I crash through the trees, bright hot pain flashing as branches impale me and then break as I continue through, hitting the ground hard. I would scream if the fall hadn’t knocked all the air from my lungs. I try to twist, but still end up landing on my left wing. I hear the crunch more than feel it, my body in shock with too much pain already—I’ve broken my wing.

Sucking in a huge lungful of air, the adrenaline miraculously lets me roll over and push myself onto my knees. I topple, a large branch sticking out of my right thigh and another in my right hand. My jaw is bleeding, scraped up bad as well.

“It went down this way!”

I hear the shout and force myself to my feet, stumbling and scanning for a place to hide. Blood drips hot and thick to the ground, marking my location. Spotting a large decaying tree trunk, I force my protesting body to shuffle to it. I essentially fall over it and into the brush on the other side. I try to cover myself with foliage with my good hand, but my left wing is stuck at an awkward angle and there’s only so much rotting leaves can do to conceal a seven foot tall man with a fifteen foot wingspan.

The hunters crash through the underbrush and I try to quiet my rattling breathing. I was stupid to come this close to the road. Stupid to fly above the treeline. But the leaves were turning gold, and I didn’t have the supplies to survive the winter. I needed blankets, warm clothing and the temptation of a well equipped traveler to rob was too great.

“I found blood. This is where it came down for sure,” a voice says victoriously and I close my eyes. Even if I wanted to, I don’t think I could move anymore, the adrenaline leaving as fast as my blood.

“Is it worth anything dead?” A second voice asks. “That’s a lot of blood.”

“Not as much as alive. Especially if we can find who owned it.”

I grit my teeth. At least that’s not likely. Even if Tiborious survived the attack, he was on the other end of En. I’d spent the first month of my freedom putting as much distance between me and the frontlines. Of course, that meant I flown right into the heart of the Solis Empire. Still, four and a half months of freedom, a new personal record. A last attempt.

Maybe I should have tried to go home to Avis, maybe the rumors of a secret haven are true…

Stupid. I must be getting delirious. Those rumors exist just so runaway Avins like me would fly right back into captivity. I hear rustling as the hunters try to follow my trail. They’re going to find me. I weakly reach for my boot where my stolen knife is. My fingers curl on the handle and slowly I raise it to my chest. The movement isn’t silent and there’s a break in the hunter’s rhythm.

I lay and wait for them to find me. It doesn’t take long. Here we go.

There’s a shadow above me as one of the hunters vaults themselves over the log and nearly lands on me.

“Stars! I found—”

I lunge. My knife cuts through his hamstring and he screams, toppling. I launch myself, throwing my large armed form over him as he falls.

My leg unresponsive, I fall short but manage to get my knife through his shoulder. I let go and use my good hand to go for his throat. He screams, but it ends abruptly as I squeeze. His eyes bulge and I shift, letting my dead weight hold his legs down. He’s pounding my head with his left fist, but it’s just more pain and I keep squeezing.

Something collides with my side and I slump over but don’t let go. If I can kill one, maybe I can kill the other before they take me back. The boot that kicked my side appears, jamming into my arm. There’s another crack as it breaks. I make a guttural sound as my grip fails. The man gasps for air and scrambles out. I try to get up, but the other hunter kicks me again and I fall on my broken wing with a scream.

I kick out with my good leg, but the two pin me down, tying a rope around my ankles expertly. I grasp dirt, throwing it at their faces, trying to claw at the ropes.

“For star’s sake,” The one that kicks me says frustrated, “knock it out, Kortik.”

“It stabbed me if you hadn't noticed! You do it.”

“Occupational hazard, boy. Watch and learn.”

I freeze as the second one, an older man with tattoos along his head, goes to the younger and takes a small bundle from him. I feel around the dirt trying to find a rock as the older man steps back and uses the fallen tree as a table to light the bundle.

My fingers free a stone from the grass and clutch it, but I make the mistake of taking my eyes off the younger hunter. I yell as his steel toed boot digs into my forearm, forcing me to let go of the rock.

“Just stop struggling you piece of shit,” he spits, and, for a moment, I meet his eyes. He flinches as his green eyes meet my golden ones.

I’ll kill you, I say with my look. I’ve got nothing to lose and I’ll kill you.

The older one clicks his tongue satisfied while the younger leans down, tying a rope around my trapped wrist. Despite his wound, he manages to pull my arm to my other hand and lash them together over my head. He grabs my hair and yanks my face up, holding my head down as the older holds the smoking bundle under my nose. I try to hold my breath, but it’s a losing battle. My head pounds and then blurs and I slip into unconsciousness.