Free Joshua and the Arrow Realm by Donna Galanti

gigantic, bony frame. Its swollen tongue hung from its mouth, and its ribs outlined sharp against its skin with each desperate pant. Red-rimmed eyes burned into mine.
    â€œIt’s starving, Charlie,” I whispered.
    â€œAnd we’re dinner!”
    â€œArtemis starves them, fattens them up with us, and hunts them for food! Don’t you get it?”
    The beast snorted and rolled its head. “Fooood. Hungrrrry.”
    Its words filled my ears clearly now, not imagined. Stunned, I recovered, lowering my bow. “Come with us,” I said to the creature. “We’ll find you food. We’ll find freedom.”
    The beast moaned with a great shake of its head, ragged teeth dripping with saliva. It
whomped
its tail, panting faster. “Cretans never be freeee.”
    â€œYou’re making it madder,” Charlie whispered. “Let’s run.”
    â€œWe’ll never make it,” I whispered in return.
    The beast matched our steps as we inched back. Rain dripped from every part of me. I wiped it from my eyes and Charlie tore away from me.
    â€œCharlie, no!”
    The beast roared and leaped high. “Fooood!”
    I lurched around. Charlie ran fast but didn’t have a chance. He twisted his head back, his eyes headlights in the dark. The beast catapulted over me, and in that split second, I shot my arrow into its chest.
    With a shriek, the monster thundered to the ground. I tumbled away before getting crushed.
    The rain pounded down without mercy. Blood ranfast from the beast. It wailed in pain and chuffed softly, paws twitching. “Cretan … freeee.”
    Its chest heaved in and out, then stopped. I bent down and pulled the arrow from its rough bloodied fur, my tears mixing with the rain. Its face sagged in its stillness. Charlie stood next me once again.
    â€œYou were a prisoner like us,” I said, stroking the fur. “I didn’t want to hurt you … cretan.”
    Charlie touched my shoulder. “You understood it even without the orb.”
    I didn’t answer but wiped the bloody arrow on the ground, and slid it back in my quiver.
    Charlie cleared his throat. “Sorry I ran off. I thought we were dead. But you saved us. I didn’t think we’d survive.” He wouldn’t look at me. He hadn’t trusted me.
    Shouts in the distance alerted us to Artemis and her men heading our way again.
    Charlie and I ran on through the woods. I glanced back once at the dead creature. What new terrible deed would I have to commit?

Chapter Thirteen
    C ramps bit into my lungs and legs from running, but there was no time for ache cakes to help the pain. Fear wouldn’t keep us going much longer. We needed to rest.
    The rain let up and shouts grew closer. I tugged Charlie’s arm. “Can you climb?”
    He nodded at me with wild eyes and, with a final surge of adrenaline, we pulled ourselves up to hide amongst the leaves. Rough bark, slick with the slowing rain, cut into my palms. Blood welled but I didn’t stop climbing. Getting eaten would be way worse.
    We moved higher, camouflaged by leaves. The rain finally stopped, and the purple night hung like a tent over the treetops. A stampede of hooves barreled below. Charlie and I froze. Leandro led Artemis’s soldiers. His long hair streamed like dark flames behind him.
    I’d have followed him anywhere once—died for him.Not now. I raised my bow fashioned by his hands.
    Leandro passed so close I saw the scar that cut down his face given to him by a Child Collector—when he was a hero, not a villain. Why did Leandro have Ash bring us here? Was his getting “thrown” in the pit with us a lie?
    â€œThe first man that gets the Reekers gets a month’s supply of agrius beast for dinner!” he called out with a fist in the air.
    The army cheered as they raced behind him, mud flying up in big clops.
    Artemis followed up the charge. Her purple hooded cloak sparkled like