Total pages in book: 169
Estimated words: 156210 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 781(@200wpm)___ 625(@250wpm)___ 521(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 156210 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 781(@200wpm)___ 625(@250wpm)___ 521(@300wpm)
I swallow at the gust of cold wind and the thick scent of forest undergrowth.
The tollhouse is on the other side of the carriage. I can just about see its chimney, flanked by a moon that is a sliver away from being full. I stumble, shocked by how giant its glowing face is. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it this large, this close to earth, or this bright. Even though it’s the middle of the night, it bathes the forest in cool moonlight.
Looks like I have an ally after all, because otherwise I would have only my phone to guide—
I rush between the trees, already planning to alert as many people as possible to my situation. If I call the cops, will they be able to track me based on the GPS in my phone?
My heart sinks when I spot the exclamation mark signaling no connection. Not a single bar available. I send a message about the abduction and how it’s not a joke, to several people, unsure who will get it first, or when it might reach the recipients.
For now, my fate is in my own hands.
The deeper I go into the trees, the damper the ground. I move low, to avoid being spotted, but my boots sink into moss so wet dirty water pools where I step. To make matters worse, there isn’t a hint of a path as I try to find my way through thorn-riddled bushes.
I bite back a yelp when a particularly sharp one manages to rip not just my pants but the skin on my legs as well. What kind of razor thorn fuckery is this?
I push on in frustration. I will not be stopped by some bushes.
I can barely see the carriage from here, so I’ve made good progress, but I have to admit to myself that I don’t know what to do once I’m out of Kyranis’s clutches. I can probably survive a night out here—
The howl of a wolf leaves me stiff as a rock. It’s so easy to forget how mortal you are when you live in a town, have enough food to survive, and a roof over your head. The threat of bodily harm hasn’t happened all that often to me since I left school, but as I push deeper into the thorny bushes, I have to face the reality.
I’m frightened. I want to cry. I’m getting cold. I don’t know where I am.
I hurt my legs in several places when trying to free myself from the bloodthirsty branches, but all it’s done is get me more tangled. Wherever this strange place is, it doesn’t seem… natural.
Just as I think that, a buzz of wings makes me yelp. I’m unable to hold it in this time and hope my abductor doesn’t hear me.
I turn around to find the source of the noise, because it’s always better to know what you’re up against, but I’m not ready to face the beastie once its four beady eyes meet mine.
Its furry body is about the size of a kitten’s, but not nearly as cute, since it’s a giant-ass moth. The tree branch it’s sitting on bends under its weight. Every now and then, it has to flap its wings so it doesn't fall off. This creature would be the stuff of nightmares in Australia, let alone in Maine.
The moth blinks as I get used to its presence all too close to my shoulder. That’s even weirder, because moths don’t have eyelids. Colors shimmer in its dark fur and wings as if it's been dipped in an oil spill. For just a moment, I forget the perilous predicament I’m in, and the rips in my pants, entranced by the creepy beauty of this… thing.
“What are you?” I whisper.
And then it flies at my face.
The hooks it has instead of feet are aimed my way, long red tongue rolls out, and I can’t deny reality anymore. That thing’s got a mouth, and needles for teeth.
I scream out and fall back to avoid it sinking its talons into my cheeks. It makes a nasty screech when I manage to slap it away, but thorns dig into my back before I can get away. I shift around, but no matter which way I turn, the branches of the bushes I’ve just passed through seem to tighten their grip on me as if they’re snakes, not plants.
My heart stops for a split second, and I freeze altogether, to make sure I’m not imagining things, but no. The thorn covered vines are shifting. They trail over my skin, leaving deep scratches and pulling me deeper into their tangle.
“Help!” I cry out, because pride be damned at this point, and my abductor is the lesser evil. “Kyranis, please! I’m here!”
Chapter 4
Luke
“Luke!” Kyranis yells from afar.
I call him again, humiliated by the need for his help. I’m supposed to be running away from him, not begging him to save me. But faced with the reality of thorns biting into me ever harder, I choose the deal with the devil. Just like all those years ago when the dark river pulled me along its current, tangled with other dying bodies.