felt the blood trickling down his
leg. If he did not stop the bleeding soon, he would weaken.
And once that happened, they would all
likely die.
He grabbed his wife’s arm and tried to pull
her to her feet.
“ Leave him,” he said.
“He’s as good as dead!”
Anushka wriggled free and tried to shake
Ilya back to his senses.
“ He’s still alive,” she
said, sobbing.
The Dikarie closed in on them. Raisa
clutched at Lyov’s arm, trembling. The wound in his leg throbbed
painfully.
“ He’s gone, damn you!”
Lyov yanked Anushka away from their bleeding son. She squirmed
loose again and shoved him away from her.
“ I’m not leaving our son
behind!”
She knelt beside Ilya and tried to make him
sit up.
“ Come on, little wolf,”
she said, the words catching in her throat. “You have to get up
now.”
Lyov looked down at Raisa. Soot covered her
little, pale face, but her blue eyes shone clearly even in the dim
light. She stared at him with an empty, helpless expression. Lyov
knew that she would do anything he asked of her, that she trusted
him completely to protect her, despite what just happened to her
brother.
He took Raisa’s hand and ran for the gate.
She did not ask why her mother lingered, and Lyov made no effort to
explain why they left her behind.
Neither of them looked back.
By the time they reached the gate, Lyov’s
leg burned; he could hardly put any weight on it. He struggled to
keep up with Raisa. She tried to pull him along as they drew closer
to the distant, black tree line. The waterlogged ground, still
swollen from the early autumn rains, further slowed their progress,
and they soon found themselves slogging through ankle-deep
muck.
He tried to ignore the cries of the Dikarie
warriors somewhere behind them. If he did not turn to look at them,
he could go on convincing himself that they were still far
away.
Raisa looked back.
“ Father,” she said, her
voice trembling, “they’re getting closer! Hurry!”
The last bit of strength bled out from
Lyov’s leg. He propped himself up with his sword to walk, and his
pace continued to slow. Finally, he stumbled and fell.
“ Father!”
Raisa tried to pull him up, but he was too
weak to go on. His pounding heart forced more blood from his wound
with every step. Lyov knew he had no chance of reaching the tree
line before the Dikarie ran them down.
He turned back to the town then to see a
small pack of Dikarie running after them. Flames engulfed what
remained of the buildings and cast enough light to make the black
figures in the distance quite visible. They would be upon them in
moments, and Lyov knew he could not fight off so many of them.
Raisa tugged at his arm again. “Father, come
on!”
He shook his head. “I can’t.”
“ But they’re coming! We
have to go!”
Raisa would not be able to outrun them
herself, he knew. Even if she could, she would not survive long in
the wild on her own. There was no chance of her reaching the safety
of Kver by herself.
He took her hand and pulled her closer to
him as she started to cry.
“ It’s all right, Raisa,”
he said. “I’m here.”
The girl buried her head in her father’s
chest and sobbed. “Are they going to kill us?”
Lyov ran a bloody hand through her hair.
“ No, girl,” he said, his
gaze fixed on the Dikarie closing in on them.
He reached down for the knife that he kept
sheathed in his boot.
“ They’re not going to put
a hand on you. I promise.”
He pressed the knife against her chest and
drove it into her heart. A thin gasp escaped her lips as Lyov
pulled her little body against his.
“ I love you,
Raisa.”
Her body went limp, and Lyov held her for a
few seconds before he set her on the ground and brushed her eyelids
shut.
He struggled to his feet and took up his
sword as the Dikarie closed in on him, clubs at the ready.
Thank you for reading this
sample from The Walls of
Dalgorod ! The full novel is currently
available
leg. If he did not stop the bleeding soon, he would weaken.
And once that happened, they would all
likely die.
He grabbed his wife’s arm and tried to pull
her to her feet.
“ Leave him,” he said.
“He’s as good as dead!”
Anushka wriggled free and tried to shake
Ilya back to his senses.
“ He’s still alive,” she
said, sobbing.
The Dikarie closed in on them. Raisa
clutched at Lyov’s arm, trembling. The wound in his leg throbbed
painfully.
“ He’s gone, damn you!”
Lyov yanked Anushka away from their bleeding son. She squirmed
loose again and shoved him away from her.
“ I’m not leaving our son
behind!”
She knelt beside Ilya and tried to make him
sit up.
“ Come on, little wolf,”
she said, the words catching in her throat. “You have to get up
now.”
Lyov looked down at Raisa. Soot covered her
little, pale face, but her blue eyes shone clearly even in the dim
light. She stared at him with an empty, helpless expression. Lyov
knew that she would do anything he asked of her, that she trusted
him completely to protect her, despite what just happened to her
brother.
He took Raisa’s hand and ran for the gate.
She did not ask why her mother lingered, and Lyov made no effort to
explain why they left her behind.
Neither of them looked back.
By the time they reached the gate, Lyov’s
leg burned; he could hardly put any weight on it. He struggled to
keep up with Raisa. She tried to pull him along as they drew closer
to the distant, black tree line. The waterlogged ground, still
swollen from the early autumn rains, further slowed their progress,
and they soon found themselves slogging through ankle-deep
muck.
He tried to ignore the cries of the Dikarie
warriors somewhere behind them. If he did not turn to look at them,
he could go on convincing himself that they were still far
away.
Raisa looked back.
“ Father,” she said, her
voice trembling, “they’re getting closer! Hurry!”
The last bit of strength bled out from
Lyov’s leg. He propped himself up with his sword to walk, and his
pace continued to slow. Finally, he stumbled and fell.
“ Father!”
Raisa tried to pull him up, but he was too
weak to go on. His pounding heart forced more blood from his wound
with every step. Lyov knew he had no chance of reaching the tree
line before the Dikarie ran them down.
He turned back to the town then to see a
small pack of Dikarie running after them. Flames engulfed what
remained of the buildings and cast enough light to make the black
figures in the distance quite visible. They would be upon them in
moments, and Lyov knew he could not fight off so many of them.
Raisa tugged at his arm again. “Father, come
on!”
He shook his head. “I can’t.”
“ But they’re coming! We
have to go!”
Raisa would not be able to outrun them
herself, he knew. Even if she could, she would not survive long in
the wild on her own. There was no chance of her reaching the safety
of Kver by herself.
He took her hand and pulled her closer to
him as she started to cry.
“ It’s all right, Raisa,”
he said. “I’m here.”
The girl buried her head in her father’s
chest and sobbed. “Are they going to kill us?”
Lyov ran a bloody hand through her hair.
“ No, girl,” he said, his
gaze fixed on the Dikarie closing in on them.
He reached down for the knife that he kept
sheathed in his boot.
“ They’re not going to put
a hand on you. I promise.”
He pressed the knife against her chest and
drove it into her heart. A thin gasp escaped her lips as Lyov
pulled her little body against his.
“ I love you,
Raisa.”
Her body went limp, and Lyov held her for a
few seconds before he set her on the ground and brushed her eyelids
shut.
He struggled to his feet and took up his
sword as the Dikarie closed in on him, clubs at the ready.
Thank you for reading this
sample from The Walls of
Dalgorod ! The full novel is currently
available
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