CHAPTER ONE: Emma

The world was wide and open, and I couldn’t wait to spend the rest of my life exploring every inch of it… savoring every slip through reality. 

My powerful legs propelled me forward, though the tall pine trees that towered hundreds of feet above me. My paws landed on the lush, rich ground, thudding a pagan war sound that signaled to the world we were hunting. My tail flew out from behind me as my white fur blended into the thick ferns that coated the area. My sharp ears could pick out the sound of waterfalls in the distance, birds chirping, lake churning with fish. My nose caught onto the scent of the mountains… fresh rain… and I enjoyed the blissful sun rays as they beamed onto my back. 

This forest was old… very old. Probably as ancient as the world itself. The original Founders had come here millennia ago to form the country of Malovia in Eastern Europe, and had left the wilderness mostly untouched. They took only what they needed to survive and build the community. That was the way of the Arcanea. Our world was one from medieval times, a living, breathing monument in the modern, digital age, passed down from our fae ancestors. We stuck to the old ways, as was our tradition.

My name was Prince Ethan, and one day, I would be King of the Arcanea. I wanted to follow in the footsteps of my forerulers. I wished to protect nature and my people equally. Arcanea, magic, and the land, living together in perfect harmony. It was my dream.

I ran for a mile more before I came to an open clearing. I paused to catch my breath. I wanted to give an experimental howl, to see if any other wolvens were nearby, but that might scare the monster off. I stayed put, trying to figure out where to go next. I’d run all around the nature preserve, but it went on for hundreds of miles. Even working together, my father’s entire hunting brigade probably hadn’t covered a tenth of what was out here. 

I heard the roar of a dragon above, along with a long shadow. I searched the skies, and changed into my human form. Fur became clothes, and I went from standing on four legs to two. I sat on a nearby boulder to wait. 

There was a loud sound nearby like a creature was landing, and the ground shook. I heard a rustle in the trees, and the scent of scales and smoke. A few moments later, a man stepped out of the trees and stood beside me, smirking.

“Miss me, white wolf?”

I tossed a rock at the dragon shifter. “I just saw you this morning. Far too soon, in my opinion.”

Stefan dodged the rock, and it hit a nearby tree. It made a blasting sound and shattered off a chunk of the trunk, sending bark and splinters everywhere. I suppose I must’ve thrown it too hard.

Stefan gave a sarcastic noise. “Your temper’s getting worse than mine. You could’ve killed me.” 

“It would’ve bounced off your thick skull. Nothing can penetrate that boulder you call a head.”

“That’s not the only part of me rumored to be harder than stone,” Stefan boasted. 

I would’ve laughed if I knew that wouldn’t encourage him, so I forced the grin off my face. I didn’t want to spend the rest of my time out here listening to crude jokes from my buddy. We had a job to do. 

Stefan was the same age as I was, twenty now, and was taller and broader than me. He had black hair, black eyes, and a look that dared someone to try and piss him off. And oh, how he enjoyed himself when they did. He liked toying with his prey, human or animal. We were in the same grade at Arcanea University, both about to head into our Third Year.  

“Did you see any trace of it?” I asked him, specifically referencing the monster in question. 

Stefan shook his head before he drew out his cell phone. He sent a quick text, probably to his commander, before shoving it back in his pocket. 

Although our race made use of modern technology alongside our ancient customs, we kept our society hidden from humans to ensure our survival. After all, if the human world found out there were sorceresses mated to men who could change into dragons, wolves, alicorns and griffins, they’d surely kill us all. There were a lot more of them than there were of us. Our sorceresses kept our city hidden from humans with their magical illusions and wards, to prevent such a chaotic event. 

But sometimes, there were mistakes. And if whatever we were hunting got out into the human world, it could expose us. Which meant we needed to kill it. Fast. 

“I lost whatever we’re trailing somewhere over the falls,” Stefan said. “It just up and vanished.”

“Dammit.” This was concerning. The monster had already slain three people, and we had yet to discover what it was. This forest was huge– one of the largest in modern Europe. It could be anywhere. 

“Sure you’re not losing your touch, High Prince of the Arcanea?” Stefan asked in a scathing tease.

I smiled. Stefan was a prick. But it was always good to have a dragon as a best friend, so I kept him around. No one liked to argue when you had muscle to back you up, and in the land of the Arcanea, violence was the only language people knew. 

