Prologue

Even though every inch of their body screamed in pain, the wolf continued to run. They could hear the mob's shouting no matter how far they ran. They skidded to a halt at the edge of a cliff. The gravel under their feet nearly betrayed them. As the flames of the mob's torches grew closer, they knew they had to make a move. But they were coming from everywhere.

As they grew closer, the Ringmaster's booming voice rang out. "There's nowhere to run, Wolf! You can come back with me, or die here!"

Kill me, they wanted to plead. Death would be better than that.

But they couldn't make a sound. The wolf took a chance to look over the ledge. In the thick fog, they couldn't see just how far down it was.

One step toward the edge.

"Ready."

A dozen crossbows loaded.

Another step.

"Aim."

A dozen crossbows pointed at their chest.

One last step.

"Fire!"

The bolts whistled above their head as they fell. They took a deep breath.

The water around them was dark. They did their best to swim through it, but they were too tired.

The wolf welcomed Death.