Chapter 2 - THE SIEGE OF BARK AND BLOODThe air shattered with the loud CLANG of pneumatic launchers. Heavy steel-weighted nets expanded in mid-air, raining down onto the pride.
Sultan leaped into the air, his massive claws tearing through the sky, but a heavy net weighted with iron balls knocked him back to the earth. He thrashed violently, roaring in fury as two men jumped out of the truck with high-voltage cattle prods, pressing them directly into his hide. Sparks flew, and Sultan let out a gut-wrenching cry of pain.
"No! Stop!" Emily screamed, pulling frantically against the ropes binding her to the tree. The hemp dug deep into her wrists, drawing blood, but she didn't feel the pain. All she felt was pure, blinding rage.
Two mercenaries turned their attention to Emily. One of them raised a silenced pistol, aiming directly at her forehead. "Boss said no loose ends this time."
BANG!
A streak of golden lightning flashed through the brush. One of the young lionesses, breaking free from the perimeter, launched herself through the air and slammed into the gunman, knocking him into the dirt. The gun flew from his hand.
"Kill the beasts! Kill them all!" Victor screamed, spraying automatic gunfire blindly into the brush.
Dust and smoke blinded the clearing. Taking advantage of the chaos, Emily noticed a sharp, jagged piece of broken bone lying near the base of the tree—the remains of an old prey left by scavengers. Panting heavily, she slithered down the bark, pressing her bound hands behind her to saw the rope against the sharp bone edge.
Friction. Pain. Blood.
The rope snapped.
Emily sprang up, her wrists raw and bleeding. Just as she freed herself, Victor jumped out of the truck, grabbing a heavy iron wrench. He spotted her standing free.
"You stubborn little brat!" Victor snarled, rushing toward her with the wrench raised high.
Emily didn't run away. She looked over at Sultan, who was pinned down under a heavy chain-link net, struggling to breathe as two poachers prepared to shoot him with a lethal dose of poison to harvest his bone structure for the black market.
Emily sprinted straight toward the poachers, tackling the man holding the needle. They tumbled into the dirt, fighting over the syringe. But Victor was right behind her. He grabbed Emily by her ponytail, yanked her head back, and pressed the cold edge of a hunting knife against her throat.
"Game over, ranger," Victor whispered into her ear. "Look at your precious king. He dies first. Then you."
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Suddenly, the ground began to tremble beneath their feet. It wasn't the truck. It wasn't the lions.
From the tree line, a deep, earth-shattering rumble vibrated through the soil. Something massive was coming.
