CHAPTER 7
A bright yellow light flickered beside me, and I blinked, disoriented as my eyes adjusted from total darkness to the sudden glare.
The streetlamp flared to life, set off by my movement. I let out a shaky sigh, my pulse pounding in my ears.
I couldn’t see the castle anymore. The dense canopy of trees blocked out nearly the entire sky. Every flash of light cast new shadows, and my gut twisted with the feeling that they were moving, watching.
The Grim crossed my mind. And here I was, armed with a pathetic can of pepper spray and a flower. At least I had the hunting daggers in the satchel, but the thought of using them was a joke.
I hoped Gwinifer was right, and the flower would hide my scent.
Every rustle of the leaves sent a fresh wave of tension coursing through me until a sudden thud broke the silence, and I halted.
The forest was dark, and I could barely see more than a few steps ahead; the shadows seemed too thick, oppressive.
I waited for the lights to flicker off, then crept to the nearest tree, pressing my back against the rough bark, my eyes scanning the darkness around me.
Only trees. Nothing else. But if something was there, I needed to see it coming. My hand slipped into the satchel, fingers wrapping around the hilt of the dagger, heart pounding louder than the wind.
I hesitantly peeked from behind the tree.
Nothing.
I exhaled. After a few tense minutes, I pressed forward, walking deeper into the forest and away from the streetlamps.
The newly fallen snow on the ground weighed heavily on my cloak, dragging as I trudged through the white powder. I could still make out the path to my right. Ten minutes must have passed by now, nearly halfway there. My nails bit into my frozen palms. I could make it.
The wind howled, hopefully masking the sound of my footsteps. Its eerie song was almost soothing, and I pictured the station doors ahead, imagining the relief of seeing them. If I could just reach it—
A streetlamp blinked to my right. I cursed under my breath, frozen, not wanting to draw attention, thinking I’d been far enough away. But the light didn’t turn off. I squinted—it wasn’t a streetlamp. It looked more like . . . a lantern.
Is anyone else out here?
I swore low, pressing myself tighter against the tree. The light swayed, far enough away that I couldn’t make out the figure behind it. But it was moving.
The swirling gust felt different, slower. It sounded like a calm whisper now, a melody, not the hurried scurry of mere moments ago. The lantern’s light seemed to sway in time with it.
Was I really hearing that soothing hum? It relaxed my tense shoulders, softened my breathing, sending warmth through my chest.
Have I heard it before?
I closed my eyes for a moment, a tear slipping down my cheek. Gods, it felt good, that warmth. Maybe it was a sign I’d make it.
I emerged from behind the tree and continued along the pathway. The glowing circle of light followed, still drifting in sync with that soothing hum. The melody echoed in my head now, and I found myself humming along silently. I felt lighter, as if the darkness around me had lost its grip.
The light swirled, and I smiled. It felt closer, warmer. I could feel its vibrations in the ground, which had grown a little louder. Maybe I could get closer, see what it was. If it were small enough, I could bring it back and show Joy. She’d love this music too.
I stepped off the stone path, crossing over to where the light hovered. It had grown fainter but remained still, as if waiting for me. It whispered something. A second sound beneath the hum.
“I can’t hear you,” I murmured, straining to listen. “What?”
The light whispered again, words too soft to understand. I kept moving, needing to get closer. By the time I reached the glowing orb, the pathway behind me had vanished into the dark.
The brightness dimmed, the hum fading into the song of the wind. An unexpected pang of loss struck me, my eyes adjusting as they scanned the gloom.
Then I saw it. Something reached out, a pale limb extending toward me.
My breath caught. A person.
Hesitantly, I extended my hand. My skin was slightly tanner than the pale arm, which felt slick and thin to the touch. A sharp, metallic stench hit me, overwhelming and putrid. I wrinkled my nose at the foul smell.
As my eyes fully adjusted, I made out a woman—pale, with thin arms, gently holding my hand. She smiled, and I forced a smile in return, though the stench grew stronger with each inhale.
“What is that smell?” I said, my voice uneasy.
The figure tilted her head, her face still obscured in the shadows. Maybe she didn’t understand me. And I . . . I’d forgotten what I needed to do.
