Excerpt: Fire Gate

Wyan didn’t have time to scream.

Blood dripped from his arm onto the white snow like rose petals being ripped off by the wind. The snarling of wild wolves filled into the cold night air not far behind. His grey eyes strained in the dark shadowed forest. I can’t see anything, he cursed to himself.

He clung to his arm. The deep gash in his flesh was a foolish mistake. He hadn’t seen the first of the barbed five-foot trees till he was right on top of it. I swear they’re alive, he scoffed. It had lashed out at him like a scorpion’s tail. The trail of blood surely mixed a sweet scent into the air for the hungry beasts now on his heels.

He plunged without hesitation into the Thorny Pass of the forest—a forbidden stretch of the land. The twisted and lifeless trees jutted out of the ground like weeds in a field. With every step he took, they got thicker and fiercer.

He dashed between them, sprinting one way and then the other. Despite his efforts, however, he could hear the padding of feet closing in. They’re wolves, he scolded himself. I’m still the one at the disadvantage here. What was I thinking? There hadn’t been time for a debate when the choice had to be made. This wasn’t supposed to happen in the first place!

But that was the end of the argument. Sharp fangs bit into his ankle. Wyan face planted into the forest ground, plowing snow into his hair. He gasped as pain seared up his leg.