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“They’ll be proud of me.” I beamed, rearranging my bag to rest against my back, careful to keep my ears hidden. “Can you imagine the look on Faelyn’s face when he sees what I got? He’ll be stunned!”
“Do you see yourself doing this again?”
Feet and arms aching, I said, “Absolutely!”
I rambled all the way out of the marketplace, vibrating with so much energy despite having spent what felt like ages looking for the items I needed.
Faelyn and Ayen had both been upset when I demanded I be the one to go on this trip. My mother had been unsettled too, but I’d been convincing, arguing that this would be the perfect opportunity to show them that I could be relied on. True, I was only 192 Blue Moons—not even on my second hundred Blue Moons—but they could trust that I wouldn’t do what Amnestria had done.
I wasn’t that brave. A rustle at night often startled me, so how could I face creatures who even the Werewolves avoided?
As the portals came within sight, my spine began to stiffen. Slowly at first, merely straightening my back, until my rigid bones and tense muscles began to ache. My ears twitched, and that made me stiffen even further.
“Kenia.”
Is something behind me?I asked Keia, attempting to remain as nonchalant as possible.
“Yes.” Her tone was tense. “Spider.”
I halted, my eyes widening. I heard nothing behind me nor sensed anything, and that was more frightening than knowing a predator was following me.
Wh-what breed?I asked, resuming my walk even though my legs were shaking now.
“Velli. He’s watching us.”
Velli. Second most dangerous breed. Clever troublemakers.Flashes of gruelling lessons flew in my head.
I gulped, the sound too loud for my liking. That, along with my pounding heartbeat, had to have been audible to the monster stalking behind me.
“You can’t go through our portal,” Keia warned, outwardly quiet but mentally chaotic. “If he’s following us, he’ll bring devastation to the village.”
I grimaced, studying each arched portal in front of me. The first was made of glittering opal stones, the entrance an image of a whirling white fog.Vampires.
The second portal was framed by stones of all the shades of nature. Blue, brown, green, yellow, clear. I briefly marvelled at it because I’d never seen whatourportal looked like.
The third portal was framed by solid moonstones, the entrance showing a large moon.Werewolves.
The last was decorated in brecciated jasper stones. However, the entrance of the portal had white fog forming shapes of what looked to be nets.Webs. Definitely the Spiders.
I panicked the closer I got to the portals, not knowing which one to pass. The Werewolves would kill me for trespassing. The Vampires would feast on my blood, and the Spiders would feast on all of me! Could I simply sprint to my world and hope he wouldn’t follow?
I didn’t know. I couldn’t be sure. I didn’t have time.
“He’s getting closer, Kenia!” Keia screeched loudly. “Hurry!”
But which do I choose?!I screeched back, picking up speed.
I was closest to his portal, and it struck me too late that he was herding me in that direction—purposely leading me there so he could hunt me in familiar lands. But I didn’t want to go through that one. But I couldn’t risk going through my portal.
“Kenia!”
Clutching the straps on my shoulders, I sprinted, closing my eyes as soon as the white, blinding light of the portal surrounded me. Warmth filled my body, and the instant I was in his world, I opened them, rushing towards my portal while the Spider was still transporting.
But he was already out of the portal and behind me.
Swallowing down the frightened screech bubbling in my throat, I shot forward like an arrow flying loose, evading hanging branches and snakes that dipped low to see the intruder. I nearly screamed at the sight but stamped that down, knowing that my silent fear was enough to stir the Spider chasing me. His rumbling steps echoed in my head like the beating of an execution drum; I nearly whimpered, focusing on the thumps of the bag against my back as if urging me faster, faster, faster!
Keia had no problem keeping up with my pace, even when I decided to jump into the trees when I thought the Spider would have captured me. He let out a terrifying sound that resembled a snarl, and that had me launching from branch to branch.
