CHAPTER 7
IN A WHISPER-SCREAM, Lenore cried out, “What?!”
The kirin’s gait was nearly at a canter now.
Its hooves leapt over thick roots as it wove through thickets with ease.
Lenore held onto its neck for dear life, her heart leaping with each jump.
She could hear Brynn ahead, giving out quick barks to lead the way.
In response, Edmund tugged at the reins with each bark she gave, propelling the kirin forward on Brynn’s chosen path.
“Are we being chased?!” Lenore asked in a hushed voice. She turned her head back to look at Edmund, her eyes wide with fright. He didn’t need to answer. Behind them, she could hear the thrashing of plants and the harsh crack of roots snapping.
“By an Amphroga, yes,” Edmund answered. “Definitely a female.”
“What is that? I don’t know what sort of creature that is!” Lenore tried to think but nothing came to mind. “Is it that much more dangerous than a werewolf? I mean it must smell you—us, and yet it’s still willing to—to chase?”
“In normal circumstances, no. But you most likely crushed her eggs in the pond. Consider it a mother’s wrath,” Edmund said. He glanced down at Lenore. “Stay still and don’t panic. If she doesn’t give up, I’ll kill her before she even tries anything.”
“O-okay,” Lenore stuttered. She took a deep breath as loud, blood-curdling screeches tore through the air behind them. “You’re certain you’re stronger than that?”
“Yes.” The confidence in Edmund’s firm answer brought some reassurance to Lenore, but the fear persisted in her short breaths and tightened jaw.
In the distance ahead, Brynn let out a bark, directing the group on where to go.
The kirin swerved sharply, and in Lenore’s panicked state, she nearly fell off.
Edmund’s arm kept her from falling. He clenched the reins tightly in one arm as he used his other to help pull Lenore back up.
One hand gripped her waist tightly, making sure she was properly upright.
“Either hold tight to the kirin’s neck or lean back on me!
” Edmund reprimanded her sharply. His hand let go of her, and his arms formed a protective circle around her as his hand joined the other on the reins.
“Keep your eyes ahead. You’re only going to send yourself into more of a panicked frenzy. ”
“T-thank you…” Lenore uttered breathlessly. She tried so hard to listen to Edmund’s command, but the beast’s continuing shrieks and the thundering stomps behind them had her imagining it at nightmarish levels in her mind.
She looked back anyway, unable to resist that horrible temptation of seeing what was chasing them. Her hand flew to her dropped jaw.
A muscular beast with smooth, slippery skin was following closely behind.
Its skin was mottled swamp-brown, its underbelly black.
Long black horns that curved back adorned its head, as well as thick whiskers on each side of its face.
The beast’s claws were sharp and elongated, easily crushing tree roots underneath its grip.
The amphroga’s shark-like tail whipped back and forth, jostling tree trunks with every hit.
Each time the amphroga screamed, it revealed its sharp rows of teeth and splayed out a bright blue tongue. Lenore swung her head back forward, the visceral image stuck in her head.
“I crushed that thing’s eggs?!” Lenore whispered incredulously. “That pond was hardly big enough to host anything huge in there!”
“How do you think they grow? Bunch of little eggs, which means a bunch of siblings to eat your way to the top,” Edmund said. Though his eyes remained on the view ahead, he frowned and added, “I told you not to look.”
“How could I NOT?” Lenore shrieked. “It’s even scarier getting chased by something I can’t even see!” Her vision spun. Her breathing grew faster. “It—it’s going to kill us!”
Edmund glanced down at her. His eyebrows knitted together. The scent of her panic was intense. “Lenore, calm down.”
The kirin let out a warning cry. The amphroga had caught up.
“Tch—damn thing didn’t let up,” Edmund grunted under his breath. In a louder voice, he tried again to speak to Lenore. “Lenore, I’m going to give you the reins. Just keep steady. I’ll handle this.”
His words were a vague fog in Lenore’s ears. It took everything in her to wrestle with her deteriorating mental state. She could feel her nails grow, teeth elongating into sharpened canines. The last cries of her conscience screamed at herself to stay calm, but the words fell short.
Vivid red was the last thing she remembered.
It wasn’t the forest she woke to, but an endless void of black. A frigid air seeped through her clothing, the cold seizing her in its inescapable clutches. A visible puff of air drifted from her mouth, and when she looked down, ripples spread from the bottom of her boots.
