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I iet far Fleeing would only draw more attention to myself I stayed put and hoped ive away my location

I moved to the other side of the trunk and stayed put, , my heartbeat like drums

I heard the for it If I’d had no idea they were co, the sound would have just blended in with all the other noises co from the forest

I knew they were right behind low of their torches It reflected off the leaves in the canopy and the trunks of the trees The heat was discernible too A few feet away froed It was dark and difficult to see, but I kneasn’t Mastodon He was too short to be the guy with the blue eyes

Withheart in my throat, I kept still and waited for the me They didn’t seeress never halted

When they were far ahead of me, I finally took my first full breath and loweredmy bow across my back as I tried to think of what to do now If that was their direction, then it would be so the opposite way, back the way I came

But when I turned that way, the path was blocked

I couldn’t distinguish his features in the dark, but I could ry energy e from every pore in his body The shock only lasted a second Then my instincts kicked in, and I had ht at his face

It was a silent standoff, the two of us staring each other down

I did my best to keep my bow steady, but my heavy breaths made it rise and fall, made me lose my perfect aim

For the first time, he spoke, his voice thick like velvet, deep like the cliff near Delacroix “I’ll hurt you if it comes to it”

I steadied my aim “And I’ll kill you if it comes to it Walk away Now”

Covered in ars for my arrows Just his eyes and a small part of his neck All my hope for survival resided on this shot because if I missed, it was over I wasn’t stupid; I knew I couldn’t take him in combat All he had to do was punch me in the skull once, and I’d be dead

He stared for a er then made his move

I held ht at his eyes

In ht out of the air and threw it down in a single fluid motion

“Oh fuck” I nocked another arrow and fired, this ti him in the neck

He didn’t stop that one

But he didn’t go down either As if nothing had happened, he kept up his pace right atout of his flesh