Tori Transmigrated

Chapter 103: Not as Important as the Animals

“Follow? What does she mean?” Sebastian gripped the comcry in his hand so tight, his skin had turned white.

“Tori? Tori!?” He heard Piers’ voice begin to rise.

“Benedict, what’s going on?” Sebastian nearly barked into the comcry. His chest tightened when no one answered. “Is something wrong with Tori? Benedict! Is my sister all right?”

“Senior, she passed out. Crystal fatigue,” Benedict said with barely contained worry. Sebastian let out a light swear. “Senior-”

“Take care of Tori; make sure to put a barrier around her to restore her energy steadily. I don’t know how long her energy trail will last,” Sebastian said, clenching his jaw. “We’ll follow it as far as we can.”

“Yes, Senior.”

Sebastian held out his right hand and could feel the thick energy lingering in the air like an invisible mist. This was his sister’s work and her last word had been to follow it. It was dense now, but it would disperse and fade with time. He didn’t know how long before it did.

He couldn’t ignore the opportunity Tori risked herself to give them.

“We have to act quickly....” He muttered to himself and turned around. “Alvarez, Rodriguez! Come with me!” He looked towards the remaining two men by the broken carriage. “Wait here until Duke Tetri arrives. We’re going to continue tracking. I will let Idunn know where we’re going.”

“Yes, Lord Guevera.” One of the Tetri men saluted him before Sebastian began to carefully make his way further down the ravine.

Sebastian made a quick call to Idunn and told her the general direction they were heading and what they were doing before asking her to follow.

“My lord.” Sir Alverez followed behind him, watching their footing on the loose soil. “Should we not follow the road?”

“No, my sister’s energy is a line; we can’t stray from it. We need to follow it and away from the cabin,” Sebastian said with a determined look. He reached into his boot and took out a thick knife, then marked a tree before moving forward. “We don’t have time to wait for the others. Tori exhausted her energy, but it won’t linger in the air once it’s released. If we wait too long, it will disappear, and we won’t be able to track it.”

“How much time do we have, my lord?” Rodriguez asked as he slid down part of the ravine in a controlled descent.

Sebastian pursed his lips. Tracing energy signatures was something Master Ramos used to force him to do. Sebastian thought it was useless, as tracing an energy signature meant that not only would he need to be familiar with the energy, but the energy had to be strong enough to sense. He was always very sensitive to it; he knew the delta was special without being told. It was a slight advantage.

However, energy signatures were more like an invisible scent trail, and they did not last. Master Ramos used to have him charge crystals and then hurl them into the forests behind the Fortress or have knights drop them nearby for Sebastian to find, like some sort of crystal bloodhound. If a crystal user were skilled, and familiar enough with the energy signature of another, they would know who charged a crystal when they held it. However, a crystal user could not find crystals charged by others, no matter how familiar, but when the energy was released into the air, it was possible.

For a while, Sebastian was convinced Master Ramos was doing it for entertainment and had even complained to his father about the exercise.

His father had scolded him; how dare he question the instruction of Soleil’s premier crystal master? Sebastian should’ve been honored to ‘sniff out a crystal.’

Sebastian was able to reach a respectable distance away from the Fortress. That was to the very edge of Presidio’s surrounding farmlands. Once he tracked a crystal, he needed to retrieve it. Connecting to a crystal didn’t necessarily mean he knew its exact location. Energy didn’t give him a map; he needed to make some sort of physical trail to lead him to it.

He had first tried ice calcite to make a sort of frost trail, but it was difficult in the drier climate of inland Sur. There would end up being large, unmarked tracts and he’d have to search for the connecting trail. Then he had tried the much more successful, but destructive terracrystal method and created cracks in the earth as a clear, visible trail.

The problem was that connecting energy was a direct line. It didn’t go around buildings. Several homes and businesses had to be repaired at the cost of his allowance.

Finally, he had tried simply releasing his energy and then following it to the crystal. He was most familiar with his own energy, after all, and it was a simple matter to sense and follow the strong stream.

