Page 15 of The Zagorath
“Sorry Mrs. H, but despite all the fucked-up shit that has happened, I have to support my girl when she’sfinallyputting herself first.”
“Jessica!” Her mother screamed, her hands slamming violently against the door. “Olivia! One of you let me out of here!” There was a curse from the closet as they hurried away and then, “Stephen, get them over here now!”
“Bye, daddy, I love you!” she shouted as Jessie grabbed her hand, and they bolted for the door.
“Olivia!” her mother wailed, and Liv’s heart clenched guiltily.
“Bye, mom. I love you, too,” she shouted.
They didn’t go far before Liv hit the brakes, recalling that she couldn’t leave just yet. “Wait! I need my cello and to grab a few things!”
Her friend spun around to stare at her in surprise. “Are you serious?” Seeing her expression, she threw back her head and groaned. “Of course you are. Fuck, okay. But let’s hurry before frick and frack arrive to do your mother’s bidding. Your music stuff hasn’t been packed yet, so that should be easy for you to find. I will grab you some clothes—any preferences?”
“The long flowy skirts and my blouses,” Liv replied immediately. She was going to be comfortable. “Also grab more of my tees and shorts. Just stuff everything into the duffle that’s in the closet—if it’s still in the closet,” she amended.
“It is,” Jessie assured her. “I’m on it. Now go.”
Working quickly, they packed up the essentials that Liv refused to leave behind and ran out of the apartment, her mother’s screams following after them. Adrenaline rushed through Liv, leaving her breathless with excitement as they ran out the complex door and dodged traffic to arrive at the park on the other side of the street.
“Where are we going?” Jessie panted.
“I just need to get to the trees. Any trees,” she replied, grinning wildly.
“This is insane. I can’t believe I’m helping you do this,” her friend huffed with laughter. “No one is going to believe this. Hell, I can’t believe it and I’m your best friend. My strait-laced BFF is running off to live in a magical forest with a creature that chops people up to feed the forest.”
“I’m just lucky I suppose,” Liv replied with a laugh as she came to a stop in front of a tree.
Unlooping the chain from around her neck, she held the key in front of her as her friend watched wide-eyed. She grinned over as Jessie and, recalling Dahtao’s instruction, touched the tip of the key to the wood and watched in awe as it slid in. Power sparked and rose from the connection point, and she quickly withdrew the key, her own eyes growing wide as the energy gathered and spun in front of her, slowly becoming visible as silver mist whirled. Looping the chain back over her head, she turned to Jessie once more as her friend handed her the duffle bag.
“Want to come and take a peek?”
Jessie shook her head and laughed. “I think one experience of being in the woods with your monster is enough to last me a lifetime, but don’t be a stranger, okay?” she said, throwing her arms around her. “I’m so glad to have you back—and the real, weird you.”
“I still think you have questionable tastes in coven-mates,” she teased around a sob and Jessie groaned.
“You may be right. No one has wanted to meet up since we returned to the city. I think at least a few of them decided that witchcraft wasn’t for them if there is a possibility of running into something dangerous or crazy. But here is my best friend pussy whipping the crazy like a badass. Considering how you were when we were kids, I shouldn’t be surprised.”
“Gods, I’m going to miss you, Jessie,” Liv sighed.
“Then make sure you visit. And who knows maybe I will find my own woodland hunk,” Jessie replied. “I’ve come to realize that, at this point, there must be better than some asshole who will abandon me to be eaten alive by monsters. I’m not going to settle for less.”
“Good,” Liv replied as she took a step back toward the portal and smiled. “And you better not because I will find a way to check in on you and will be holding you to that. You deserve better than that.”
With a final wave, she stepped through the portal. Reality distorted and spun around her before depositing her into a dark forest in the middle of the night. Liv clutched her belongings to her nervously as she looked around. It seemed that time really did flow weird because she didn’t think it would be possible for it to already be so late at night.
A creaking sound above alerted her to the fact that she was not alone, and her eyes lifted to meet the glowing gaze of one of the giant bat-creatures that had killed so many people. Strangely it didn’t attack but instead began to purr and another dropped from the tree and quickly winged away. She didn’t dare watch the other one leave; her attention trained on the monster in front of her. It purred louder and its mouth opened revealing numerous sharp teeth as it mewed.
That was the only way she could describe the sound. It wasn’t like a cat, but it had the same kind of drawn-out note. It crawled down the side of the tree toward her, the hook-like fingers on its wings clinging to the side of the tree. She froze, terrified but also in complete fascination as it inched toward her.
“She likes you,” Dahtao’s voice rumbled behind her and Liv whirled around with yelp of surprise.
He stood there behind her, the large bat creature that had disappeared dropping into the tree above his head. Had itfetched him? It seemed that there was a lot for her to learn about her new home. First one arrived and then another, and another until masses of them filled the trees around them. He tipped his head to look at the creatures assembling around them.
“Do not be afraid of them. They are my companions. They are good hunters and docile toward me and all under my protection.”
“Oh,” she whispered, feeling marginally better about being surrounded by the creatures that had literally torn people to pieces in front of her.
“You came back,” he said after a long moment of silence, as if unable to believe it. Liv nodded her head, taking the hand that he automatically held out for her.