“Where… am I?” Lenore looked around slowly. Her own voice slithered around her ears, disappearing into faint echoes. She clasped her hands tightly to her chest.
Just ahead, she saw more ripples forming. As she took a step back, a wolf’s head broke through the surface, nearly as black as the world around them. Gradually, the wolf’s body rose until he was completely free.
Sickly yellow eyes stared at her, locked onto her like a predator.
She knew those eyes. He was the one who turned her. Lenore couldn’t scream. Somehow, she could barely do anything at all.
The wolf took a step toward her. His voice descended on her, resonating deep in her ribs. “You can’t control yourself.”
She blinked. He was right next to her, circling her, each step unhurried.
“You’re a monster, just like me,” he murmured.
Lenore clutched her right arm tightly, jerking her hand away when his tail brushed against her skin.
“But I promise you... I won’t leave you alone.”
“No… no,” Lenore whispered frantically.
“Don’t be afraid. I made you.”
The black liquid began to creep up her legs, entwining her in thorns as it began to pull her down. A wordless scream escaped her, her hand reaching out to find no rescue.
It was all futile.
The hoot of an owl stirred Lenore awake.
Grogginess dulled her senses, giving her a moment of respite before the aches kicked in.
Everything was painful. Her muscles groaned, from her neck to the very tip of her feet.
Her head was aching horribly, pulsing every few seconds with a fresh jolt of pain.
She whimpered as she shifted about. The vivid nightmare flashed through her mind. A shiver of cold ran up her right arm.
This was far worse than her previous blackouts.
But there was a warmth behind her she found comfort in, something that grounded her back into reality.
It was then she realized her head was against something hard and her cheek felt the rough texture of fabric.
Her eyes looked up, catching sight of Edmund glancing down at her.
As soon as their eyes met, he looked away.
“You’re awake,” Edmund commented quietly.
Lenore blinked. Her head was practically cradled in between his arm and chest.
As much as she wanted to move away as fast as possible, she couldn’t.
The pain inhibited even the smallest of movements.
She instead focused her attention on assessing the surrounding situation.
Night had fallen. In the sky above, there was a glittering cascade of stars across the dark canvas.
Lenore’s eyes turned downward. Instead of straddling the saddle, Edmund had pulled her close.
Both her legs hung over one side of the kirin.
As her vision grew more focused, she let out a sharp gasp.
There was splattered blood all over her. Her clothes were dyed red, some parts crusted over with thick layers of dried blood. The faint metallic smell lingered on her, enough to make her wrinkle her nose in response.
Lenore’s voice was hoarse when she spoke, as if she had screamed for hours. “There’s so much blood…”
Her gaze had caught sight of the front of Edmund’s coat next.
The dark fabric was torn, with jagged rips marring it here and there.
His olive skin bore scratches, some deeper than others.
Though it looked like the wounds had been mostly cleaned off, the deeper claw marks showed hints of dried blood.
“Is this blood yours?” Lenore whispered. Her hand reached toward him, shakily so. “Did I...?” She couldn’t finish her sentence as the guilt and shame festered in her quickly.
Edmund took hold of her wrist in a gentle way that felt unexpected of him.
He lowered her hand and let go. “Hardly,” he answered.
“Nor yours either. We made sure to look over you—” He cleared his throat.
“Not that I checked, or I mean, well, I did, but—anyway, that’s mostly all the amphroga’s blood on you. It splattered everywhere.”
“Oh, stars,” Lenore murmured in utter disbelief. “I killed that thing?”
“No. You were…” Edmund paused to ponder back on the events from his perspective. “Like a frightened cat. Terrified, but throwing your claws everywhere. And that made it messy.”
Lenore grimaced. “So what happened then?” She tried her best to dig through her memories, trying to recollect anything at all that had occurred.
The best she could muster was the brief flashes of red, of blood that was spilled, and the snarling sounds she was uncertain if they came from her, or the creature itself.
“The sudden ambush you sprung on the amphroga threw it off its guard. You got some good slashes in before it came to its senses.” Edmund’s jaw tensed. “Then it thrashed you with its tail. I ended its life after that.”
“I see..." Lenore sighed softly. No wonder she was in all sorts of pain. She looked up at Edmund. The inner edges of her brows arched upward. She frowned in worry. “Well, what about you? What did I do to you?”
Edmund looked down at her. “You didn’t knock out after the amphroga attacked you. After it was killed, you still acted like it was out to get you.”