But if he wasn’t fast enough, the energy faded. That was the problem they faced now.

“An hour at most,” Sebastian deduced. “We can’t wait. Tori was able to connect to a crystal that’s on the Prime Minister’s son. She said she tried to connect when we first arrived at the cabin, but the distance was too great.” His eyes narrowed and he grit his teeth. Tori had been frustrated that she couldn’t extend her reach further and he told her it was unnecessary; they could search for the missing teenagers with the traditional method. “I didn’t think she’d keep trying. Or get this far.”

He knew very well that Tori’s capacity to gather energy was much less than his. She had started off weak and after training with Master Ramos at the delta, he had no doubt she improved. However, at best, she’d have the ability of an average crystal user.

His stomach churned. He couldn’t help wondering what madness his sister took part in to extend her reach this far.

“Our lady is talented,” Sir Alverez said with a satisfied nod. “As expected.”

“Don’t encourage her.” Sir Rodriguez chided. He was the oldest of the three of them. “Lady Tori is still a novice. If she strains her body too much, she will get crystal fatigue.”

“She already has it,” Sebastian said in a dry voice. “Let’s not let my sister’s efforts be in vain.”

“Can you track it easily, my lord?” Sir Alverez asked.

Sebastian doubted most people could sense it. The energy in the air changed, but unless someone had significant training with crystals, it wouldn’t be noticeable. The only reason he believed it was Tori’s was because her energy was similar to his. He’d felt it many times over; they were siblings. Even the charge that Kasen put on his charms was familiar.

“I can sense it in the air, but I can’t control it or connect to the crystal she found,” Sebastian said. “I can only connect to the crystals I charged.”

For a moment, there was a bitter taste in his mouth. When it came to charging and energy, there likely wasn’t another person in Soleil who could match his ability. But when it came to using his talents to find other uses for crystals, like Benedict and his sister, he wouldn’t know where to begin.

He doubted that Tori was told how to extend her reach this far. She spent all day in the cabin; what else could she be doing but experimenting, eating, and sleeping? She had a case full of crystals and a bag of charms. He knew she was constantly connecting the two schools. Master Ramos was elated by this.

He called it a ‘lost art’ and it was one of the reasons he took Tori as a pupil.

“Let’s hurry. We have a few hours until sunset and it will be difficult to return at night,” Sebastian said.

He led the three men to the base of the ravine and crossed the stream. They then climbed up the other side of the ravine. Every so often, one of them would mark a tree at eye level with a cut of a sword or knife. Sebastian wasn’t sure what road would lead there, as the small mountain pass where the carriage had fallen from was on the other mountain. The missing teenagers must’ve gotten off the carriage and traveled by foot.

He frowned. They still left their belongings in the carriage.

Sebastian didn’t like the gnawing feeling in the base of his stomach. He was sure this went beyond a little girl running away.

They continued to trek through dense foliage as the shadow of the mountain darkened their area.

Sebastian lifted his right hand. Tori’s energy trail was fading. He frowned more so. The density of energy did lessen the further out it reached. He forgot to take that into consideration and quickened his speed.

He began to lift his hand more and more, then finally held it up as they walked with a concentrated look on his face. He ground his teeth together.

“My lord?”

“It’s faded.” Sebastian lowered his hand and resisted the urge to kick the ground. “I can’t track it any further.”

The two knights looked at each other. “What are your orders?”

Sebastian took a deep breath. “We were moving in that direction,” he said, pointing a hand ahead of them.

Sir Alvarez reached into his pocket and took out a compass. “Northwest, my lord.”

Sebastian nodded. “Let’s continue northwest. Alvarez, keep us on track. We will continue forward until nightfall and then make camp.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Sir Alvarez moved in front and continued forward, keeping his compass clenched in his left hand.

Sebastian turned towards the west. The light of the sun had sunk beneath the mountains and would disappear in the horizon soon. He tried to calm himself and keep focused. This was the closest they’d come to finding those three missing teenagers yet and his sister had crystal fatigue for her efforts.

