For a moment, we waited, holding our breath. Then, the large animal pushed out of the bushes on the edge of the clearing.
It was a wild boar, but it was not like the boars I’d seen in the woods back home. It was huge, easily twice the size of a regular boar. A ridge of vicious-looking sharp spines as long as my forearm ran the length of its back. With its great size, it stood nearly as high as my shoulder. Long, curved tusks protruded from powerful jaws. Its little red eyes were focused on the ground as it snuffled its way forward.
As it ran its nose along the edge of the bushes which lined the clearing, sniffing for food, clouds of freezing white vapor flowed from its nostrils, leaving what looked like a layer of frost behind it as it went. The tall grasses whitened and stiffened in the boar’s wake as a thick layer of frost coated their stems.
I looked at Amelia, puzzled, and kept my voice as low as possible as I spoke. “What’s it doing?”
She’d been watching too, but she just shrugged. She was staring at it intently though, especially as it breathed frost out on the ground.
Boars were not normally aggressors, but they were territorial. I knew it was only a matter of time before it would pick up our scent and head this way.
I drew the belt knife I had taken from Boris. It felt very small in my hand, and my only other weapon was my delicate stiletto dagger. Hunting parties for boars were never less than four men, and they went armed with bows and long spears. They didn’t take any chances that a boar might get near enough to gore them. And all I had was a knife and a dagger to defend myself with. If it attacked us, we’d be finished.
Balancing my knife in my hand, I stiffened, ready to spring as I crouched in the long grass. My pulse was racing, and my hands trembled as I gripped the weapon. This was not how I’d hoped for my freedom to end. I looked at Amelia crouched next to me. She was staring at the Beast in fascination. She probably had no idea what sort of danger she was in. Her naivety was what had got her in trouble yesterday too, asking slavers for directions. I couldn’t let something bad happen to her again just after freeing her.
I squared my shoulders and got ready to leap out from cover. The Beast was ten yards away. I’d have to run and hope to surprise it while its guard was still down. Stabbing the Beast seemed like a pretty useless attack, but I couldn’t see any boar spears lying around, and we would never be able to outrun this monstrous Beast if it decided we looked like dinner.
I’d have to kill it or be killed.
Just as I was about to charge the boar, Amelia put her hand on my arm.
“Wait,” she whispered.
I turned my head to look at her. “What is it?”
“That boar. It’s not a regular animal. It’s a Magical Beast. It could have incredible abilities. Can we flee somehow?”
“There’s no running from it,” I said as I stared at the creature. “It’s much faster than us. Either we kill it, or it kills us.”
“Do you know anything about killing magical creatures?” Amelia asked.
I shook my head. “You?”
“That Beast has an Affinity for the cold element,” she went on.
I frowned at her. “The layer of frost it leaves behind with its breath?”
She nodded. “When it attacks, it will likely use the cold element. It also means that it’s vulnerable to heat.”
I nodded. “Fire magic.”
“Can you attack it with fire like you did to the slaver?” Amelia actually looked excited at this prospect. I might have to explain a few things to her later about appropriate responses in life and death situations.
It was worth a try. “I’ll see what I can do.”
The Beast was still shuffling around in front of us, and there would be no way out of here other than through it. At least the boar hadn’t yet picked up our scent, so I had a few precious seconds to attempt to recreate whatever magic I had used to burn the slaver’s face.
I looked at the knife in my hand. Maybe I could heat the blade? I’d managed to burn ropes with my hands, not to mention the slaver’s face. I wasn’t sure how this worked, but if I could make the blade scorching hot, it might do enough damage to slow that Beast down and give us a chance.
Just then, the Beast gave a snort, and a puff of frosty air came out of its nostrils. It turned its head in our direction.
This was it. The Beast had picked up our scent.
It pawed the ground with one massive front hoof, its beady red eyes searching the long grass for us. It was readying itself to charge.
I concentrated on the knife, trying to determine what I’d done before. I still didn’t know how to control my ability, but I could feel the Mana flowing into the weapon. The knife started to glow a faint red color. That would have to do.
I looked at Amelia. “Get ready to run.”
Chapter Two
I jumped out from my hiding place in the deep grass. The boar lowered its head, and I started to run toward it. The Beast dug its hooves in, preparing to charge, and roared. A wave of cold air flowed out from its nostrils, blasting the grass and coating the whole area in front of the boar in a thin sheet of ice. My feet lost their purchase, and I slid out of control, landing hard on my ass.
The Beast roared again, and this time its blast of frost hit me in the left side of my chest.
Pain washed over me
