for this, not if they were going to survive, he grabs her wrists and pulls her towards his chest.

“You are going to listen to every word I say. Or else you are going to die tonight. Do you understand?”

She nodded and he let go.

“Your survival depends entirely on you. You need to shift now. or your mortal slowness will kill you.”

The skinwalkers were closing in, they had just minutes.  The shrieking sound of stone and metal began to echo through the forest.

“Your magic --”

“They do not breathe, so have no airways to cut off. Ice would slow them, not stop them. My wind is already blowing our scent away from them, but not for long. Shift, Aelin.”

“We are going to have to run in a moment. What form you take when we do will determine our fates. So breathe, and shift.”

He knows she is trying, searching for that veil. Her breathing is fast paced on the border of panic, the scent of her fear floods his senses.  She needed to be calm, with half a thought he sends cool air her way and covers her body. Gods she is so small compared to him, with all her personality he never noticed how small.

He loosens a breath as she shifts.

The skinwalkers were closing in,  “There are two of them now. A fae male joined the female. I want him -- he smells of storm winds and steel. The female we’ll bring back with us -- dawn’s too close. Then we can take our time peeling her apart.”

“There is a swift river a third of a mile east, at the base of a large cliff.”

He glances at the useless stake in her hand and grabs two of his lightest daggers.  

“When I say run, you run like hell. Step where I step, and don’t turn around for any reason. If we are separated, run straight -- you’ll hear the river. If they catch you, you cannot kill them -- not with a mortal weapon. Your best option is to fight until you can get free and run. Understood?”

She gave him a slight nod.

“On my mark”

He took a deep breath, he knew would have to slow down for her.

“Steady”

He waited, needed a sign as to where the skinwalkers were, “Come out, come out.”

“Now.”

They sprinted out of the tree. She moved faster than he expected, but her footing was off, still agile but off. He caught her as she slipped on the wet moss. They needed to move faster, the skinwalkers were closing in.