Tori would be upset if he ended his search prematurely.

“My lord.” Sir Rodriguez lifted his head and sniffed the air. “Mountain air is usually crisp, but I smell smoke.”

“Camp fire?” Sir Alvarez raised a brow.

“Perhaps,” Sir Rodriguez said. He sniffed the air once more. “Lay low. We don’t know who we’re approaching.”

Sir Alvarez and Sebastian both nodded and silenced their earlier march through the forest. It wasn’t long before Sebastian could smell the scent of something burning, but it wasn’t a campfire.

“I smell animals,” Sir Rodriguez said. “Kept animals...and something rotting.”

Sebastian believed him. Sir Rodriguez came from a farming family. “Any guard dogs?”

“I don’t hear any,” Sir Rodriguez replied. “If I can smell the animals, then a dog would be able to smell us.”

“Living out here without a guard dog is quite brave,” Sir Alvarez muttered. As the sky grew darker, lights came on in the distance. Sebastian crept down beside the trees and peered forward.

They carefully made their way closer, keeping close to the trees and their shadows. Sebastian motioned for the two knights to place the light blue crystal with white lace patterns into their ears. They were specially tumbled and shaped to fit neatly in the ear canal and would not fall out easily.

It would activate and function as a miniature comcry once put in their ears, though its range was greatly limited, and it could only connect with sister-crystals.

“Alvarez, remain here. I’m going to go left. Rodriguez, do a sweep of the right. Listen for any additional orders,” Sebastian said in a low voice.

The other two men nodded rather than gave a verbal confirmation. Sebastian began to round the perimeter of the wide clearing nestled in the mountain.

There were several worn looking tents, a ramshackle house, and what looked to be a long, wide building made of wood. The surrounding land was cleared, and the ground had an array of kicked up dirt from horses and deep, crisscrossing grooves where wagon or carriage wheels had come over.

There were puddles of water and a large ditch behind the long building. The scent of animals in captivity was heaviest by the long building and Sebastian assumed it was some sort of barn.

Though, it was strange that the barn would be the best built building. He’d seen a few men, but they were lingering by the worn tents and that dilapidated wooden house that had smoke coming from a vent in its roof. It was likely where food was being cooked.

“My lord, you may want to look inside the large building,” Rodriguez’s low, tense voice came from his ear. Sebastian narrowed his eyes. He remained close to the tree line and looked around to make sure that there was no one wandering.

“How many are out front?”

“I’ve counted at least half a dozen outside. It is unknown how many more are in the tents and the small house,” Alvarez reported.

“I’m moving to the large building from the northwest,” Sebastian said in a restrained voice. He couldn’t see anyone and there were no windows to the large building. He crept forward and moved around the ditch.

The massive hole reeked of rotting matter and iron. Sebastian held his breath and, despite having an idea of what he’d find, he glanced into the dark hole. He took in a sharp breath and turned his head away before letting out a swear.

“My lord?”

“The ditch behind the building is filled with animal carcasses,” Sebastian said with disgust. This was different from when his family butchered an animal, where the animal was cleaned and cut into usable portions. He’d seen dead animals before. He’d seen dead people before and watched them die in front of him.

But he’d never seen so many different animals at one time, skinned, with parts missing, and rotting in a ditch with dirt, filth, and rubbish tossed over them. He almost wished it were dark enough for him to have avoided seeing the contents of the ditch. He swallowed the bile that rose and pressed himself against the side of the large building.

He heard yelling coming from within and the growls of animals. There were muffled taunts and jeering. Sebastian looked at the ditch.

Fighting animals for sport became illegal in Soleil during the beginning of the current empire period. Several large cats, bears, and wolves native to the various regions of the empire began to dwindle in numbers. The Fekete Duchy’s famed black boars almost went extinct in the region, and they were the first to put a ban on capturing animals to fight for sport.

Now, hunting was restricted to specified game animals, including specific animals that could be hunted by season or were deemed a menace to an area. Even traditional hunting events were now well regulated and only for game animals.

