Chapter Twelve

Chest heaving, Brand skidded to an abrupt stop, his paws no longer encountering the resistance of pine needles and leaves, but instead sinking into the soft sand and tendrils of seaweed. He was standing on a narrow slice of beach. Looking over his shoulder, Brand could barely make out the wood where he had been talking to Ulfhild and Astrid only moments before. His only thought had been to escape, and he had run with no thought to where he was going other than away. Witches! By all the gods, why did it have to be witches?

As he panted, he tried to take in his surroundings and figure out exactly where he was. White cliffs rose behind him. The roll and crash of the sea thundered in his ears where he had only been able to hear his heartbeat moments before. The white foam of waves swirled around his feet, rising farther up his legs with every return. The tide was coming in.

He needed to get off this beach and find shelter, but he couldn't move. His gut twisted as he tried to forget the t