Page 29 of Beneath Hoof and Hollow
Chapter Eleven
Fierdon
Emeline’s hand is in mine as we move briskly through the trees. A cacophony of crunches fills the forest as dead leaves are trampled by dozens of feet. She reached for me even though my hands have been replaced with root-like fingers. It warms my chest to know she still finds comfort and protection in me despite my terrifying appearance.
“Witch hunt!” someone hollers.
Torches can be seen throughout the forest. They illuminate the locations of the men as they run. Beneath the sounds of their excitement are the soft sobs and terrified murmurs of girls. I try to tune in to decipher how many. Maybe five, six girls. They’re scattered across the forest. The first fleeing female crosses our path, stopping so quickly when she sees us that she falls back, her momentum making her skid on one hip along the leaf-covered ground.
Her eyes double in size as she takes in my new form.I’veclothed myself in my familiar black garb, but there’sno hiding the glowing golden flames that burn behind the face of the jack-o’-lantern that now serves as my head.
Her mouth opens to scream. I’ve wrapped a vine around her face before the sound can break free.
“Do not fear. We’re here to help.” Emeline is quick to her side. The woman is naked. Her body badly brutalized. “Fier, drop the vine.”
“She will scream,” I protest.
“She won’t. You’ll stay quiet, won’t you, Deanna?”
The woman’s eyes dart from me to Emeline several times. Eventually she nods.
“What isthat?” Deanna gasps as I free her to speak.
“I cannot explain. Just know, he’s here to help you. All of you. What has happened?”
“They rounded us up. We’ve been locked in the church cellar for hours. They told us to run for our lives. Some girls can barely walk.” Her lip quivers as she explains. “They got Pauleen before she made it to the woods. I could hear her screaming.”
“Go.Hide,” I growl. Her bloodshot eyes shoot back to me. We need to find the others before they’re caught. Forcing someone to run for their lives after spending the evening getting tortured is hardly a fair match. These men don’t seem to care about fair. Which is fine by me, because they’ll be more than outmatched when I get my hands on them.
Emeline takes Deanna’s hands in hers. “Hide on the far side of the pumpkin patch. We will come for you when it’s over.”
Deanna nods and stumbles away, her feet dragging as she runs.
“Emeline.”
Emeline’s gaze snaps away from Deanna and back to me. Her hair shines golden beneath the glow of the rising moon.
“Go into town. Clear the remaining women out. Send them all to the forest, and with haste.”
She lifts a hand to my new orange face. Her fingers brush my cheek lightly. The simple gesture sends a tingling throughout my body. “Be careful.”
My voice is soft but firm. “Go.”
Emeline rushes from my sight and away from the sound of boots and screams.
“Caught ya!” someone yells, victorious.
“Got another one over here!”
There are too many men and too little time to save the women I promised Emeline I would rescue.
Mypower slithers beneath my new green skin like a living, growing thing, speaking to me, plotting, daring me to set it free.
Following a deeply rooted instinct, I press my palm to the forest floor. It’s impossible to tell if I’m imbuing the ground with magic or if I’m siphoning magic up from the earth. Regardless, the power blooms to life. Hundreds of green vines spring up from beneath the dirt.
“Slither about. Ensnare boot but not bare foot,” I command. The vines vanish, using the fallen leaves to hide their approach. It isn’t long before my traps have been sprung. The first male scream spreads a wolfish grin across my carved features.
A single whistle summons Horace to my side. Three more shouts reach me by the time I’ve mounted him and taken off. A man swings from a tree branch, his ankle encircled by a vine as he dangles upside down.