Her long blonde hair fell in greasy strands past her shoulders, her gaunt frame draped in a thin white nightgown. She must have been freezing. Her skin felt colder than mine, her hands gripping my arm, tightening painfully around my skin.
I attempted to pull away, but her grip remained unyielding as she bent her head over my wrist. Hunched low, she tilted her face just enough for the moonlight to catch it, and in that fleeting moment, the soothing calmness I’d felt vanished.
Her eyes were completely black, and her thin lips spread into a sinister smile. The figure made a sickly noise, as if her throat were dry, the sharp gleam of two yellow fangs jutting from the corners of her mouth.
Fear surged through me as if it had been lurking beneath the surface.
I tried to yank my arm free, but the thing tightened its cold, strong grip.
With a swift motion, she pulled up the sleeve of my coat, exposing my bare arm to the freezing air, and inhaled deeply, letting out a low, horrible moan before her head snapped back to mine.
There was no more humming, no other sounds but the one that came next.
“Sweet, sweet blood. We will feed on you tonight.”
As if summoned by the fanged monster, more pale limbs emerged from behind the trees. My eyes, now adjusted to the dim light, could make out their forms. Ten, maybe fifteen of them advanced toward me.
They resembled people, some appearing as men, others like the woman holding me. They wore only a single layer of clothing, as though they couldn’t feel the cold. Yet their hollowed faces, gaunt limbs, and pitch-black eyes were terrifying and inhuman.
With a growl, the one holding me sank her fangs into my forearm, tearing through my skin. Searing fire burnt through every nerve. I thrashed against her, trying to pull myself free, but her mouth fastened onto the wound.
My desperation clawed at me as that creature drank, the stench of decay and rot clogging my nostrils. I lifted my leg, kicking her in the stomach. It felt disturbingly hollow, but the force was enough to make her jerk back.
Her bloodied mouth twisted into a snarl, and before I could react, she yanked me to the ground.
My back and head slammed against the frozen earth, knocking the air out of my lungs.
I struggled to breathe as pain shot from behind.
She climbed over me, fingers tangling in my hair, pulling my head to the side as she lowered her mouth to my neck.
A scream tore from me as another agonising bite sank in, and she began to drink.
Behind her, another bloodsucker seized my leg. I kicked frantically, trying to reach the dagger in my satchel.
My hand found the hilt, and I angled the blade, driving it with all my might into the bloodsucker’s neck. She let out a piercing, inhuman shriek and collapsed beside me, releasing her grip on my throat.
I turned and began crawling away, my head spinning. Somehow, I pushed myself to my feet and bolted, narrowly escaping the grasp of another one.
Shrill screeches and clicking sounds followed me.
The castle was too far and the station even farther. White flashes of snow streaked past, blurring my vision. Behind me, I heard the unmistakable crash of something tearing through the branches. My legs moved as fast as they could, leaping over roots and fallen trunks looming under the misty air.
Something caught my foot, sending me crashing down. I slammed face-first into branches and the hard ground, pain shooting up my cheek, temples, and knees. Nausea churned in my stomach, and I let out a cry of pure panic.
Cold, slick fingers held me down. The weight pressed my stomach against the ground, harder than before, digging deep into my back. The foul smell reached me again.
“You’ve angered me, sweet blood.” Her voice was a guttural snarl. “I shall make you burn.”
Summoning every ounce of strength I had, I thrashed wildly, my arms and legs flailing. My fist connected with her side, drawing a grunt, but this time, her grip held firm.
With my face down in the dirt, I could barely tell where the ground ended and the shadows began. I didn’t even notice her lowering her head until the sharp, searing bite into my neck set my nerves ablaze once more. My scream ripped through the air.
I clawed at the ground, my nails breaking against the frozen rocks, black spots bleeding into my vision. Despite the fear, the desperation, I could feel my movements turning sluggish.
The group of bloodsuckers advanced, rasping and clicking sounds echoing closer. The nearest one dragged himself along, weak and stumbling, just as she had been when I first saw her. But now she was steady, as if she was growing stronger.
The other creature, who looked male, dropped to its knees beside my legs. I kicked, but his hand clamped down on my ankle. Agonising pain exploded up my leg, like the fire in my neck.
