“Caden, is that--that you? Oh, God, it is!” Landry’s voice broke. “Guys, it’s Caden!”
She stepped out fully from behind the tree, but other hands reached to try and draw her back. They clamped on her shoulders and she was practically lifted off her feet.
“No! No! It’s got to be a trap!” Ross cried.
“It can’t be him, Landry!” Harvey added.
“He’s the damned White Dragon Shifter, what would he be doing here?” Jasper Hawes’ voice came from deeper into the woods. Unlike the Humans First leader’s normal warm, confident tones, he sounded deeply depressed as if he had finally lost all hope.
“No, it is! I know it is! Besides, what do we have to lose even if it isn’t?” Landry cried.
She shrugged off her brothers’ restraining hands and raced up the rise towards Caden. She had on clothes one would expect for being in the mountains. Jeans, fur-lined boots, a white parka, and mittens. She stopped a few feet from him, a little breathless. Her cheeks were red from the effort as well. She pushed her too-long bangs out of her eyes.
“Caden?” she repeated his name again with both more and less certainty than before.
“I’m not falling for this, Behemoth,” Caden growled, eyes narrowing.
Landry blinked at him. “W-what? What are you--”
“You did this once before and I fell for it!” Caden advanced upon her. “What have you done to Iolaire? Where are we? What--”
“Caden, I didn’t do anything! We’re trapped here and--wait! Let me explain!” Landry cowered before him, raising her arms to block blows she thought were coming.
Caden froze. Something was different about this Landry. Something… there was none of that terrible smell. And her voice held real emotion, not falsified ones.
Why would the Behemoth take on Landry’s form in the Spirit Realm? Why not be itself? Caden wondered. But then he firmed his resolve again. I need to just act! Stop overthinking this! Don’t let it get the upper hand again!
He grabbed her shoulders. “Tell me what you’ve done or I swear I’ll turn you into an ice statue through and through!”
He wasn’t sure if he could do that. He felt very disengaged from the powers that normally filled him. The power was like a vortex inside of him usually, but he did not feel it. Or more like, he felt separated from it.
“Caden, please!” Landry begged, not fighting him at all, but trying to protect herself.
“Hey, stop! That’s our sister! Leave her alone, Caden!” Ross and Harvey yelled as the two of them hustled up the rise.
“Stay back!” Caden yelled. “I know what you are too!”
“He’s crazy!” Ross said.
“Get away from Landry!” Harvey demanded.
But they had slowed down and looked… afraid of him. Yes, afraid. The Behemoth had only been able to pretend to be afraid. It hadn’t been this convincing.
“It’s okay!” Landry said to her brothers. “Don’t fight, guys. That’s what it wants. Just… just let’s all calm down.”
Ross and Harvey exchanged looks between themselves and their sister. They crossed their arms over their thick chests and glared at Caden, but they kept their distance. And their glares looked fragile. Like they could shatter at any moment.
They’re scared and exhausted, Caden realized. The Behemoth doesn’t experience tiredness or fear. Not like this. It couldn’t pretend what it doesn’t know...
There was more movement out of the corner of his eye. He glanced down towards the treeline. Jasper Hawes stood there, glowering up at him. There were other people too. People Caden vaguely recognized as those that had come out of the wall in the Below.
“The great White Dragon King is going to beat up a girl. How noble!” Jasper sneered. “How goddamned heroic!”
But whatever Jasper might think of him, the others down there looked up with mild hope as if he might… save them.
“You’re trapped here,” Caden realized.
“We woke up here and we can’t figure out… well, can’t figure out how to get home, Caden,” Landry told him.