“I’m quite bored. Want to race?” Stefan asked.

I laughed. “Not much of a contest, with me stuck on the ground and you using your wings.” 

“Better run fast, then.” Stefan pounced, and rose into the air. His body shifted mid-jump to become a large black dragon’s, nearly twenty-five feet in length. He tore down trees as he ascended, spreading his leathery and spiny wings to their full span. His scales were the color of obsidian rock, and sunlight bounced off his scales, as if light couldn’t bear to touch the inky-blackness. Long, curved horns grew out of his head, and white, sharp fangs hung over the lips of his mouth. Spines grew along his back, ending in a sharp barb at the end of his tail that he’d threatened to stick me with one too many times. He gave a roar that sounded like an insult. I gave him a rude gesture in response. He was already several lengths ahead of me. 

We were supposed to be working, but we’d been trailing the mysterious monster now for three days now, and we were exhausted. So what was the harm in having a little fun? 

I bounded back into my shifter-skin and chased after him. I increased my strides in order to catch up, and found that I had to push myself to retain speed. Stefan was more or less gliding effortlessly over the trees. I was no small wolf by any means– nearly twelve feet in length myself and half that in height– but I had yet to gain my wings as an Arcanea, and therefore had to run everywhere I went. Asshole. 

Stefan was having a delightful time up there. I could hear his barrel-laughs as I struggled to catch up. He lit the trees on fire up ahead, and I had to dodge around flames as the forest ignited around me. I nearly burned my paw on a falling branch, and I could smell the fur on my tail singeing. 

“You dick!” I shouted.  Stefan only laughed harder. In our shifted forms, we could still speak using telepathy, and I wanted Stefan to know just how much of a jerk he was. 

Time to show him who was boss. I bounded off my back legs until they were burning, trying to catch up, and victoriously felt the shadow of Stefan pass me as I came out ahead. Stefan noticed that I was getting the upper hand and increased the beat of his wings to match my pace. We were neck and neck now. 

The trees were getting thicker here. We had to slow down. I attempted to use my magic to call out to him. “Stefan, watch out for that–”

Too late. Stefan ended up losing control and careened into a section of trees. They uprooted, and the sound of wood cracking rang out through the forest. I moved like hell to get out of the way as Stefan went barreling through the trees at high-speed, wrecking everything his body came in contact with. Finally, his mass reached a structure that would not be moved, a large stone wall that had worn away from part of the mountain. He slammed into it, and debris from the stone wall went crumbling as the dragon came to a complete stop. 

“… Tree.” I watched as the dragon went slinking down to the ground. I nearly died laughing as the dragon shook his head, dazed. He changed back into Stefan, sitting on the ground and holding his head. A huge chunk of forest had been torn down by his crash-landing. 

“Oy.” Stefan shook his head again. “You win this round, mate. Must’ve been weighed down by my big–”

“What are you two boys doing?”

A pleasant voice broke our banter. The King of the Arcanea broke through the trees to join us. He wore a wide smile, and paid no attention to the destruction that Stefan had caused on his way down. 

Father’s stance was wide and commanding. His long hair was gray, broad shoulders covered by a long cape of bear’s fur. People said he was a mountain of a man, though I was nearly as tall as he was. His large hands were covered by rabbit skin gloves, one of which grasped a tight dagger in his belt, set with ruby gemstones.

“Aw, Da, just goofing off,” I said. The royal guard wasn’t with him, which I was thankful for. Dad had a tendency to be less of himself and more of a king when people were watching him. 

Father’s eyes slightly narrowed. “This isn’t a game, boys. There’s a monster on the loose.” 

I knew he wasn’t mad. A chuckle was playing at the corners of his mouth. 

“I’m convinced it flew off. It shouldn’t be taking this long to locate a wild beast,” Stefan said. He sneezed, and a bit of smoke came out of his nostrils. 

“You have a right to be concerned. Something’s… different about this one.” Father rubbed his beard. “I can’t quite put my finger on what it is.”

I slung my arm around his shoulder. “What do we have to worry about? After all, we’ve got the best monster slayer this side of the country on our side.” 

Like the rest of my kind, I was attending Arcanea University to become a monster hunter. I’d had no better teacher growing up than my dear old dad. He could behead a monster in less time than it took most Arcanea to assess the situation.

