Chapter 12 #2
When night falls and it’s too dark to continue, we find a hole in one of the trees to conceal ourselves in. I doubt I’ll get much sleep against the tangled roots, but at least we’re somewhat hidden from whatever monsters lurk within these woods.
“We’ll leave as soon as the sun comes up. For now, try to get some rest.”
I prop myself up against the inner wall and close my eyes. After an hour with no success, I finally give up. Between the sounds and my paranoia, sleep is impossible.
“How are the arms?” Ryder asks when I open my eyes.
“Sore, but I’ll manage.” Sore isn’t quite the right word to describe what I’m feeling, but I need him to believe I’m okay.
I watch as he stares out the tree’s opening. He’s alert, but also looks lost in thought. He must feel my eyes burning into him because he turns his head to look at me.
“Something you want to say?”
“No.” I quickly look down at my thigh and fidget with the sheath keeping my dagger in place.
“Mmhmm.” He doesn’t sound convinced, but he turns back around anyway.
“What were those things?” I finally ask in an effort to fill the silence.
“Lybrates.”
“They looked like chimeras.”
“You could say they’re chimeras’ evil twin. Lybrates were created from demon blood years ago. Most were hunted and killed, but there are some that remain in these woods.”
“Well, now there are four fewer thanks to you.” I mean it as a compliment, but his stiff demeanor makes me think he’s still beating himself up over not killing the one that attacked me fast enough.
“I sent one of my men back to the Shadow Lands and told him to make sure your friends know you’re safe.”
“Thank you!” The words practically come out as a squeal, and I can’t stop the giant smile that spreads across my face.
“I didn’t really have much of a choice. That best friend of yours is a real menace when it comes to you.” Ryder turns his body slightly so that he doesn’t have to rotate his head as much to look at me. “Once she knew we had a plan to rescue you, she hasn’t stopped interrogating my men for updates.”
I laugh imagining Amaya wreaking havoc on my behalf. “Yeah, that sounds like her.”
As the night passes, Ryder asks me about my childhood and what it was like growing up in The House of Waif.
I try to get him to talk about his past, but he mostly brushes me off with vague responses.
It must be hours before I finally feel the exhaustion begin to beckon me.
Somehow, the sounds of the woods start to quiet, and my eyes flutter shut, welcoming the much-needed rest.
It feels like I had just dozed off when I wake to an echo of high-pitched shrieks.
“What is that?” I quickly sit up.
Despite my accelerated heart rate, there’s a wave of ease that washes over me seeing Ryder crouched against the tree’s interior. I half expected him not to be here when I woke up.
“Slyvirs,” he answers, looking up at me. “They magnify their cries to make it sound like there are a hundred of them. In reality, there are probably only four or five perched somewhere above.”
“They’re birds?”
“Birds only your nightmares could dream up.”
“Yeah, I can’t wait to get out of this place and never come back.”
He huffs out a half-hearted laugh as he breaks a twig into smaller pieces, tossing them on the ground. This time, the sound we hear has Ryder jumping to his feet.
“Stay here.” He turns around and adds, “I’m not leaving you. I’m just going to go check things out, and I’ll be right back.”
He waits for me to acknowledge his promise before stepping beyond the threshold.
Minutes feel like hours as I wait for him to return.
I know he’d want me to stay here, but what if he’s in trouble?
I fight the urge to go after him for as long as I can.
Eventually, when he doesn’t show, I convince myself something bad happened.
I’m not even a full three steps outside of the tree when I’m thrown against the side of its twisted trunk.
The creature towering over me looks like it’s made up of roots and branches.
They wrap around one another, forming a lean body with three long sections extending from the arms like fingers.
I hold my breath as its face leans down to meet mine.
Where the eyes should be, there are only dark pits.
Unlike the beast from before, there is no mouth full of sharp teeth ready to rip my head off.
In fact, there isn’t much of a face at all.
Slowly, the creature lifts my chin with one of its extended roots.
There’s a deep humming sound coming from its throat, almost as if it’s trying to figure me out.
A noise draws the rooted-being’s attention to the right, and when it turns its head, I see stiff branches sticking out like hair blowing in the wind.
After a few seconds, it turns back to me and drops the finger-like root from my chin. I’m about to reach for the dagger strapped to my thigh, but stop when the creature takes a step back, putting space between us.
Half a breath later, I spot Ryder launching his shadows at the creature, and my fiery shield bursts from my hands in retaliation.
His shadows push against my shield for a moment before they retreat.
The shocked look on Ryder’s face might match the creature’s if it had one.
I can’t explain it, but there’s a silent understanding between the tall, dark figure and me.
I finally release the hold on my shield and Ryder immediately appears by my side.
Before he can make a move, I step in-between the two of them, stopping Ryder with my hand.
“It wasn’t going to hurt me.” I look behind me, and the creature takes a cautious step back. "I know it sounds crazy and I can’t explain it, but it won’t harm us.”
Ryder only takes his eyes off the figure long enough to look me in the eye.
“Go,” he orders and the twisted body retreats into the fog. “What happened to staying put?”
“I thought you might be in trouble and need my help.” The laugh he lets out ignites my rage. “Is it so hard to believe that I would be able to help?” I fold my arms, trying to stop my fire from breaking through the surface.
“No. You’ve been trained well, and your power is one many should fear.”
“So why did you laugh then?” I demand as he towers over me like the Grim Reaper himself.
“You thought I needed saving.” He drops his smile, and his eyes go dark as they peer down through his long black lashes.
“There is no monster within these woods more deadly than the one standing in front of you.” He leans in closer so that his lips brush against my ear, sending a shiver down my spine. “Never forget that.”