More of them coming.
I can’t black out. I can’t.
My neck burnt, and pain throbbed relentlessly through my body. Their fangs sank deep with such brutal force that every part of me screamed.
I’m losing. Losing strength. I was going to die.
The Northern Forest was getting darker, and the pain swallowed everything.
I barely registered the crack of lightning, its flash brightening my face, the snow-covered dirt, the trees. Thunder echoed through the forest seconds later, roaring my name. The crushing weight on me lessened, and I sucked in a sharp breath, spinning onto my back as I was able to move again.
Lifting my head was difficult, heavy. Still, I caught sight of one of the fanged creatures writhing on the ground, shrieks cutting through the air.
Another bolted toward the trees, but a streak of brilliant light trailed after it, striking it down.
My eyes strained against the glare to make out the figure—a blur of white and brown, framed by a cascade of crackling electricity.
Reagan.
He was the source of the light, holding two of the creatures in his grip. His grunt split the chaos as he hurled another bolt of energy, bright and jagged like lightning, toward the advancing creatures. The air shook with a deafening clap of thunder from the storm brewing above.
One of the bloodsuckers on the ground, the one that had been feeding from me, jerked upright. It sprang to its feet, moving with inhuman speed, its form now solid, no longer hollow. It launched itself at him, the collision sending them both flying.
I flinched as Reagan hit the ground, his head snapping back hard. The creature drove its foot into his side, kicking him with bone-crushing force.
My vision was a blur, but I rubbed my eyes, my pulse racing again. The sound of a trunk groaning drew my focus to where the creature lunged, seizing his arms and pinning them against the tree. I couldn’t see him anymore until more crackling lightning surged far from the monster.
I glanced at the pathway a few metres away.
I could run. I could try to make it to the station.
My eyes darted to the bloodsuckers approaching the mage. They were distracted, too focused to notice me.
I forced myself to stand, my legs faltering as the world spun. Blinking hard, I shoved away the darkness creeping into my vision.
He came to bring me back.
She seized his legs, pinning them with enough force to make him grimace. Reagan pushed against her, his hands gripping her shoulder as she drew her mouth closer, her fangs closing in on his skin. The male bloodsucker, still tasting my blood on his lips, approached from behind.
They were too strong. Reagan wasn’t breaking free. She was about to bite him. The feeling of those fangs surged in my mind with disgust as I felt the throbbing in my neck, my arm, my ankle.
This is my fault. He’s here because of me.
My hands rifled through the satchel as I stepped forward and broke into a run.
I wasn’t far from them. In a few strides, I was close, gripping the blade in one hand and grabbing the can of pepper spray with the other.
The first creature to notice me was a weaker one. It lunged, but I sent a stream splashing into its eyes. It shrieked, stumbling back.
Reagan struggled, straining as he kept the strong female down with his legs while trying to push away the male who reached for his neck, too close to his throat.
I didn’t hesitate before spraying at her black eyes, dousing them directly and driving the knife into the side of the male’s neck.
They snarled, her eyes snapping shut, his grip faltering, blinded just long enough for Reagan to act.
He rolled away, thrusting himself upright as he grabbed my shoulder.
In an instant, we were several metres away.
The group of monsters turned toward us, surging closer. Reagan grunted, shoving me behind him as he stretched his hands forward. He murmured something, and a blinding flash of white light erupted from his hands, flooding the forest in front of us.
The brilliance was overwhelming. I could barely see anything but him, his raised hands trembling as if the power was taking a toll on his strength, his body swaying under the strain.
High-pitched shrieks filled the air. Adrenaline and fear kept me upright as I watched him, the glow burning brighter.
Then, the noise fell silent.
Reagan lowered his arms. His knees buckled, and he nearly collapsed face-first into the snow, propping his hands on the ground in time.
The piercing silence was broken only by the howl of the wind and the relentless hammering in my ears. My chest heaved as I took in the scene before us. Piles of ash littered the white, trampled snow—about fifteen of them—each one smouldering with faint wisps of smoke.
Something warm and wet trickled into my eyes, blurring my vision. Pain tore through my torso.
The ground rose to meet me as I crumpled, hitting the frozen earth.