The Heart of War Read Free Page B

were bound. Who bound them? When? The more she tried to remember the more violently she shook, the further the iciness sunk into her bones. In spite of that she tried to think, tried to remember her life before the camp, and came up blank. She tried to think, tried to remember the shipwreck, but there were only small fragments of memory. Nothing more than out-of-focus snapshots in her head. How had she left the camp? When? Why? Where was she going?
    She couldn’t remember.
    The only thing that came to her clearly was the memory of seeing this island on the horizon.
    Nearly everything before that was a blur.
    Trying not to panic, Maggie told herself that with a little rest, some food, and a lot of water, she would be feeling much better. She was dehydrated, malnourished, and just plain exhausted. Everything would come back to her once the shock wore off.
    Snap.
    The sound of a twig breaking not far from her brought Maggie out of her daze. She stopped in her tracks, afraid it was a wild animal and yet hoping and praying that it was a person. “Hello?” she croaked to the dark. “Is someone there?” Every word was agony as she pushed them through dry vocal chords. Standing very still and quiet enough to hear her own heart resounding in her chest, straining and wishing with all of her might, she heard nothing but silence in answer to her plea. Probably just a rabbit or something small passing by. She began to walk onward holding her bound hands in front of her, searching for obstacles in the dark. A few feet on and there was a rustling in the bushes or trees up ahead; it sounded as though something large were rummaging around over there. She wanted to call out again but fear closed her throat. Then the rummaging got louder, it got closer, she heard…growling.
    A bear?
    Were there bears here? Just where in the hell was here anyway?
    “OH!”
    Before she knew it, something charged and knocked her to ground. It was low and covered with fur. It growled as it jaws snapped close to her face and she tried to lash out at them with her bound hands. Maggie connected on the first blow; hitting the thing full force in the jaw. Throwing it off her body, she scrambled to her feet. Trying to sprint away now that she was standing, she realized it was not a bear but a wolf that had hunted her down. The beast was swift; from behind, it pounced and knocked her to the ground once more. Its sharp claws dug into the soft flesh of her back, shredding it like cheese as they ripped through her shoulder blades and her waist. Maggie let out a tormented cry as she crashed to her knees beneath the solid weight of the animal. “Get off of me!” Maggie bucked and rolled until the beast jumped from her back. Grateful to have the weight lifted she began to feel her own blood soak through the wet blouse. “Stay away from me!”
    Above her the clouds parted, allowing the moonlight to shine down upon the island. She took in the sight of her demise. It was not just any wolf, it had a black and gray pelt that was very thick as it lay over toned muscle. This was no mangy mutt; she thought the damn thing must belong to a gym. Certainly it was as bulky and defined as any body builder she’d ever seen.
    Yet, it was its eyes that caught her attention the most. As the creature stared at her, seeming to size her up, its pitch black eyes glowed red with flames. “What kind of wolf are you?” she hissed at it as her bound hands searched the ground for anything she could use as a weapon and fell upon a rather large stone that she did not hesitate to pick up and raise.
    The wolf bared its teeth; it seemed to grin at her as it settled back on its haunches, making ready to spring at her.
    She had not survived the wreck and days at sea just so she could be dinner for some wild beast. “Well come on then, what are you waiting for!” She wanted the damn thing to strike while the moon was still uncovered so she could see it and hit it. If it waited much longer and