They covered four leagues before the village finally came into view. Tall flames rose above the rooftops, and thick black smoke climbed into the sky. At the entrance, the gates stood wide open. They went in.

  Inside, several houses were still burning. Villagers ran through the streets, throwing buckets of water onto the fires. Bodies littered the ground, lying amid the charred debris.

  Five armed men were busy near the horses. The animals stamped nervously as hands adjusted straps and tightened bridles. Some already had a foot in the stirrup.

  “About time. We needed you an hour ago. We could have killed the demon,” one man said.

  He rested a hand on the haft of the axe hanging from his shoulder.

  “The demon?” Goute asked.

  “It wasn’t human, that’s for sure. Dozens of flaming arrows, boiling oil thrown at it and it was still standing. It eventually fled into the forest. My men are on its trail, but it’s very fast.”

  He spat on the ground.

  “Which direction did they go?” Goute asked.

  The man raised his arm and pointed toward the edge of the forest. Goute immediately turned to his men.

  “We move.”

  “If you kill the demon, don’t forget to give us a share of the bounty. He’s in bad shape. All that’s left is to finish him off.”

  “We’ll see,” Goute replied.

  They set off down the road. Very quickly, the first shapes appeared along the roadside. Bodies lay scattered along the path, torn apart, limbs ripped off or crushed.

  The road suddenly widened before splitting into six trails, each marked by fresh footprints disappearing among the trees.

  “We split up. Groups of four. At least one soldier per group. We cover every path.”

  Kyt moved closer to Vaunn.

  “I hope we stay together.”

  A soldier approached and pointed at them.

  “You two, with me.”

  The soldier pointed to another mercenary a little farther away.

  “You as well.”

  The four men formed a circle.

  “My name is Rask,” the soldier said.

  He pulled out a small leather whistle hanging from his belt and raised it.

  “If any group finds the demon, blow the whistle. Once. We all converge on the sound.”

  He slipped the cord around his neck and let the whistle fall against his chest.

  “No foolish initiative. We stay together.”

  Rask turned toward one of the trails.

  “We take that one.”

  He went first. Branches closed in behind him as the group pushed deeper in his wake.

  A sharp whistle cut through the silence, echoing from the east. A second whistle followed almost immediately, more distant, coming from the north.

  “There must be several of them. One person can’t move that fast,” Kyt said.

  Rask raised his hand.

  “Easy. We’re heading toward the second whistle. Other teams should already be moving there.”

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  A third whistle sounded, then a fourth and a fifth.

  “What do we do?” Kyt asked.

  “I don’t know. We may have been lured into a trap.”

  “A trap?” Kyt repeated, skeptical.

  “We regroup. We need to find the other teams,” the soldier said.

  The soldier put two fingers to his mouth and whistled, the sharp sound cutting through the air. A few seconds later, another answered from afar.

  “Move.”

  They set off, pushing their way between the trunks as branches lashed at their shoulders.

  Farther ahead, four figures appeared among the trees: two soldiers and two mercenaries.

  “Over here!” one of them shouted, waving his arms.

  A shadow burst from the undergrowth and the beast leapt onto the two soldiers. There was a single crack, and then the bodies were hurled to the ground, cleanly severed. Already, the creature was vanishing between the trees.

  Kyt stood frozen. His legs trembled, and warmth spread down his thighs. Rask brought the whistle to his lips and blew with all his strength.

  “What was that?” Kyt asked.

  “Form up. There are six of us. Whatever it is, we can kill it,” Rask ordered.

  The mercenaries moved in beside Rask, and the six men tightened into a circle, weapons raised, each covering a section of the forest.

  The beast burst forth, hunched-backed, its jaws dripping with dark saliva. It struck before they could turn. Rask was caught head-on and slammed into a tree trunk.

  At the same instant, the creature ripped a mercenary out of the circle. Its jaws closed around him, shaking him until his body broke before dropping him to the ground. Then, just as quickly as it had appeared, the beast sprang back and vanished among the trees.

  Only Vaunn, Kyt, and two other mercenaries remained. Panic-stricken, the latter dropped their weapons and fled between the trees. They hadn’t taken ten steps when the demon burst out in front of them, cutting off their escape. It was the size of a dog and even had its appearance. Its entire body was charred, its ribs protruding from its hollowed stomach, and dozens of arrows were still embedded in its flesh.

  It lunged at the first mercenary, crushed him to the ground, and sank its fangs into his belly. Flesh gave way. The man screamed for a fraction of a second before collapsing, his entrails spilling onto the forest floor.

  The second tried to flee, but the beast slammed into him head-on, knocked him down, and tore into him in turn with a single bite before leaving him lifeless among the roots.

  “Go… kid. I’ll buy you some time,” Kyt murmured.

  Tears ran down his cheeks, and his legs shook so badly he could barely stay on his feet. Still, he clenched his teeth, raised his sword, and ran toward the beast.

  He never reached it. With a single swipe of its paw, the creature cut him down. Kyt’s head rolled across the forest floor as his body collapsed.

  Vaunn staggered and fell to the ground in turn.

  The beast advanced. He tried to move, but his body refused to obey. Fear pinned him in place. It drew closer, step by step, until it was only a few meters away, then just a few steps.

  When it finally stopped, its face was only inches from his own. He felt its hot breath on his skin, its acrid stench filling the air as terror clenched his chest.

  The beast lowered its head and sniffed him. It circled him, claws scraping against the earth. Its rough tongue dragged across his face. Vaunn gagged, his heart pounding so hard it hurt. Fear paralyzed him, but he forced his fingers to move and slid his hand toward his dagger. Gathering what little strength he had left, he struck, aiming for the head.

  His arm trembled at the last instant. The blade sank too low, into the beast’s belly. A hoarse howl tore through the forest; the creature stepped back once, then came at him again and began licking him once more.

  The beast froze. Its body went rigid, wracked with spasms, then a harsh sound clawed its way out of its throat.

  “’Ssss me… vNZau…”

  The creature slammed its head against the ground again and again, sending dirt and roots flying. Its jaws snapped, its breathing growing erratic. It straightened and stared at Vaunn.

  “V… Vaunn…”

  The name came out in a horrible crackle, distorted, barely human.

  “You… you know me?”

  “Garr… Garr…”

  Beneath the burned skin and mangled flesh, something felt familiar. The eyes, most of all. And the few tufts of fur that remained were the same color as his friend’s.

  The wolf nodded and gave him an awkward lick on the cheek.

  Vaunn took a deep breath, his throat tight.

  “What happened?”

  “The vial… blood… always hungry…”

  Vaunn clenched his teeth, his throat constricting.

  “Why did you do this, Garr? You killed hundreds of people…”

  “Blood… it burns…”

  He growled and clawed at the earth.

  “Me… not want. Me… lose control. Always hungry.”

  Garr lifted his head toward Vaunn. His glowing eyes locked onto his.

  “You… afraid of me?”

  Vaunn shook his head and stepped closer, despite the fear still gripping his stomach.

  “I will never be afraid of you, Garr.”