Father shook his head. “Experience is no substitute for information. I don’t believe I’ve ever hunted a creature this elusive.” 

He made a face. “Perhaps I should send you boys back to town. This monster could be out of your skill level.”

Stefan made an obnoxious noise. “Unkillable by us? I don’t think such a monster exists.”

I scoffed and rolled my eyes. Stefan had the mind that he could destroy anything. If the Seven Gods themselves challenged him to a duel, he’d accept. 

Father still seemed troubled. I spoke up. “I’ve killed my share of monsters. Why would this one be any different?” 

Father frowned. “I’m not sure, son. Monsters usually leave clues behind. This one… it’s too clean. There’s no scent, no tracks, no indication that it’s been in the area at all, although it must’ve been to kill those people. Something’s not right.”

I didn’t like how he spoke. When we’d found the bodies of the slain Arcanea, they’d been just outside of town, bodies ran through with twisting roots that rose up from the earth. Blood and entrails everywhere, though there was no indication the monster that had killed them desired to feed. The bodies hadn’t been touched after they were killed. This creature seemed to murder for sport.

Father waved his hand, as an indication for us to follow. He pointed upward. “Search the skies, Stefan. Perhaps there’s something we’re missing. Maybe the creature can fly.”

Stefan became his dragon form, and took off. The black dragon quickly became a spot in the sky as he soared through the clouds, on a hunt for something none of us were even sure existed.

My father transformed, from his brusque human body to his wolven form. The old wolf’s gray fur seemed to be getting whiter and whiter by the day. On his back two large, feathery wings rested. He kept them tucked in close to his side as he prowled through the brush. 

I followed his lead, and changed myself. Father towered beside me as we stalked the woods, keeping close to the ground.

Father’s feathers brushed me as we walked, and I had to suppress a sharp feeling of jealousy. Within the four Factions, dragons, griffins, and alicorns were the only Arcanea born with wings. Wolvens like myself and sorceresses had to earn them. I had yet to prove to the Seven Gods my worthiness, and therefore, remained wingless. I wasn’t sure what I had to do in order to earn my wings– it was different for everyone. 

For some Arcanea, their wings never came at all. It was a nightmare that haunted me daily as I continued to age. It wasn’t exactly expected for a wolven to have wings… a lot of my kind lived and died without them… but the Circle would never accept an ascender to the throne who couldn’t fly. 

“Where’s the rest of the hunting party?” I asked Father, using my wolven magic to communicate telepathically with him.

“Scattered throughout the area. They’re close-by.” Father’s amber eyes focused forward. “Have you given any thought to the King’s Contest?”

The King’s Contest. It was due to be held this year. Father was aging, and soon, it would be expected for a newcomer to take his place. Twenty years had passed since he’d taken the throne, and now, the Seven Gods demanded that another be chosen. But the crown wouldn’t just be handed to me by birthright… I’d have to fight for it, against a handful of other greedy competitors who wanted the throne for themselves. It was the only way to prove I was strong enough to lead the Arcanea.

“It’s all that’s been on my mind.” So much was true. I’d been practicing for the King’s Contest since I’d learned what it was, shortly after I could walk. 

“I know you are ready with strength and skill. Your magic is strong, as are your chances of winning the Contest.” Father paused to look at me. “But you can’t do it alone.”

I suppressed an inward groan. I already knew where this was going. 

“Don’t give me that look. I won’t be around forever, Ethan. I need you to find a mate, so that you can carry on in my place and make sure Malovia is protected.”

I wasn’t sure why having a Marked to stand by my side as queen was so damn important. And I’d told him so, many times. “Perhaps I’ll never find a mate. I haven’t yet. Maybe the time’s already passed,” I said. 

“Don’t speak of such things.” Father’s tone was gruff. “Do you wish for the Seven Gods to curse you?” 

“I am not cursed.” I spoke sharply. I knew others whispered such things about me, going unbonded for this long. Most people found their mates within their freshman year at Arcanea University. As much as I wanted to prove the rumors wrong… I didn’t feel ready yet to find a bride.

“Your queen is your greatest ally. She is your fiercest warrior, your most loyal protector, and your most faithful friend. A king cannot run his kingdom properly unless he has a sorceress to stand by his side.” Father sighed. “And I am worried you may never find yours.”

