Page 40 of Crowned A Traitor
~10~
The cracking of branches came first then the snarls. Klara stilled folding the map slowly. Squeezing her eyes shut, she prayed it wasn’t the Hounds. When Klara opened them, she counted six sets of bright amber eyes clearing a path in the darkness. The older wolves wore battle scars and were missing clumps of fur while the other coats were new and full as those wolves had yet to face the cruelty of the Forest.
The hulking head of the Alpha sniffed the air before looking to the wolves at their side. From their size, they weren’t wolves but Lycaons. Half-Human, half-beast and they smelt something. The Alpha’s sapphire eyes lingered in Klara’s direction. Holding her breath, she hoped that whatever they were hunting would distract them from her scent. Unless the packs had sided with Abadan and Klara was what they were after.
The tree bark bit into her back as she pressed herself against the tree, trying to put as much distance between herself from the approaching Lycaon. “Dissimulo,” Klara whispered, needing the spell to hide her. Magic poured through her veins as she disguised herself as part of the tree. The Alpha kicked up leaves as its snout reached out to find her. A strong breeze caused the Alpha to whip its snout from her and took off to the west. Hopefully, she hadn’t used enough magic to alert the Queens to her location. Klara let out a breath from her aching lungs as the rest of the pack took off. But as she glanced up from the Forest floor, one young Lycaon remained behind still fixated on her strange scent.
The beast with ashy blonde fur prowled closer with uncertainty, one massive paw lifted amongst the leaves and stepped forward. Klara raised her hands, one-touch and she could rip the beast back to its Human form. Examining the its enormous frame, Klara doubted whether she was strong enough to force the change before the Lycaon ripped her in half. She couldn’t be sure of her new heart, she had been able to change the weasel in the Forest without a heart, but Demons and Creatures are different.
A Lycaon is a half-beast, half-human whereas a Demon merely uses a disguise. The Lycaon cocked its head as if it had heard Klara doubting herself. He was so close she could see the scar that cut through its fur on his snout. She knew it wasn’t possible, but it seemed as though the Lycaon was staring straight through her spell. It was lowering his head to where she squatted. Klara was ready to defend herself when she smelt it, and they both looked west.
Smoke. Fire. A great howl of pain shook the Forest and the Lycaon took off towards the smell.
The faint smell of smoke told her it was still far away.The Lycaon reserve was burning, Klara wondered as she took a step west. The urge to know what was happening distracted her from her path. Klara turned sharply ducking under a low hanging branch and forced herself in the opposite direction.
“It’s up to the Queens now,” Klara scolded collecting her bag. The burning caves and reserve would distract the Hounds and she hated the hope she felt because of it.
Klara started through the Forest knowing more Creatures would awaken the later it grew, and soon legions of Demons would be upon her.
The map glistened in her hand as the moon beamed through the trees. She ran her revealing fingers over the parchment, and a silver string linked her current spot with her destination.
Klara recognized the landmarks, the Port, the Lycaon Caves, Vampires’ Nest and the Giant Lands. The path brought her south along the River Styx and deeper into Malum than she had ever gone.
The inscribed locations rose in silver – bringing her to the Warlocks Crest and onto Grimm’s’ path, only there did the path diverge to somewhere she did not recognize. There was no name only a small cluster of toadstools. Klara saw the mud road from where she stood in the trees knowing it would lead her to the Beanstalk and would be a faster route to the toadstool emblem. However, the path is densely populated at night, most would be on their way to the Port markets. Lilith must have intended for her to cross paths with many Creatures.Least I’ll be hidden amongst the crowd, she thought, but the fear of a trap crept into the back of her mind.
Klara ran her hand over her face and let out a sigh,not like I have a choice. After memorizing the path, she held the parchment in the palm of her hand.
“Ignis.”
The parchment lit, and she gripped the edges of the burning paper with her fingertips before it finally scattered to ashes.Who knew Eve’s lessons would come in handy twice in one night?
Settling for a jog, Klara decided to stay off the road and instead move alongside it. She passed the Beanstalk within the hour as the moon drew higher and lit the Forest trees. Klara saw the ransacked Beanstalk and stood at the bent out of shape gate. The door hung from the hinges, and the steps had been smashed into gravel. No doubt the inside had been looted, and the once-frozen bodies were decaying into a rotting pile.
Adjusting her bag, Klara wondered what would have happened had she never seen the help wanted poster in the Ethereal Press, but as she tasted the metal in her mouth, she found small relief in knowing no more Humans or Creatures would be slaughtered by the Ghouls.
???
Miles stretched on, and the terrain grew rougher. The moon faded, and the sky changed, small fragments of light drifted through the trees.
“It can’t be much further,” Klara said, lifting her face to the tiniest hint of sunlight. “This shouldn’t have taken this long.”
However, she knew how the Forest liked to play tricks, what looked like days on a map could mean minutes, and what seemed like minutes could be days. The Forest itself wanted to torture its inhabitants, or maybe it was the Warlocks’ warped sense of humour.
Lilith hadn’t told her whom to look for once she reached her mystery destination. Two Creatures passed her, and she had to slow her pace. If she moved too quickly, it would only arouse suspicion.
The morning drew in, and Klara stopped by a steady stream to take a drink. She wiped her chin and looked around for anyone who may have been following but sensed no Hounds or Lycaons.
The path was quiet now that the night was ending, and Klara dared to leave the safety of the trees.
As one foot hit the road, a Creature with large horns and a mask of painted ivory appeared. The holes for the eyes were marked with red paint.A Warlock. Klara couldn’t tell whether it was female or male. Not that it mattered, they often preferred to remain in neither distinction.
“I’m looking for a toadstool grove,” Klara asked.
The Warlock pointed off into a cluster of trees on the other side of the road, “Where the hopeless Creatures dwell,” a stern voice echoed through the mask.
“Thank you,” she said, unsure of how to react. The Warlock bowed deeply before continuing to float down the path. The bow startled her. It meant the Warlock knew who she was.I should stop them from speaking to others, but as she went to confront the Warlock, it turned and held a scaled finger to its lips.
There was nothing but trees for miles, until the mud suddenly turned to cobbles. Large stones and tree roots broke up what was once a cobbled path. Klara figured she must be headed in the right direction due to the clusters of muddy footprints. Least Klara knew there were people wherever she was going. Whether they would help or not was another question she didn’t have the answer to.
