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The howl of a wolf deep in the woods slithered along my skin.
Cicadas sang their goodnight song behind it.
But no matter how hard I tried, my voice disappeared.
The witch turned and flew through my backyard, dragging me with invisible strings toward the woods.
The darkness covered what I knew to be the forest Daddy and I hunted in growing up. The brush burned my legs, small branches tearing at my forearms and face.
The harder I tried to scream, the more my throat burned in pain.
Our trip through the woods ended swiftly, but she didn’t let me down. I floated as she opened what looked like a portal. It was black and endless. It twirled like something out of a child's storybook.
How would anyone find me?
Was she taking me to Hell?
She looked over her shoulder, green eyes illuminated and glistening in the moonlight. “Someone knows where to find you, Josephine. Let’s hope they care enough to tell the truth.”
She disappeared into the vortex.
For a brief moment, I thought she was letting me go.
Until my body lurched forward, and I went head-first into a portal of darkness.
Chapter Nine
Kellan
My need to find Josephine pushed me forward, despite the icky feeling of dread that loomed over me the closer I grew to the Dark Woods. I'd grown accustomed to the feeling of darkness over the years. I learned to push past the evil and get the job done.
I wish there wasn't a revenge plot floating in my head. They rarely ended well, but this time, I'd die trying.
The strong whiff of food engulfed me after what felt like a two-hour walk from the hotel. The sound of chatter caught my ear from down the road. There must be a farmer’s market close by, and I was in need of food.
My stomach wouldn’t let me miss out on breakfast. I couldn’t remember the last time I had a meal, not including a decent one.
The long rocky road began to smooth as a small village came into view. The buildings looked better off than the small community I’d run through previously.
It certainly smelled better.
The hustle and bustle gave me hope that I wouldn’t gain food poisoning as I had over the years in different realms. The one thing I always missed about home was the cooking. I was meant to live south of the Mason-Dixon line that was for sure.
Some of the men gave me dirty looks as I walked through their small town. Others couldn’t care less as long as I didn’t bother them.
It was the third vendor on the right that drew me in. There was an array of donuts, pastries, and kolaches. The small, dark-haired woman behind the table looked up at me with big brown eyes. She had crow's feet on each side of those dark orbs, but they smiled nonetheless.
She gestured toward the food in front of me and spoke in a different language. I dug a few gold coins from the depths of my jeans and placed them on the table.
I pointed toward the donuts and two cheesy pastries.
She began to wrap them up while I glanced around at some of the other vendors down the line. None had anything to drink, which I currently needed at the moment.
Turning back to the woman I asked, “Do you have any water?”
She looked up in confusion as she handed me my food. “Water?” I asked again, motioning a movement of drinking water.
She blinked at me. Obviously, the concept of sign language hadn't made it to this realm yet.