“I’ll find someone.” If I wanted to participate in the King’s Contest at the end of the year, I had to have a mate first. The rules said I needed to be engaged first in order to compete. Yuck.

“I don’t want you to find just any girl. This is the most important decision of your life. Time is running short,” Father scolded. “You don’t want to end up like me.” 

I made a non-committal sound. I knew my mother was not my father’s Marked. My father’s true mate had run off a long time ago, though he never said why. He always vowed he could’ve accomplished ten times more than what he already did if his real Marked had become his queen, although he never spoke this openly in the presence of my mother. He loved her, too, and Mother was an accomplished sorceress herself… but having a wife wasn’t the same as having a mate, something he’d drilled into my head from the moment I’d come out of the womb. There would always be a part of him that was missing, and he didn’t want the same to happen to me.

Myself, I didn’t get it. I was never one for romance. Didn’t interest me. Girls were pretty, and they were nice, but I had bigger concerns on my mind than dating them. Mostly snowboarding and hockey, and learning as much as I could from my dad about ruling Malovia, so I could do the same one day. 

Father seemed to notice I was getting melancholy, so he pressed his shoulder into mine. “I have faith that within the year, you will find your true mate. But whatever may come, know that I will always be proud of you. You will be a great king.”

The statement humbled me. I’d spent most of my life fearing that I would screw up. That I’d fail to win the King’s Contest, or even worse, somehow ruin the kingdom.

My Da had faith in me. And that meant everything.

I went to say something back, but words failed me. As I finally came up with something, there was a cracking sound somewhere up ahead— the sound of saplings breaking in half.

“Shh. Something’s here.” Father paused. I kept my mouth shut and pricked my ears up, listening. 

I heard something moving before us, tearing up roots. A strange scent filled my nose. It wasn’t like anything I’d ever smelled before. It was equal parts sweet and woodsy, as well as slightly rotten. It screamed at me to keep away.

“It’s there. In the glen,” I whispered. There was a part up ahead where the trees broke and the wilderness became a long, sloping valley. That’s where our monster was. 

Father crouched. “Perhaps we can sneak up on it, before it determines we are here.” 

This would be an easy kill. Sneak up, jump, and give a fatal bite to the monster’s neck before it even saw us coming. We’d barely see any action. 

I followed his lead. “I’m right behind you.”

“Stay low.” Father advanced. I remained behind him, though it was hard to see where I was going with his big wings in the way, blocking my view. 

The trees ended. Father crouched, then sprung, spreading his wings wide. I copied him, raising my lips in a snarl as I leapt into the air, planning to tackle whatever he had spotted into the ground.

But then Father faltered, and his wings drew back. He weaved in the air and hovered over the ground, avoiding whatever he’d initially tried to attack. I had no such way to prevent myself from halting my charge, so instead, I shifted my weight in mid-air to turn away. I hit the ground and rolled, wondering why the hell my father had drawn back. 

When I lifted my eyes to witness the creature, I understood why. We had made a critical mistake.

The creature was like something out of a storybook. It was twelve feet tall, with tree roots for feet and long, dangling arms that dragged along the ground and ended in black claws, connected to a masculine form. Its head was that of a deer’s, with large antlers growing out of either side of its head. The deer’s head had sharp, ravenous teeth, and a skeletal body that had grey skin dangling loosely off bone. Plants grew out of every orifice. It was hard to tell what was bone and what was branch.  

It was much worse than we feared. A leszy… a leshane. A demonic deer spirit of the forest, rumored to be given black powers by the Seven Gods themselves. We couldn’t fight this.

Father knew it. “Ethan, run!” he shouted. I didn’t need to be told twice. I tried heading to the safety of the trees, but the leshane raised his clawed hand, and roots sprung up along the edge of the forest, preventing my escape. I had to dodge as roots sprung up from the ground in a brutal attack. They barely missed my torso as they stabbed upward through the dirt. 

Father had changed back into his human form. He was blowing on a twisted ram’s horn, signaling to the other hunters that we needed help. As he continued calling the others, I did my best to outrun the leshane as its magic followed me through the valley. The ground shook underneath my feet like an earthquake as roots went shooting up from the ground moments where I’d been before. One false step, and I’d be impaled.