A shrill whine cut through Sebastian’s senses and his skin crawled. From within, people were shouting and swearing. Sebastian felt his stomach twist. He knew that as the fight was reaching its peak, it would be the best time to sneak in. He moved alongside the building until he found one of the doors partially opened.

The smell of blood and feces hit him harder, as did the sound of people yelling. Light crystals hung overhead. Along both sides of the building were wooden pens and iron bars holding an assortment of pitiful animals. He could tell immediately that some were starving. Others more were injured and covered with lesions.

In the center of the building was a large ring, surrounded by iron bars from the floor to the ceiling. A crowd of people were circling the ring, yelling at whatever was inside. The whimpering continued and finally, someone spoke up.

“Forget it! She’s dead! Skin her and toss the body into the ditch!” There were a few groans of disappointment, but most were cheers.

“A she-wolf against a lioness? How can you bet against the lioness?”

“The odds were bad, but if she won....”

Sebastian’s hands twitched and he spoke softly. “There are fourteen; nine men, five women. They are in good health from their early twenties to forties.”

“Two men came out of the house, my lord,” Sir Rodriguez said.

“The six men from earlier have mounted two horses and a wagon. They have headed into the forest,” Sir Alvarez added.

“We have a poaching and animal fighting ring in our hands. Alvarez, call Aguilar to report and have her contact Duke Tetri and Captain Delvey to go northwest from the carriage site. We need them to arrive as soon as possible to surround and arrest these people,” Sebastian said, calm. His eyes never left the ring, even as he saw someone reach in with a wooden crook and a large knife.

The whimpering suddenly stopped.

He kept himself hidden in a narrow space between two wooden pens. One was vacant and the other had a large starved, striped cat that looked at him with glassy, empty eyes.

Sebastian was still as two men dragged out the limp body of a large, black she-wolf past his hiding space. Someone yelled that it was time to eat and that they’d get the lioness from the cage later. The boisterous group began to file out from one of the side doors.

As soon as the last of them left, Sebastian slipped out and crept along the inside of the large building, peering into the various pens and cages. If his mother saw the sorry state of these animals, she’d cry before wreaking havoc on whoever did this.

He continued to walk, trying to listen for voices of either the people who were involved or three teenagers. He hoped that he wouldn’t hear the latter. He hoped that this animal fighting ring and those three were not connected.

Sebastian was not so lucky.

He found a blue-haired boy curled up in a small metal cage. Their eyes met and Sebastian could see a trace of hatred in his eyes, though he said nothing. His tanned skin had bruises and scrapes, and his clothes and hair were stained and matted with dirt. But his eyes were familiar. Sebastian would never admit that their eyes were the same; Axton would be affronted even if it were true.

Sebastian looked around. “Montan Alvere,” he said. The surprise in the boy’s eyes was short and quickly overtaken by suspicion. Sebastian knew he found them. “We have been looking for you for several days. Where are the others?”

Montan swallowed hard and looked Sebastian up and down. The suspicion never left his eyes. “Who are you?”

“Sebastian de Guevera. Baron Hart and the Prime Minister have requested the assistance of the nearby duchies and marches to search for you and two others,” Sebastian said. “Where-”

“Alessa’s going to be sold!” Montan lunged forward. His figure was gaunt and the sudden burst of energy surprised Sebastian. “You must help her! They’re going to take her tomorrow to be sold!”

“Where is she?” Sebastian said. “And where is Dimitri Guthry?”

Montan looked across the aisle and Sebastian turned around. In the iron cage across from them, a pale set of hands gripped the bars and a dirty caked face looked out.

Sebastian swore once more. He looked at Montan. “Where is the girl?”

“I don’t know. She’s not kept here.”

“Rodriguez,” Sebastian said in a low voice. “The Hart girl is elsewhere. She’s not in the building.”

“I will do a sweep, my lord.”

“Alvarez, have you contacted Aguilar?”

