The Forsaken King

Mastodon stopped then removed his blades and bow before he handed them to his brother.

“We should have brought her clothes.”

“We don’t owe her a damn thing, Ian.” Mastodon turned around and faced me, his muscular arms by his sides, staring at me with utter rage.

I pushed through the mounds of snow and drew closer, knowing what waited for me when I arrived. It was the same thing that waited for me in that bedroll—searing heat. When it came to survival, I had no pride, just wanted to get into that chest as quickly as possible.

When I reached him, his arms scooped underneath my knees and back, and he lifted me into his chest like I weighed nothing.

Mastodon tied the cape around his front, wrapping it across me tightly, and then secured it so it would stay in place. I couldn’t see anything except his hard chest. Dim light came through the cape, and I could see the way his body moved as he carried me, all the strong muscles of his arms as they worked to keep me against him. The heat from his body came a moment later, filling the cape and my flesh.

I finally stopped shaking. “Thank you…”

His only reply was his silence.

We made it to a cave for the night.

I wasn’t a fan of caves, but now it was preferable to the open sky. This cave was also stocked with items like blankets, dried food, warm clothing. Everything was designed for men, but I put on a tunic lined with fur and piled a jacket on top. It was a blanket on my small size, but it was warm.

But no amount of blankets and clothing would be warm enough to keep the winter air at bay. A crate of firewood was against the wall, so I grabbed a couple logs and tossed them in the cold fire pit.

Mastodon watched me from his spot against the wall. “What are you doing?”

“What does it look like?” I’d never started a fire before. I’d watched Mastodon do it, and I copied his movements to try to catch a flame. I struck the flint against the wood as fast as I could, but only a subtle spark emerged.

“No fire.”

I kept trying. “It’s freezing—”

“I said, no fire.”

I finally stopped trying and met his look. “Why not—”

Rooooooaaaaaaaarrrrrr.

My hands dropped everything.

The scream came from far away, but it was loud, nonetheless.

Mastodon shifted his gaze to the opening of the cave, not the least bit concerned. “That’s why.”

I dragged my body to the opposite wall and pulled my knees to my chest. The entrance of the cave was dark because there was no light outside, not even moonlight. The white snow disappeared after a couple feet, and the pines that were just outside were obscured in the darkness. “What was that?”

Mastodon ignored me.

“I need to know what I’m up against.”

The corner of his mouth raised in a smile. “You’re good, but you aren’t that good.”

“I’m no benefit to you dead, right? It’s in your best interest to help me stay alive.”

“What do you think I’ve been doing on every step of this journey?” He turned his head to meet my look head on. “Do you think I like sharing my bed with the enemy? You think I like carrying you through the snow? You think I like looking at your face as I speak—when you have his eyes? If so much weren’t at stake…I’d let you freeze to death.”

“I’m not your enemy—”

“I am yours.” His tone hardened like a block of ice. “Make no mistake.”

Wearing the clothing I’d stolen from the cave, I didn’t need Mastodon to carry me anymore. It was still freezing cold, but all the fur lining kept me warm enough to continue forward without slipping into a frozen coma.

We passed through endless trees and wilderness, and from what I could grasp, there were no villages or towns. No inhabitants. No farms. Nothing. It was just a wide expanse of uninhabitable wilderness.

I had no idea what our destination was or how long it would take us to get there, but I didn’t bother to ask. I would just be met with Mastodon’s stony silence.

I was a little more tense that day than I had been the night before because I knew something was out there. Something big. Something powerful. Something that could roar so loud I was surprised the sound didn’t carry up the cliffs to my home.

Home…a place I probably wouldn’t see again.

The snow started to become less frequent, and the piles along our path started to decrease in size. It was a bit warmer too, but not by much. I was relieved that the frozen tundra didn’t last forever.

Our boots hit solid ground again, dark earth that I could dig the heel of my boot into. My pace matched theirs a lot easier now that I didn’t have to maneuver through drifts of snow that came to my waist.