Father snarled, and he erupted into his wolven form. He took to the skies and charged at the leshane, trying to distract it. He attempted to get close, but every time he tried the monster swung his large claws, preventing him from landing a secure bite.

Now that the leshane was distracted, I went to help. I ran forward and sank my teeth into its leg. It was like biting through a tree. The leshane gave no indication that it hurt, merely kicked me off. The blow sent me sailing into the root wall. I heard something crack, most likely my ribs. I moaned in pain, struggling to get up as I watched my father war with the leshane. 

The leshane’s claws came too close, and they cut across my father’s chest. He snarled, and blood went everywhere. The cut was deep. I gasped. Despite the agonizing pain in my ribs, I forced myself to stand and return to the fight. My father needed me. 

I pleaded with the Seven Gods to send help as I launched myself onto the leshane’s back. I dug my claws in and refused to let go, pinpointing where was best to sink my fangs in. But I wasn’t sure where to bite. We’d never studied leshanes in class, as it was assumed anyone who was unlucky enough to find one in the woods would be dead within minutes anyway. There was nowhere to rip out a jugular or pierce a vein. Every part of the leshane was wooden and bone. I didn’t think I could break its neck. This truly was a creature sent by evil. 

In response to me clinging on, the leshane grew wooden spines out of its back, sharp and dangerous. One of them went through my paw. I howled in pain and let go, dropping to the ground and rolling away. My father remained in the air, blood pouring from his wounds as the leshane continued to advance. 

The leshane threw back its head and let out a wicked cry. There was thundering in the trees, and a sleuth of bears stampeded through the root wall and into the valley. There were dozens of them– the leshane had used dark magic to call them to his aid.

This was bad. This was really, really bad.

Father paid no attention to the bears, just kept focusing on the leshane. One bear tried to whip him out of the air, until Father turned on him and pinned him to the ground, tearing out his throat before returning to his original task. The leshane battled cooly, as if certain that this was a battle it would win. 

Finally, I heard the sound of help coming. Griffins and alicorns came flooding out of the trees to defend the king. They leapt over the root wall that the leshane had caged us in and charged forward. Eagle-lion hybrids battled alongside unicorns with massive wings, struggling against the bears that the leshane commanded.

I searched the skies for dragons, but they’d been sent farther away than the other groups, and it would take them longer to arrive. Where was Stefan? We needed him! 

With the arrival of the griffins and the alicorns, the leshen changed. It mutated from his horrifying form to become a monster that ran on four legs, a skeleton poking through skin, dripping thick blood. It looked more animal than human now. The leshane moved with incredible speed, appearing a blur as it ran through the valley. He passed griffins and alicorns alike, slaying them both. Roots came up to suffocate or spear through the Arcanea gathered all around the woods. I watched the scene in horror, paralyzed. I wasn’t sure what to do. People were dying. Our warriors were falling to the leshane. We were all going to die. 

Father hadn’t given up. His grey pelt was soaked with blood, but he was determined to bring down the leshane at whatever cost. He ran at the creature with teeth bared. My father and the leshane met, rearing up on their hind legs to strike out at each other with antler and fang. 

I was limping now, and could only move but stiffly for the pain in my ribs, but I wasn’t content to die unless it was on my feet and defending my country. I charged forward, and took my father’s side as the two of us tag-teamed taking the leshane down. I got a mouth full of splinters each time a bite managed to hit its target, but I didn’t care. This was life or death. 

There was a roar from above, and a black shape blocked out the sun. My heart lifted. 

Stefan had finally arrived! He hovered above the scene, pumping his massive black wings, and let out a stream of fire that billowed around the leshane and set it aflame.

The leshane made a high-pitched, screaming sound and went for the closest thing it could take its anger out on– me. 

Things happened so slowly that I felt the moment would replay for the rest of my life. The leshane, still on fire, lunged forward with its jagged mouth wide open– my father went to push me out of the way. The leshane got its sharp fangs around my leg, slightly above the knee. There was a tearing sound below, like bone and flesh breaking.

The pain was incredible, white-hot and blinding. But I couldn’t focus on it with the sight of my father’s body limply dangling from the root that had sprung up out of the ground, a thick knot of wood speared clean through his chest.

I was briefly aware of the feeling of the monster biting clean through, and my father’s dying screams, before the world went dark.