“Yes, my lord, she has just confirmed that your orders were passed.”

Sebastian looked at the two. “I’m going to get you two out of here. I want both of you to go and hide in the forest. Once you get into the forest, hide. We will find you afterwards.”

“But Alessa-”

“We need to find her, and we will retrieve her once we do,” Sebastian said in a low voice. He looked down at the lock. “Where is the key?”

“They take it with them,” Montan said in a shaking voice. “My lord, you must help Alessa-”

“Shut up so I can focus,” Sebastian snapped, sending him a glare. He reached into his other boot and took out a small leather pouch. He extracted two long metal pins and began working the lock. It didn’t take him long to open it.

As soon as he did, he rushed across to open the door for Dimitri.

“We need to find Alessa-”

“Yes, I know, but you two need to get out to safety first or you’ll be in the way,” Sebastian almost growled. He was tired and angry; these two were only adding to his aggravation. “Close your cage doors when you come out. Open doors will let them know something is wrong.”

The two did as they were told and followed beside Sebastian as he led them towards the back door where he had sneaked in from. He pushed the door open a bit and frowned. It was now dark outside. If they weren’t looking where they were going they’d land in the carcass ditch. He had them stand close to him as they slipped outside and waited a moment for their eyes to adjust.

“Stay close to me. I’m going to take you out into the forest first. Only step where I step. There is a ditch and if you fall in, you’re on your own. Understand?” Sebastian said.

The two nodded.

“My lord, these people are foreigners. Sometimes they speak in another language,” Dimitri whispered. “I’m not sure from where.”

“It doesn’t matter from where. They are engaging in illegal activity in Soleil,” Sebastian said. “We are well within our rights to arrest and punish them. These animals...are they only used for fighting?”

“They fight them, but most are transported from here to elsewhere. If they are healthy enough, they will be taken and moved,” Dimitri said.

“That one said that the girl was going to be sold. Have there been any more people?” More severe than animal fighting was the buying and selling of people. Human trafficking and slavery had been prohibited even earlier than animal fighting.

“I have not seen anyone else,” Dimitri replied.

That was not exactly reassuring.

Sebastian kept the two close to the side of the building and looked around the corner. He didn’t see anyone and pointed in the direction of the tree line. “Go straight and walk into the forest to the count of a hundred. Lay down or crouch at the base of a tree and stay there. No matter what you hear. We will come find you after we secure the Hart girl.”

The two boys nodded and proceeded to walk towards the tree line as directed while Sebastian kept watch. They made it halfway towards the forest when shouting came from around the front of the building. They froze and turned to Sebastian, who waved his hand forward, urging them to continue.

He rounded the building and quietly reached up to pull the sword from the scabbard at his back. His calloused hand tightened around the leather that wrapped in strips around an obsidian dotted grip. Sebastian peered around the corner and saw someone telling another person to shut up.

On the ground, just outside the doors of the dilapidated small house was a blonde girl with her wrists tied together. A thick rope was tied to her ankles, limiting her mobility. It was likely that they didn’t have metal shackles for people as their primary targets were animals.

That meant that the three teenagers crossed paths with this group, saw something they shouldn’t, and were captured. The girl’s face was red, and she looked to have been crying. One of the women knelt and seemed to try to coax her to eat.

“If you don’t eat, then your two little friends won’t eat either!” A burly man with an unshaven face growled and that seemed to strike panic in her heart. “It’s four days to the meeting point and you won’t be able to get out of the wagon until then! Eat while you can!”

“Gorseg and the others went to check on the traps one last time,” another person reported as Sebastian managed to get closer and hide in the shadow of the tents. “As soon as they return, we can start loading the animals and the girl.”

“What about the two boys?”

“Separate them and get them away from here,” the man said with a sneer. “Tetri’s knights have been searching the lakes for three teenagers: a girl and two boys.” He looked down at the Hart girl. “I don’t know who they are, but they’re of importance if Tetri got involved.”

Sebastian lifted his hand to his ear. “They’re going to take the girl and some animals tonight. We can’t let them leave.”

