“Run!”
The command followed by the crack of a whip broke the quiet of the sticky night air. He didn’t wait for the sting to reach his exposed skin. The brand of silver still burned his neck and wrists, his rage barely contained under the indifferent surface, now that the shackles were removed.
The black wall of the forest rose before him, but he was not afraid. Not yet. Whatever lurked in the woods, he was the predator. At least until they came. But it would be soon. The cleansing ri