Page 60 of Venomous Lust
He was right, of course.
“We can’t stay here.” Hazel shook her head stubbornly. “We got this far, we can make it out. There has to be an exit.”
Khal suddenly snapped his head to the side, his entire body becoming very still and tense. Something long and slender was moving under the dark, almost black dirt. As it moved, the rotten smell of the forest became stronger and stronger, overpowering.
It was the stench of death.
Rotting flesh, acid and some metallic undertone mixed into a smell that threatened to make Hazel bend over and retch. She could barely control herself as a white root poked out of the ground a dozen feet away from the edge of the rock island.
“Don’t talk,” Khal whispered against her, pulling her close. “And whatever you do, don’t move.”
She nodded silently as the root lifted higher, turning blindly in the windless air. Its surface was pure white, glistening under a fine cover of mucus, more like a tentacle than a root. Hazel shivered, remembering the burning pain of the root’s touch. It lifted even higher in the air, following a logic of its own making, inclining its pointy head here and there.
Like it was searching, or maybe smelling something.
With a gasp of horror, Hazel’s eyes went to the rock, where a thin rivulet of blood had already spread, almost touching the dirt. She pointed to it with a trembling finger and Khal’s eyes followed her gesture, growing wider, more alarmed.
It was too late. The blood dripped down onto the dirt. As soon as it did, the root darted for it, but stopped when it found nothing else. Then more movement agitated the dirt and roots lifted up into the air, glistening white and wet, dripping with mucus, until the outcrop of rocks was completely surrounded.
Khal’s hold around Hazel became tighter, the feeling of his heart beating faster against his ribs as Hazel pressed herself into him.
Soon, a hundred roots were standing up from the dirt like blind snakes, rocking back and forth. Waiting for their prey to make its first mistake. The chirping came back, rising from the forest all around, at first low, then louder, more shrill.
We’re going to die.
Hazel shut her eyes, her hands digging into Khal’s leather vest.
Then the chirping turned into a screech and an acrid, burning smell invaded her nostrils. Hazel opened her eyes to see five tall figures wrapped in bright green hooded cloaks the exact color of the trunks, covering them from head to toe, their faces hidden. They walked through the roots, the tips of their boots showing as they did so, their shoes as green as their hoods. The figure in the center was a bit taller than the others, walking just a pace in front.
The leader.
The screech inflated as the hooded figures approached, making their way to the rock outcrop until they stood just at the base. As they got nearer, the details of their clothing became more apparent. The fabric they’d wrapped themselves in wasn’t just green, it was shimmering and supple, molding to their bodies in a seamless, fluid motion. From this distance, Hazel could see fine veins running over the skin, vibrant and lifelike. Like it wasn’t fabric at all, but a second skin, hiding their true skin in a perfect costume.
Camouflage. Those cloaks were camouflage in which to walk amongst the trees of the Medina Forest.
The forest around them was alive with a sound Hazel could only describe as pure outrage. As she stared with a morbid fascination, she saw that the sound came from the stalks themselves, their trunks vibrating like the strings of a musical instrument.
It would be a wonder, truly amazing, if it wasn’t for the fact that those trees wanted to eat them alive.
“You must come now.” A voice came from under the green hood of the figure in the middle. As the figure spoke, a root shot out from the ground, its white tip pointed in the direction of the sound. It stayed there for a few long seconds, waiting, before retreating with a furious hiss. “The Medina will not heed our commands for long. Even now, she plans her revenge on us for depriving her of her sustenance. If you do not follow us, she will take your bodies into her belly and eat your souls along with them.”
The words were strange, but the creature, whoever he was, was offering them a helping hand. Hazel moved but Khal stopped her, his hand like iron on her wrist.
“How do we know you will not harm us?”
His voice was full of suspicion and it made Hazel turn a frown back to the hooded creature. There was something familiar about it, but she couldn’t put her finger on what it was.
“Our offer will not last. The Medina is our mother, but she is also our doom. She will not be patient.”
“We should go with them,” Hazel said, getting to her feet with a sharp intake of air. Pain shot through her wounds and tiny black dots scattered across her vision. She was still bleeding thanks to the ionic detonation’s cruel design, and would until her flesh was properly stitched.
Another figure stepped closer.
“That female cannot come with us.” The figure spoke low, no sympathy in his tone. “She’s bleeding. The Medina will not let her leave.”
“The female comes,” the leader said, shaking his head under his hood. “Blood is owed, Ramek.”
The leader pushed his hood down to reveal scaly brown skin and two bright yellow eyes sparkling bright and clear within a reptilian, noseless and lipless face. A flash of recognition made Hazel’s heart lurch. She recognized those eyes, that voice.
