The Untold Forest by Elisa Menz (ebook offline reader TXT) 📕

be closer! The mountain leader had enough strength to break Hakken’s neck. Any delay might cost him his life, and Maeve abandoned any attempt to approach carefully.

From the side, Flyg ran at full speed and slammed against Dröm, who didn’t even register the hit. “Please, Dröm! Snap out of it!”

The sound of Flyg’s voice startled the mountain leader, and Dröm blinked and shook his head, breaking for a second the mask of indifference. That moment of clarity seemed to be enough, and he let go of Hakken, who fell to the ground holding a hand to his neck and coughing.

Two figures stood amidst the clamor, estranged from the violence surrounding them. Flyg reached for his cheek, turning his face while muttering his name. Dröm’s emotions poured on her. Relief, love, fear. He lifted a hand to wipe Flyg’s tears.

The half-breed girl smiled at him. “Dröm, it’s all right, we are here to save you... Maeve can save you.”

She needed to finish this. Flyg’s courage gave her a window, so Maeve stood from Hakken’s side and took the last steps to reach Dröm. She quivered with fear as the bloodied warrior turned to face her.

Dröm’s eyes reflected his despair and plea.

Perhaps sensing Dröm’s imminent release, Pouri dug deeper, breaking apart his control. When Maeve’s fingertips grazed him, the child-goddess took hold once more. Dröm’s face transformed instantly, grabbing Flyg’s arm, yanking her body and throwing her far. Aghast, Maeve hesitated. No... I can’t! I can’t stop now! 

Dröm unsheathed his knife, and no one stood between them now. Their eyes met, and the realization she would die made everything around them stop.

If this were to be her fate, at least she would leave this world fighting until the end. Without backing out an inch, Maeve clenched her jaw and launched her body forward, reaching for his face and ignoring the blade coming to her side.

Dröm grabbed her as they crashed against each other, the sheer force of the movement knocking the air off her lungs. But as she sensed the knife closing in, she gripped his face with both hands and let her power through.

The mountain half-breed’s emotions were so strong, they shook her to her core. Pain and fear arose, and the debilitating grip of guilt ate away at his soul. But buried deep behind the terrifying blackness, she found hope and the desperate will to live.

Only after threading through his turmoil, Maeve glimpsed Pouri’s will. Intertwined with him, the foreign being was so infused in Dröm’s mind, Maeve feared she wouldn’t be strong enough to call her forth. But she had to bring Pouri into the light.

Maeve screamed in her mind. Ancient Pouri! Come to us, please! 

They struggled. Maeve sensed her reluctance and pulled.

Unlike the others, Pouri did not want to be reached. But under no circumstances would Maeve allow the goddess to slip away. She used every bit of strength left in her to uproot the Ancient, and when her mind was about to snap, the struggle ceased.

Exhaustion washed over her. Confused and disoriented, Maeve slipped to the ground until a strong arm held her upright. She blinked away the haze and focused on the worried gaze in front of her. Dröm breathed heavily, coming to his senses. Only after a few seconds, he realized he regained control over his mind and body.

He was free! Maeve smiled at him, her body so numb it didn’t surprise her she couldn’t feel her wound. Because there was no chance Dröm stopped the blow before stabbing her. She hadn’t been quick enough. The fight in her mind had been so daunting, Maeve lost all awareness of the physical plane.

It wasn’t until Dröm’s eyes left her, falling to her side and widening in horror, that she noticed they were not alone. Hakken stood between them, protecting her from the deadly blow. His breathing came out ragged while he held a hand to his chest.

“No.” Dröm’s raspy grunt filled her with dread, and as he took a step back, Maeve crushed on the ground under the weight of Hakken’s body. And then she saw it. The blade buried deep between his ribs.

“Hakken...” The trembling in her voice startled her. Why was she so scared? She didn’t know how severe his wound was! Scrambling from under him, Maeve laid him on the ground to avoid worsening his injury. Every grunt and gasp of pain from Hakken made her whimper. Not far, Dröm dropped to his knees, the anguish obscuring his face.

“Hakken! Hold on, Finn will heal you, don’t move!” Maeve searched around her. The battle had ended. As they hoped, freeing Dröm broke the leash, and the dust floated harmlessly, falling to the ground. On the battlefield, the cries of pain and calls for help mixed with the shouts of joy and victory.

“Finn! Finn! I need you!” The first one to reach her was Flyg, holding a broken arm. She clearly wanted to be by Dröm’s side, but one glance at Hakken’s wound was enough to make her stay.

“Don’t move him, we need to be ready to heal as soon as the knife comes out.” Regn and Finn arrived moments after.

Regn knelt by Hakken’s side, taking one of his hands in his. “You had to go and be a hero! You couldn’t help to show off!” His scolding wasn’t fooling anybody since his face showed the fear behind his words. Hakken smiled at him, blinking lazily.

“All right! I need you to step back. I’m pulling the knife.” Droplets of sweat covered Finn’s forehead, but his hands held steady. He took his time pulling the blade, trying to avoid worsening the wound. Hakken pressed his lips, not making a sound but paling considerably.

Maeve held her breath at the sight of the blood pouring out of the cut. The gravity of his wound made her a little lightheaded. She breathed deeply and placed a cool hand on Hakken’s forehead, sending calming emotions his way. His eyes fluttered open. “Thank you, beautiful.”

“You are going to be fine, don’t worry,” she said, smiling encouragingly.

Kniv came running, almost