Chapter 12 #4
Before I could make the leap to the next stone, black tendrils slithered from under the stone and wrapped around my ankle. Excruciating heat seared my skin. Pulling out my knife, I started slashing through it, dissolving it into mist. I wasn’t sure if it was Diehle’s doing or the creature’s.
The water churned violently, and the stone shifted beneath my feet, threatening to throw me into the pond with the creature.
It seemed too impatient to wait for my fall.
Slipping its webbed hand out of the water, it clamped around my ankle.
Grabbing the Taser out of my pocket, I fired it into the water.
The electrical current ripped through the water in a spiderweb of blue-white arcs, dancing across the surface like liquid lightning.
The creature shrieked, releasing its hold on me.
The pond’s entire surface illuminated from below and I could see the creature’s full body as it sank. It was male from the waist up, with shimmering blue-black scales with razor-sharp edges that would surely slice open skin if it made contact. Angry waves moved toward me as the creature retreated.
“Shit!” I gasped as the stone beneath me suddenly rotated, forcing me to drop to my knees and grip its edges to prevent falling into the water.
“You hurt my mer-creature.” Diehle’s cold voice reverberated throughout the area like surround sound, sending a shudder through me as he moved closer to the bank.
Okay, not a siren. “Your creature started it. I just finished it,” I panted. My eyes followed Diehle’s as they scanned the water. I was equally curious to know if the creature was still alive, but I couldn’t waste Diehle’s distraction.
Armed with the knowledge that his ill-willed magic was keeping some of these stones afloat, I took advantage of his lack of attention on me.
There were two stones left to cross. The last looked as large and sturdy as the first, with rough edges that could be used as purchase.
Sweat beaded on my forehead as I strained against the current caused by the rippling water.
I took that as evidence that the mer-creature was still alive.
Its erratic movements migrated a stone toward me.
As if it sensed I was close to success, its beguiling face broke through the surface as he created more aggressive ripples. His lips spread to reveal jagged teeth.
Diehle’s low chuckle was as pure as high-resolution audio, a surround sound of taunting laughter. His pleasure irked me and reinforced my determination. Feeling the weight of Cirrian’s gaze on me, I hazarded a look at him but couldn’t determine if his intense expression was concern or judgment.
Stabilizing myself and with a grunt of effort, I managed to get to the less steady rock.
With a tenuous grasp on the steadier one that made me send up prayers to the fates, I used it to propel myself toward the bank near the Balic fig tree.
I heaved myself off the stone and face planted onto the bank.
The rough edge of the stone had left shallow scratches on my palms.
Adrenaline was still pulsing through me as I righted myself and caught my breath. Cirrian and Diehle were silent as they watched me intently.
A strange rustling noise drew my attention toward the gazebo.
Through the heavy mist, the shadowy figure I’d glimpsed earlier moved, revealing itself slowly.
Its movements were jerky, unnatural. Out of my periphery, I saw that Diehle was no longer on the other side of the pond but just a few feet from me, looking past me with focused determination.
I couldn’t decipher which was more disturbing, Diehle being so close, or the mist struggling to achieve a corporeal form.
Approaching with jerky and uncoordinated movements, the mist figure looked as if it wasn’t trying to achieve solid form of its own volition.
Demons could control vampires. It wasn’t inconceivable that he could control this wraith.
I couldn’t risk a look at Diehle to confirm my theory.
Instinctively, I drew my knife, gripping it tightly.
The figure paused. I threw a glance at Diehle and the expression on his face. The shadow coalesced briefly into something almost human. Eyes, stark white and empty, stared at me from its poorly formed face.
While debating whether I should fight the wraith or dash for the tree, the wraith made the decision for me.
Its movements smoothing out, it charged toward me.
I feinted to the left, then moved quickly to the right, slashing at its midsection.
As it reeled back, I drove the stun gun into the wound and unleashed its full charge.
The creature shrieked, its form destabilizing as shadows unraveled like frayed thread.
It reformed and loped toward me but had lost the ability to coordinate movement, its gait now stiff and mechanical.
When it made another lunge for me, I dodged it and propelled into a forward flip that landed me closer to Diehle.
Quickly grabbing my stun gun, I pressed it into Diehle’s side.
He growled, a ferocious sound that shocked him into inaction.
Just as I suspected, the wraith was gone.
I sprinted to the tree and quickly plucked two figs.
Securing them to my chest, I rested against the trunk, exhaling a slow breath.
Adrenaline still flooded me. My body ached, my head throbbed, and I allowed the dam that had kept my emotions at bay to fall.
They rushed in like water, making me feel everything.
But the most glorious of the feelings was my success.
I reveled in ticking one task off my list.
Cirrian’s watchful gaze moved from the empty space where the wraith had stood, to me. His expression subtly softened, approval blending with something deeper, more inscrutable.
“Clever girl.” Diehle’s strained voice floated toward me.
The stones assembled into a straight line between the sturdy ones.
From the curl of Diehle’s snarl, I concluded it wasn’t his doing.
I smiled at Cirrian’s encouraging nod toward the stones.
Even if I’d missed that he was responsible for creating the straight stone walkway, his mark pulsing to life was another signal.
I smiled again, giving him an appreciative nod.
Pushing away from the tree, each step toward the stones felt stilted. My quads were letting me know they didn’t appreciate the workout.
“I’ll deliver the grimoire to you tomorrow,” I said.