Page 90 of Whisper Woods

I would bet anything that it is Heylor in the centre of it all. My guts churn and Wolf lets loose another howl of pain. Fucking Heylor and his crony—it has to be them. Does that mean that they found a way to seal Tathys off forever? Take Rafe from me for good? We will never see him again. He will begone. I will be alone forever without the being I know deep down in my spirit, is my mate.

My thoughts run after each other, goading Wolf on. He eats up the distance in a furious rage. It builds and builds.

Lose my mate. Lose Rafe. Gone. Gone. Gone. No more love. No. Mine. Rafe is mine. Ours. Mine. Ours. Rafe!My screaming thoughts and Wolf’s blur together into a twisted, feral thing, pumping through us both until his body is buzzing and tingling with the strength of our need to get to Rafe.

Wolf crashes through the circle of magic without a second thought. The surge of power ricochets through us, sizzling our skin, but we don’t feel the burn. It forces our change though the magic twisted and warped as it is, leaving us in a freakish, furred half-state.

I don’t have the luxury of thinking about it now. My eyes dart around the scene catching flickers of images, Brydon on the stone block, tied to the fuckingqueen. Is she dead? I don’t have time to consider it, because I spot Rafe, dangling between two hulking beings in what I recognise as the uniform of the Tathissian Guard.

An unhinged, primitive roar rips out of me, jarring the shocked beings who’d already noticed me into action. I launch myself at them, heedless of the danger, taking the most direct path to my mate.

Get to Rafe.

Magic bounces off me as I slash at the beings in my way with the dagger like claws on the tips of my fingers, gnashing my feral, elongated teeth at any being foolish enough to get close. The smell of blood burns my nose but I shove down the bile rising in my throat with a fierceness I’ve never known. Behind me I’m aware of the snapping and sizzling of what can only be my friend's entrance as they throw themselves into the fight. A being attaches themselves to my back and I reach back to grab them, flinging them into those cowering in fear of the fight.

“Enough!” I recognise the booming voice as Heylor’s, just seconds before my hands snap to my sides, invisible magical restraints making me immobile.

I curse, and through my raging haze I see my friends, bound and bloody, too. The remaining guards, only a handful still standing, force us through the crowd.

“For fuck’s sake, not again.” Theo mutters angrily under his breath next to me. From the corner of my eye I can see his hands sparking, but no handy balls of burning golden light spring to life. Roan just snorts and grunts in response, his veins bulging dangerously as he berserker-rages out.

“Touch him again and I will eviscerate you.” Tor threatens the guard shoving Caelan between his shoulders.

The guard, a being with the hairiest eyebrows I’ve ever seen snorts mockingly at the empty threat. Another guard has Seldon by the tail, swinging his red fox body in the air. His little paws scramble in the air, as he yips loudly—twisting and turning against the painful hold.

I swallow hard against the vomit rising in my throat as I look at my friendsbeside me, who I’ve led to… fuck. I can’t. On one side Theo presses in closer to me, in solidarity or because I’m falling, I don’t know. On the other, Edith pressed in close, too, her pinky finger hooking into mine.

Oh shit.Rafe. I can see him now. Crumpled in a heap against the stone block at Brydon’s feet. My blood rushes through my ears. I can’t breathe, my chest rising and falling rapidly, but no oxygen is getting in. The world goes black, circling in entirely on Rafe’s lifeless body lying prone before the altar.

I glare at Heylor, his face cartoonishly villainous in the green glow of the sacred fire in the vessel before him. He ignores me, though, too drunk on his own power and the magic he’s channelling.

Throwing his arms into the air, Heylor restarts his chants, the magic in the air centring on him. I have no idea what he’s saying in his unnatural, guttural voice. But I can feel the power in it. Feel the magic zipping through the air. It sparkles in the dimming light as darker, heavier clouds roll over us, blocking out the sun.

My eyes shift to Brydon on the stone block—it must be an ancient altar or something. His back is rigid against the pole he’s tied against and while his body is unmoving, I can recognise the anxious twitch in his blue claws and the fear he’s trying to tamp down.

Holy shit.He’s not going to… his Dad’s not going to kill him, is he? No fucking way. I whimper, but no one can hear me. No one but Edith who tightens that hooked grip on my pinky. My eyes dart back and forth between Brydon and Heylor.

No, no, no, no.Lights dance in front of my eyes. Not just because of the absolutely insane amount of magic shimmering in the air.

“Gods of old.”His chant somehow continues in a creeping whisper, even when Heylor’s new deep and scratching voice booms out, sending a shocked whisper through his followers. “The time has come. Protect our city. Accept our sacrifices! Let our will be done!”

There is a rumble in the sky, and the earth shakes with an almighty crack. Panicked shouts rattle through the air as the ground trembles. We’re shoved to our knees as our guards frantically attempt to protect themselves from theunknown darkness rapidly descending upon us.

In the distance thunder rolls like a thousand hoof beats and near me, I can hear Theo cackle a maniacal laugh. Right before everything explodes in a stupendous, blinding light, I swear I can hear him mutter, “you fucking idiot.”

And then the world… ends.

Rafe

“He’s been out toolong.”

“Should get a doctor from home.”

“With everything going on, I don’t see them being let in. Too risky.”

“Can I have this? I’m taking this.”

“Put that down! You can’t just take his shit, Edith.”

---