Page 13 of Unraveled
Nausea builds in my stomach as the forest greets us. The pine trees are eerily beautiful, unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Themoonlight bathes everything with a touch of red, like the gods are bleeding over the treetops.
A thick white mist covers the ground, and I need to time my escape right if I’m to survive the fall.
My teeth chatter with the cold, calling his gaze back to me and sending a fresh wave of fear through my veins.
“Why are all humans so fragile?” He glowers at me. His lips—strangely human for something so otherworldly—thing slightly as we shift in the air toward the trees, catching the warmer air beneath.
Even in the freezing night, I feel the fire of my anger bloom in my chest once again. Fragile? Sure. And that probably means he considers me harmless as well.
The hum of my amulet reminds me with a small voice who I am. I close my eyes and reach for the threads of his spell. At first they zap me with an intensity I recoil from, and for once, I’m grateful he paralyzed my body so I can’t physically react to the pain.
My skin tingles as my power seeps into my veins, loosening the beast’s grip inch by inch. I hold my breath, fearing he’ll feel my limbs twitch as I regain control.
“Where are you taking me?” I ask.
The beast looks at me like answering would be a waste of the air he breathes.
We descend through the night, the branches of ancient trees brushing under us. Our proximity to the ground makes my heart hammer with hope; it’s now or never.
Summoning every ounce of my latent power, I conjure a fire spell from deep within, feeling the raw energy heat my palms as embers fly from my fingertips.
The beast’s face snaps to my hands. “What are you?—?”
I scream, knowing the sound will be unwelcome, and unleash my flames upon his chest. His brows arch as a strained noiseescapes his lips and his arms shift around me, his long talons digging into my flesh.
The smell of singed feathers is strong, and I slam my elbow into his stomach. He curls forward with a gasp and releases me.
I twist in midair, extending my arms as I call forth gusts of wind to buffer my descent. My amulet glows bright red, warm to the touch.
The world spins in a dizzying kaleidoscope of green and black, leaves and twigs snapping around me with each wild turn of my body. Pain rips through me when the branches scratch and tear my clothes, and I grunt. With a bone-jarring thud, I crash into a massive branch that knocks the air from my lungs. It’s wider than me, and its rough bark bites into my skin.
For a precious few seconds, I dangle above the ground, gasping for air and trying to quell the dryness that claws at my throat. Then, with trembling limbs, I climb down the tree’s trunk, glancing to the sky where the beast searches for me.
Chapter 6
I dropto the ground from a low-hanging branch, and my legs collapse under my weight. The forest debris cushions my fall. The sleeves of my dress are tattered and torn, and the fabric sticks to the scrapes on my elbows.
I’m free.
I swipe at something wet dripping over my face, and pain pulses from the top of my cheekbone to my jaw. I wince and lift my hand to inspect my fingers, now drenched in red.
The cut is deep enough I may need stitches, and it could get infected unless I find a healer soon. Judging by how far the beast flew, it might take me a couple of days to walk back to the city.
Adrenaline pulses through me as I scramble to my feet. Everything hurts, from my face to my bruised ribs and sore legs. A branch cracks, and I turn where I stand as mist billows from my parted lips, but there’s nothing but trees.
The forest canopy is so thick I can barely see the night sky above. Squinting in the darkness, I try to find anything that will guide me home. My father spent the last three years of his life teaching Irene and me how to navigate these woods. This—being kidnapped by a beast—was always a possibility we needed to know how to escape from.
While he had detailed maps of the area and took us out to study the stars, I’ve never set foot in the forest before. I couldn’t climb out there to get a better view of the constellations.
And Father never accounted for a beast who could speak, let alone fly through the skies.
I have my amulet’s magic, and while I’m drained from using it to escape, if I had to use it again, I could.
I stand still, trying to listen for something that might give me a clue of where I should go. The Dagen River cuts through the forest and provides water to Penumbra. I could follow it south and get back home. And if the flying beast can use my scent to find me, I should be able to lose his trail that way.
I reach for my necklace, and the stone pulses in my grasp. Its gentle humming warms my icy fingers.
Thump thump.