“Understood. We should move in before their companions return,” Sir Rodriguez said.

“The girl is surrounded. She can be taken as a hostage.” Sebastian frowned. He suddenly wished he had his sister’s crystal carrying case with its assortment of crystals. In the interest of moving swiftly, he had some obsidian and carnelian. He slid his sword back into the scabbard. “I’m going to create a distraction to get them away from the girl. Alvarez, sneak in and isolate the girl. Bring her to the forest and have her hide-”

“They’re coming back!” Alvarez’s voice was sharp. “They’ve only been gone for a few minutes, what are they doing back so soon?”

“So soon? Are the traps empty?” the burly man whom Sebastian thought was the leader stepped forward and scowled as a wagon seemed to race back from the dirty path.

“There are knights coming!” one of the men said. “Over the ridge! They’ll be here soon!”

“How many of them?”

“It looked like three. Led by a woman.”

Sebastian narrowed his eyes. It was likely Idunn and the two Tetri knights searching with her.

“Get the animals ready to move!” the burly man shouted. “Quickly! Move!” He grabbed some people who were eating and lifted them off their benches, tossing them to them side. If they’re over the ridge, they’ll be here in a matter of minutes! Knights don’t travel alone; if there’s one, there are more nearby!”

“What about the children?”

“They’re not as important as the animals! Kill them-”

“No!” Alessa dropped her spoon and her face paled. She screamed and shot up, looking towards the large building. She ran forward and Sebastian squinted, watching her trip over her own, tied feet. He shook his head. He saw someone approaching her, lifting a large knife.

“Alessa!” A boy’s voice shouted from the forest and Sebastian swore, but didn’t break his stride as he rushed forward and reached back to his sword.

“Rodriguez, disable as many as you can now!” he ordered. “Alvarez, grab the children!”

A figure shot out of the bushes as Sebastian’s sword came down and cut across the man with the knife. He placed himself in between Alessa and the assailant. The cut was shallow, but a streak of red immediately appeared across the man’s torso. He let out a cry and Sebastian stepped forward and slammed his pommel into the man’s face.

“My lord, I’m taking her!”

“Quickly! Guard them! Rodriguez and I will disable the rest of them!”

Killing them was the last option, but it wasn’t something he was against. If he couldn’t get in a blow to render them unconscious or unable to fight, then death would simply come for them. He focused on the row of people coming towards him and took a deep breath before grabbing his sword and taking a step forward.

The movements were smooth and steady, like a dance.

His feet moved in a particular way to keep his balance and give him the position he needed. His arms maintained a fluid motion and he rarely paused. His strikes and guards transitioned from one to the other to always keep his sword between him and another.josei

Two people. Four people. Seven people rushed towards him.

He was not considered one of the best swordsmen in Soleil for nothing.

“My lord, someone is opening the cages within! A wolf just came out of the large building!” Alvarez’s panicked voice reached him.

Sebastian brought his sword down against a man’s shoulder. An audible crack was heard before he fell to the ground, screaming about his arm as his sword fell at his feet. Sebastian turned and ran towards the large building.

Rodriguez was further away, locked in combat. Loud banging and yelling were coming from within the large building and Sebastian shuddered.

Whoever was inside was driving the animals out. Large predatory animals that were abused and starving. His green eyes moved towards the tree line. The first living creatures in their line of sight would be Sir Alvarez and the three teenagers.

“Stay with them and don’t move!” Sebastian ran forward and gathered energy in his sword. He didn’t want to have to do this, but those animals were too dangerous. “Forgive me. I will make this quick!”

The blood of a wolf splattered on his clothes. Another whined and Sebastian rushed forward to slay it before it could close the distance between them and the forest. He needed to stop them before they disappeared into the woods. His mother told him that wild animals wanted to be left alone, but they also got desperate and did desperate things.

An emaciated spotted wild cat fell at his feet. A limping gray wolf fell to the side. It was the same color as Tori’s Alexander who liked to sit on people’s shoulders.

