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"Shit!" Eve said.
The figure shambled forward, taking shape in the dim light. I made out a vaguely humanoid form, then everything went dark. I bit back a yelp, and started casting a light spell. Eve grasped my forearm and leaned down to my ear.
"It's me, Paige. I did it."
Did what? Before I could ask, I remembered that Eve was also a half-demon, having been sired by an Aspicio. An Aspicio's power is sight, and its progeny can inflict temporary blindness.
"What?" I hissed. "Don't--I can't see!"
"That's the idea."
Mud squelched as the thing moved through the swamp, coming closer with each step. I blinked hard, but saw only darkness.
"Eve!" I whispered. "Stop this. I'm not a little girl anymore. I've seen things, lots of things. Demons, corpses, reanimated corpses--multiple reanimated corpses. Whatever's out there, I can handle--"
I stopped mid-sentence, mouth open, frozen, not in fear, but in a binding spell. Eve's hair tickled my ear as she leaned down over me.
"Maybe you can handle it, Paige, but you don't need to."
I glared at her--or in the direction I assumed she was.
"Don't worry," she whispered. "I've dealt with these things before. Most times if you just stand still, they'll go away."
Stand still? Did I have a choice? I couldn't see. I couldn't move. I couldn't speak. I could hear, though. I was frozen there, blinded, listening to the squelching of some unk
nown horror as it shambled toward me. Then another sense kicked in. Smell. A sickly sweet smell, worse than the stink of the rotting vegetation. My gut clenched.
As the thing drew close, I caught a faint, papery sound, like dry leaves rustling in the breeze. The noise took on a rhythm, then a clear sound, a steady, raspy "ung-ung-ung." The hairs on my arms shot up and I struggled against the binding spell. The smell grew stronger, until it was so overwhelming, I felt the gag reflex in my throat. But, caught in the binding spell, I couldn't gag. My mouth filled with bile. I fought harder against the spell, but it didn't crack.
"Ung-ung-ung."
The sound was so close now I knew the creature was right in front of us, just off to my left, where Eve stood. The noise stopped, replaced by a dry snuffling.
"It's okay, Paige," she whispered. "Just let it sniff you, and it'll--" A chomping sound. Then a gasp. "You fucking--!"
She cast a spell, something I didn't recognize. A high-pitched shriek rent the air, then a bellow, and fast footfalls through the mud.
"You'd better run," Eve said. "Goddamned--"
"Ung-ung-ung!" The cry, loud now, came from somewhere to our left, immediately followed by another to our right.
"Holy shit," Eve whispered.
She snapped the binding spell and I stumbled forward, my sight returning just in time for me to see the ground rushing up. Eve grabbed my arm and yanked me upright. I made out three, maybe four humanoid shapes rushing at us before Eve whipped me around and we started to run.
We raced, slipping and sliding and scrambling, through the swamp. Apparently unaccustomed to moving fast, the creatures were having just as much trouble. We retraced our steps through the path we'd cut coming in, which made it easier.
As we rounded a corner, Eve skidded across a muddy patch. I caught her before she fell.
"I hate running away," she muttered as we plowed forward again. "Hate it, hate it, hate it."
"Should we stop and fight?"
"As soon as we get enough of a head start to cast. They're falling behind, aren't they?"
"Seems like it."
"Good. Fucking bastards. I can't believe they attacked me."
