Fire roaring through my blood turned to ice.
Ice rippled across my skin, churning through my fingertips. The torchlight died. Came back to life and flash-froze with ice-blue, silver-white, chips of orange and crimson.
"Get back!" I screeched again, stabbing the frozen torch toward the thing's skeletal torso. On all fours, it brought itself backward. Disappeared beyond the shadowed trench and hissed a yowling warning.
Get up. Get off your back. Get up, Katell.
It's always his voice. Taunting me. Demanding that I win.
Springing up, bringing my ax back, I flung the head forward. Chucking its jaded edge into the creature's ankle. Warmth splattered across my face and neck and I cursed myself for losing my cloak in the trench. A throat ripping shriek erupted from the creature's lipless mouth, wooden teeth cranking backward as it stretched open its mouth to the breaking point.
There. I see it. There.
Wind raked its claws through my hair. Flurries rained down like hail.
Crawling around like a spider, its good leg gone the other leg a stump, the creature threw a desperate look over its gangly shoulder. Raced forward toward the village. Toward lazy smokestacks and welcoming fires.
I lunged for it. Threw my entire body weight at it. Flurries turned to ice twisted with a howling gust of wind.
I can't let it get that far.
It scrambled. Pulled itself forward, a trail of blackened blood splitting ice and snow and soaking into frozen earth. With every torso collapsing cry, its voice died. Became more and more strained. Letting go of ax and torch, I wrapped my hands around its throat. Giving it mercy.
My mistake.
It howled. Spun around onto its back and sank its teeth into my neck.
Only for a breath. Half of one.
Then, I'm the one scrambling away. Patting anxiously in the dark for weapons carelessly tossed aside. Eyes glow crimson. Wooden teeth flash white and red and burgundy.
Wood met flesh. Not as heavy. Not my ax.
A roar like a chimera. Cat-like and beastly all in one and it pounced. Throwing all of its weight into mine and shouldering me into the snow and dirt. Blackened teeth bared, lipless mouth craned open, ready to rip out my throat.
The torch is my barrier. All of the creature's weight bared down on it. From the brittle corner of its mouth, a tongue lolled out. Too-long. Pink like the entrails of a sow.
With one push, the creature tumbled off and I'm in control. Ice like blood in my body, I stabbed the sharp end of the frozen fire into the creature's throat. Again and again, until flesh smacks and warm blood splattered across my tunic.
Again and again. It's incisors shine like the creature is smiling. Too-round eyes level with mine and I know its still—somehow—still alive. Wheezing and slavering and reaching for me.
I've got to be quick.
I pulled the ice from the torch, letting cold rush through my blood. Fire rushed back, lighting up across the snow and leaves its outer-light hanging over something that glitters.
My ax.
I dashed toward it. Scooped it up and hovered the sharp end over the creature's throat.
There's only one way to do it.
***
Thank you all for reading Winterskin! I'm so surprised at how many have added it! Your support gives me light <3
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Winterskin (Book One of Wrath & Winter)
FantasyPromise the dead but protect the living. Until a promise to the dead forbids her from doing so. Katell Maeva has spent her entire life as a woodcutter. In the summer months she chops wood and in the winter she knocks out wolves. But when food become...