“My lord, the other doors are also open!”

“Any animals?” Before Rodriguez could answer, Sebastian saw a large cat slip into the forest. “No....”

“Seb!” A woman’s voice cried out and Sebastian shouted.

“Idunn, finish with the people here! Send Tetri’s knights to close the doors! I have to stop-” A voice screamed from the tree line and Sebastian’s head snapped to the side. “Are you kidding me?”

“Seb! Go!” He heard Idunn shout and saw her atop a horse, rushing to one of the doors to close it and contain whatever else was inside.

Sebastian ran into the forest, towards where the scream had come from. Sir Alvarez was trying desperately to keep back two boys, who were fighting against him, without hurting. “What’s going on?” he yelled.

“The girl ran into the forest when she saw the wolf!” Sir Alvarez pulled back the boys. Behind him was a wolf covered in blood and on its last breath. “Stop moving! You’ll get in the way!”

“We have to save her!” Montan shouted.

“Alessa!” Dimitri screamed into the forest. Sebastian gritted his teeth.

“Knock them out and end that creature’s suffering! I’ll get the girl!” Sebastian said before turning around and running into the forest. He found her not too far away, backed up against a tree. Finally, a little luck!

The girl’s eyes were fixed in the bush in front of her, wide and terrified as her hands reached back and grasped the bark of the tree. Her knees were bent, and she was almost sliding to the ground. Sebastian slowed to a stop and felt something was wrong. He tried to keep his breathing even as he turned his eyes towards the bush.

Two reflective eyes were fixed on the girl.

“Don’t move,” Sebastian said as he approached. He began to lift his sword and moved to get between her and the large striped cat.

Alessa's breathy voice trembled. “Please...help me....”

“Don’t move.” He was firmer this time.

She turned her head towards him, taking her eyes off the animal. “Help-”

He drove forward and shoved her to the side as the cat lunged out of the bushes and took a swipe at where her head was. Sebastian managed to take a step back, but his back hit the tree. The cat snarled and he pushed his pommel down and thrusted it forward.

“Seb!” He heard Idunn scream before a dagger lodged itself into the side of the animal’s neck. Sebastian used its surprise to pull his sword back and thrust forward again, through the softer area below its jaw.

The large cat fell to the ground, thrashing and struggling to breathe as a messy death took over. Idunn reached him and pulled him back, standing between him and the dying animal with a sword.

“The others?” Sebastian said as he watched the blood pour out of the open wounds.

“There are still animals in the building, but we’ve locked it up. Alvarez has dragged the two boys to the camp and is helping Rodriguez collect and tie up the offenders,” Idunn said, refusing to take her eyes off the animal. “This poor tiger....”

“You know what it is?” Sebastian asked. His heart was still racing. Idunn nodded.

“It’s not native to Soleil, but I’ve seen pictures of it in fauna books from abroad,” she said. “How did it get here?”

“Never mind that,” Sebastian said. He turned towards the blonde girl on the ground, with animal blood across her face. She was laying on her side and not moving. “She passed out.”

“I’ll carry her back,” Idunn told him. She moved closer to the tiger and checked to make sure it was dead. Once she was convinced, she looked towards him. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” Sebastian said. “I can carry her.”

“No.” Idunn frowned. “I don’t know if you’re injured. Let’s not risk anything until we can check.”

He looked over at her and grinned. “Jealous?”

Her blue eyes gave him a dull look. “You smell of blood.”

“It’s not mine.” He kept a lopsided grin on his face as his eyes sparkled, watching his gorgeous future wife bend down and heave the blonde girl over her shoulder like a sack of grain. She urged him forward and he cocked his head. His voice was teasing. “Honey...are you sure you’re not jealous?”

Idunn kept walking. “A little.”

Sebastian chuckled and felt a slight sting on his stomach. He furrowed his brows as he walked behind her and lowered his hand to the front of his shirt. Several large rips went across his abdomen, and something hot and wet was soaking the fabric.