Page 29 of Bound By Darkness

Mortal Plane

I open my eyes and glance to my left side to check on Eilish and… she’s gone.

Immediately, I’m on my feet. Cambion is still deep in his meditative trance so I figure he has no idea she’s gone. Which is just as well. The last thing I want to do is deal with his fucking mouth.

Flumph is sound asleep under the pine tree where Eilish had been sitting. I hope she’s merely walked away to relieve herself, but I know better. With her hands bound, it would be incredibly difficult for her to stand up without help.

When I approach the sleeping Flumph, I notice the rope lying in the dirt beside him.

“Fuck,” I say to myself. The bloody creature is completely useless.

Even though it’s risky, as my Shadow Magic usually won’t lend itself to such a spell, I close my eyes and call out to the forest around me. “Commune with Nature,” I repeat as I attempt to become one with the natural world in order to gain knowledge of the surrounding territory. Eilish can’t have gone far and if I’m able to tap into the knowledge of the forest through this spell, I should be able to locate her momentarily.

Of course, this spell would be child’s play to Cambion, as it falls under the umbrella of fae magic, but I’m not in the mood to wake him. Then I’ll have to explain why and how Eilish escaped in the first place.

Fuck that.

“Commune with Nature,” I repeat as I clench my eyes and beg the natural world to allow me entrance. I envision an image of Eilish and I ask for guidance on how to find her.

Fairly soon a visual appears behind my eyelids. I can hear the sound of the spring gurgling and I see Eilish making her way through the trees in the moonlight. I open my eyes and turn to see the stream, which exists just behind me.

Follow it and I’ll find Eilish.

I offer a nod of thanks to the forest and, unfurling my great wings, I shoot directly up into the sky. I note the stream below me and begin following its meandering path from above the cover of the trees. From this vantage point, I should have an easy time spotting Eilish, as long as the cover of trees is not too dense.

***

EILISH

I don’t know how long I’ve been walking, but I’m exhausted. The way forward looks exactly the same as the path I’ve just come down. My stomach growls with hunger and I feel tears start to bleed down my face.

I’m lost.

I have no idea where I’m going, and I have no idea where I am. For all I know, this stream might pass through miles and miles of dense woodland. I could starve to death, becoming nothing more than a carcass for hungry predators.

A sound causes me to stop in my tracks. My heart begins to pound, and I suddenly feel light-headed and dizzy. Taking deep breaths, I attune my ears to the landscape around me and I hear it again—the swooshing of large and powerful wings.

Something is above me.

I glance up but see nothing, owing to the thick cover of tree branches.

I hear the flapping again. Whatever it is, it sounds big. Panic floods me and I start running, jumping over roots and rocks that act as obstacles in my path. My heart is like a jackhammer in myears and my blood is pumping so hard, I feel like I could pass out.

The sound only grows louder until I imagine that whatever it is, it’s right above me.

Distracted, I trip over a tree root and land on the ground hard, skinning my knees and elbows. I’m barely cognizant of the stinging pain, though, because fear is now beating a wild path through my body. A split second later, I’m back on my feet.

I hear the sound again, this time from directly behind me. I turn around but see nothing except the seemingly limitless and empty forest. The only other thing I can hear is the constant hooting of an owl nearby. I face forward again and run headlong into… something.

Large hands grip my wrists as the right side of my face bashes into a large and broad chest. When I look up, I find Dragan glaring down at me.

I’m relieved.

He’s furious.

“What the fuck are you thinking?” he demands. He doesn’t drop his hold around my wrists but continues to clutch them, as though he’s afraid I’ll take off if he releases me.

It takes me a second to catch my breath. When I finally do, I’m overwhelmed and can’t seem to think straight. All the adrenaline pouring through me suddenly feels like it needs a way out and I find myself angry. “Let me go,” I snap and pull my arms up, trying to fight him. His hands are like iron manacles.

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