The steady creak of wooden wheels filled the quiet morning air as the cart rolled along the uneven terrain. Selene shifted slightly, wincing as pain lanced through her side with each bump and jerk, but she willed herself to remained silent. There was no comfort to be had in this trek. What would have normally been a rhythmic sway was now a violent jostle beneath her. The pile of blankets around her did nothing to soften the ride. Above her, the sky was an endless, dark blue expanse as the late morning began to merge into midday.

  Orren pulled the cart with ease, his massive hooves making soft thuds against the dry earth. When Ruvala had helped her into the cart, she had been able to get a good look at his enormous body before he was buckled into the harness used to pull the cart. His towering antlers were white and swayed slightly with each step, each side having a prong bearing a small dish at the front. His fur was a dark tan color, almost the color of the ground he plodded on. Camouflage perhaps? Though he was so enormous, Selene didn’t even want to think about what sort of animal would hunt something of his size.

  Ruvala walked just ahead of him, one hand loosely holding the leather reins of his halter, the other combing her fingers through her fine hair. It caught the light with the movement and it looked as if strands of fine silver glinted in the sunlight. She moved with a quiet confidence. Even without words, she exuded an air of absolute control and observation over her surroundings, as if she belonged to the land itself.

  Selene exhaled a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding before she sharply sucked in air between her teeth, as one of the cart wheels hit another pothole. She still felt weak, her limbs heavy with exhaustion and her torso still sore and in pain, but she still found herself looking around, taking in her surroundings.

  The terrain was barren, cracked earth stretching as far as she could see with only sparse, gnarled trees and plants with violent looking thorns clinging stubbornly to life. The Ruined was aptly named—this place felt tainted, it reeked of withered life and desolation, a land drained of vitality and unable to heal.

  Selene glanced toward Ruvala, whose face she could not see as she guided Orren forward. The silence between them was thick, but Selene’s thoughts refused to settle.

  “They’re still out there,” Selene murmured, her voice still hoarse from dehydration and all the running she had done—the screaming. “The Hunt. I can feel them. They’ll find me.”

  She put a hand on her stomach, still sensing the tiny life inside her. Strong and unbothered by the crisis inside and outside her body.

  Ruvala didn’t turn, but Selene caught the slight cock of her head as she listened. She reached for a small pouch at her belt and untied it, holding it up without breaking a stride.

  “This will keep them off our trail,” she said simply.

  Selene eyed the pouch skeptically. “A charm bag?”

  “A scent deterrent,” Ruvala corrected. “It’s made from herbs and minerals that can mask scents from many creatures. Normally it’s used for hunting,” she opened the pouch and Orren swung his head around to nose at the bag. A scent wafted her direction and despite her wolf senses dampened by the pregnancy, the overwhelming scent of wet dirt, mint, and lemon filled her nose, overpowering everything else in the area.

  “Wolves rely on their noses more than anything else. If they can’t track you, you’re as good as gone.” Ruvala closed the pouch and tucked it back into her belt. “I placed a small amount on the bottom of the cart. You’re safe—for now.”

  Selene wanted to believe her, but instinct told her otherwise. Though she had only known Lucian for a very short time, their time together even shorter, she had seen his rage firsthand and knew the depth of his cruelty. He wouldn’t rest until he had what he wanted, which was her death.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Still, there was something about Ruvala’s presence, the sheer certainty in her voice, that made Selene breathe just a little easier.

  They continued in silence, the barren landscape stretching endlessly before them. It was nearing mid afternoon now and the sun beat down on Selene mercilessly through the small blanket tent she had managed to fashion for herself. Ruvala had given her a small water-skin to drink from, and it had been emptied quickly.

  It wasn’t until they crested a small ridge that Selene finally spoke again.

  “What is this place exactly?” she asked, looking around at the desolation. “The Ruined… it wasn’t always like this, was it?”

  Ruvala looked around, her gaze sweeping out toward the landscape briefly before returning to the path ahead. “No,” she said, voice even. “This used to all be fertile land. I used to hear tales of it, that generations ago, it was like any other place—forests, rivers, life. Then, something changed. No one knows exactly what happened, but the land stopped yielding. Crops wouldn’t grow, rivers dried up. Some of the creatures that remained…” She trailed off, her grip on Orren’s reins tightening slightly. “They became something else.”

  Selene swallowed, glancing toward the twisted remnants of trees, the cracked, dry ground. She had heard stories and gossip at balls and gathers, of course—rumors and tales of a land where nothing thrived, a parched and bleak land where monsters roamed. But seeing it with her own eyes was different.

  “People really still live here?” she asked.

  Ruvala nodded. “Some. Those who have nowhere else to go, or those hardy enough who know how to survive.”

  Selene frowned. “Survive on what? If nothing grows…”

  Ruvala stared ahead, unflinching. “The creatures.”

  Selene shivered despite the heat. She did not know what these creatures looked like, nor did she want to, but the thought of eating something that might be tainted made her stomach churn. But necessity breeds resilience, she supposed, or something like that.

  They fell into silence again, the cart rolling steadily onward. The wind carried the distant cry of something unnatural, a sound that sent a chill down Selene’s spine. She wrapped the blanket around herself tighter, her mind swirling with thoughts of what lay ahead as the cry sounded further off into the distance.

  After a long moment, she broke the silence. "Why don’t you live in one of the settlements? If there are people surviving out here, wouldn’t it be easier to stay with them?"

  Ruvala remained quiet for many long moments, her fingers tightening slightly on Orren’s reins. Selene wondered if she had overstepped, but just as she was about to change the subject, Ruvala finally spoke.

  "I prefer solitude," she said simply. "Easier for everyone that way."

  Selene studied her, waiting for more. When Ruvala didn’t elaborate, she pressed, "Easier how?"

  A breath of wind stirred the dust along the path, creating small dust devils in its wake. Ruvala’s face turned toward the horizon, unreadable. "I help people when they most need it. Some come here by accident, some on purpose. Either way, most don’t last long in The Ruined. I make sure they can at least get back across the Veil if they want to. Or… find a place to start over if they don’t have a choice."

  Selene absorbed the information quietly. Ruvala had evaded her question entirely, but still, she hadn’t expected Ruvala to be someone who sought those lost, guiding them through the dangers of this cursed land. And yet, the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. There was something about Ruvala that felt steady—unyielding. A guardian of sorts. Not bound by obligation, but by choice. Perhaps by duty?

  "You patrol the border," Selene murmured, watching the way Ruvala’s shoulders tensed just slightly at the words. "Looking for those who can’t protect themselves."

  Ruvala glanced back at her, something flashing behind her eyes before she looked ahead again. "I suppose so."

  Selene found herself staring, drawn in by the quiet strength Ruvala carried so effortlessly. There was still so much she didn’t understand about this woman, about the life she lived out here in these dead lands. But for the first time in what felt like forever, she didn’t feel completely alone.

  Ruvala glanced back at her. “Rest while you can,” she said. “We’ll reach my home in a few hours.”

  Selene wanted to ask more, wanted to understand this strange woman who had saved her, but exhaustion weighed heavy on her limbs. Against her better judgment, she let her head rest against the blankets and closed her eyes and despite the jostling sway of the cart, she was lulled into uneasy rest.