Page 80 of The Wolf and the Chimera
Smelled absolutely nothing more than I had before.
When I opened my eyes, Circe frowned.
“You heightened the wrong sense,” she said. “Your eyes are glowing.”
For a moment, I scanned the horizon. I spotted dust motes dancing on the air and the veins on distant, vividly green leaves. I blinked, and the sharper vision dissipated.
“Aren’t lions supposed to have worse eyesight in the sun than humans?” I asked. “Their night vision is what’s superior.”
Circe nodded, and her voice was hard. “Helios is the one who blessed chimera’s with sharper daytime vision, which is why I wanted you to hone your sense of smell, to better connect with the roots of your animal forms.”
She tapped a manicured finger against her lip. “I suppose, however, we could tap into sight, if that comes easier for you.”
Circe snapped, and the world plunged into darkness. The moon shone through thick clouds, and I could barely make out the details of Circe’s white and golden chiton.
“See,” the witch commanded.
I searched the darkness for the distant tree but found nothing. Again, I strained to use that invisible muscle and called for my inner beast, but nothing happened. A flicker of amusement rolled through me that was not my own.
“I can’t,” I said, “I can’t get it to listen!”
Circe sighed. “It?”
“My inner…beast,” I said, “my chimera. I think it’s purposefully keeping its powers out of reach.”
“Hmm,” Circe mused. “Maybe the creature needs stronger motivation.”
Suddenly, the witch disappeared. I squinted in the darkness.
“Circe?” I said.
Something pounded against the earth, so powerfully, itshook beneath my feet. I searched for the oncoming adversary but found nothing in the darkness. A trumpet blared, then another echoed it.
Not a trumpet,I realized.An elephant call.
Desperate for its strength and senses, I reached for my chimera. My alarm brought my magic to the surface, and I latched onto the heat coursing through my veins.
Suddenly, I was overwhelmed by a thick, musky scent that blew from my left. The heightening of my sense lasted only a second, but I didn’t waste time trying to summon it once more.
I ran.
Pumping my arms at my sides, I raced through the thick grass. The elephants’ feet thundered behind me louder and louder.
Not fast enough,I thought,I’m not fast enough.
My heart beat wildly in my chest, and my lungs burned from the force of my inhales, but still, my chimera didn’t stir. As I ran, I reached for it again and again.
Why?I asked it.Why are you going to let us die here?
The creature didn’t answer, but I sensed her retreat deeper into the recesses of my mind. I crested a hill and barely side-stepped its steep face. My ankle twisted in the process, but the pain was overwhelmed by an all-too-familiar sense of helplessness and dread.
Despite the show of dominance in our test, my chimera clearly didn’t care whether I lived or died now. Maybe she didn’t believe Circe would actually let harm befall us, but I didn’t share her faith.
Or maybe saving our life wasn’t good enough motivation for her.
If you ever want to see Ryder again,I thought,now would be a good time to help me get us the hell out of here.
An elephant trumpeted again, so loudly my ears ached from the sound, and my chimera surged into action.
