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“That way.” Daphne pointed in the direction of the setting sun. “There’s a very large oak in a clearing. They’ve tied Baptiste to it, and everyone has gathered around.”
“How far is Circe from them?” Marissa asked.
“Not far.” Daphne tried to filter the messages from the forest, the many rustling leaves, rubbing branches, and creaking limbs making it hard to separate. “We need to be careful, though. The fir trees are saying to watch for the rotted things.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Nelly’s brow creased.
Daphne’s shoulders rolled. “It’s not quite clear. Their way of seeing things isn’t the same as us.”
“Whatever the threat, the plan stays the same. I’ll scout ahead. Clive will flank to the left. Marissa, you bring up the back. If you see anything move, drop it with a sleep spell. If you can’t, holler for me and I’ll take it down with a non-lethal shot.” Nelly reiterated their simple plot.
With that, they spread out, Nelly disappearing into the forest dappled with the last of the sunlight. Clive moved off to the side as Daphne kept walking straight, not needing the rub of leaves to know what direction to find Baptiste. She felt a tug, as if a vine stretched between them. She followed it, her steps silent, her resolve firm. She didn’t know when she’d pulled her daggers, but they rested comfortably in her grip.
As she trod through the forest, the trees got quiet. No insects buzzed. A stench of rot filled the air.
The attack came suddenly, humps of leaves suddenly bursting into the air as bodies exploded from them.
“Zombies!” Nelly yelled.
Not quite. It took a second to grasp what attacked. Forest animals, but a grotesque version. The squirrel leaping for her was the size of a large dog, its eyes rolling in opposite directions, its flesh oozing with sores.
Daphne crossed her arms and slashed in an X that took the head off the flying rodent. It hit the ground, ichor leaking from the stump, the smell enough to make her eyes water.
To her left, Clive confronted something that once might have been a fox, but this one had an extra leg and a tail coming from its side. It drooled from its deformed jaw as it snapped. It froze when Clive flung magic at it.
“Kill it,” Daphne advised. “We don’t want it at our backs.”
For a second, she thought he’d argue, but he held his finger out pointing at its head. The impact of the magic missile caved in its skull.
Marissa approached, huffing, “What the fuck? Zombie forest animals? I didn’t realize Circe was a necromancer.”
“She isn’t,” Daphne stated. “These animals were tainted by what she was doing outside Palusville. It would seem the fire didn’t destroy everything.”
“How many more can we expect?” Nelly asked as she neared, wiping her blades on a rag. Smart not using a gun as it would have been loud and announced their presence.
Daphne put a hand to a tree for answers. She bit her lip. “They can’t give an exact number, but there are more.”
“How did she get them into Nexus and past the Monster King?” Was Nelly’s next question.
Clive replied, “I imagine she cloaked their arrival.”
“Or the King ignored them, thinking them some of his subjects.” Nelly’s alternative answer. “Either way, we need to tread cautiously.”
“But quickly. Baptiste is in trouble.” Daphne could feel his emotions, the anger. The frustration of being caught.
It led to her suddenly running, fleet of foot and graceful as she leapt and bounded through the forest, following the invisible tether. Her companions tried to follow but couldn’t keep up.
The forest darkened as twilight took hold. The full moon rose, but the gleam didn’t penetrate this section of the woods. A howl erupted. Then another.
Close.
Almost there.
Seeing lights up ahead, she didn’t slow down but rather burst into a clearing lit with torches spaced around the open area. They illuminated the chaotic scene. Wolves, all shapes and colors, fought with each other, snarling and snapping, their eyes wild with madness.
A woman watched. Circe, healed of her injury, stood tall over a prone body on the ground, lying in a pool of blood.
But the thing that drew Daphne’s eye? The massive tree taking the place of pride. Bound to it in silver was her beast, who looked straight at her as if he’d known she was coming.
