But that one movement causes its demise. Purple shimmery blood drips to the ground. The Wilka’s struggles cease.
It’s dead.
The Raffia throws the corpse to the ground.
“That’s our cue,” I say.
I move.
In one swift motion, I reach the clearing, shoving both the broken egg and the Wilka’s body into the proto-realm. The space warps around them, swallowing them whole before the Raffia can fully register what’s happening.
Then I grab Moe and pull her into my arms.
“We need to run.”
We don’t look back.
The forest blurs as we push forward, the enraged shrieks of the Raffia tearing through the air behind us. The ground shakes with each step it takes in pursuit.
It’s faster than it should be, especially after exerting so much strength. But perhaps we underestimated it.
I hold Moe tighter. The quakes that follow us grow in strength, a sign the Raffia is not far behind.
Branches whip against us, other beasts join the chase upon seeing intruders. The situation becomes worse by the moment, but I keep moving.
As the trees become sparse, I note we’re close to the base of the mountain. Perhaps we’ll be lucky and?—
“There!” Moe points ahead.
A cave.
An explosion erupts behind us, followed by a succession of screams.
One second. Two. I dive inside the small opening just as something big smashes against the hard rock. We fall onto the hard ground, breathing hard but otherwise still in one piece.
The Raffia’s shadow sneaks through the opening. It’s there, right outside, but it doesn’t fit in.
It rages continuously, but oddly enough, the mountain doesn’t move. Even though its monstrous force can cause earthquakes, the mountain is completely still in front of its attacks.
Then other sounds join in. More beasts approach. The Raffia finds itself under attack, and as it fights off its other adversaries, it seemingly gives up on us.
Silence falls abruptly, broken only by our ragged breathing.
35
The darkness of the cave envelops us.
Neither of us moves.
Seconds pass. Then minutes. Perhaps an eternity.
The sounds outside continue. Battles upon battles that any moment threaten to spill over into the cave.
Eventually, the sounds fade.
But even then, I don’t move—I don’t dare.
I just stand there with one hand braced against the rock, trying to get my lungs to work properly again.
