AllFreeNovel
Share Us
1
Julie
Ikneel at the puddle and tap the ice to break it. Every other puddle we’ve passed has been boiling or rank with fresh corpses. Or both. The stink was enough to make me gag. My thirst has been clawing at my throat for the best part of the day, or what I am calling day, since there is no sun or moon or stars.
The ice doesn’t break.
I tap it harder.
Michael kneels next to me and punches the surface. His fist goes through the ice and it shatters into sharp shards. “There you go.”
I nod my thanks, not wanting the reminder that all I can do is bark instead of speak. His clawed fingers brush by cheek as he stands. I glance up at him, but his gaze is already on the horizon, scanning for trouble.
Talon and Tail have spread out to give us warning of any potential trouble—even though being alone here is a danger on its own. Talon and Tail seem to the think that Michael is in more danger than them because he is carrying me. I am a danger to them all because I am mostly-unchanged fresh meat.
I dip my hand into the water and grit my teeth against the cold that chews at my skin, then I duck my head to take a sip. The water smells crisp and tastes sweet. It is fine for drinking, and better than anything else we’ve passed.
The icy water freezes my throat and shrinks my stomach, but I don’t stop until I’ve quenched my thirst. My fingers are numb when I am done, so I dry them on the purple silky robe and rub them together. The hole Michael made is already icing up.
“Done?” he asks.
I nod, and he frowns.
There is no way for us to communicate beyond a nod or a shake of my head, as Michael has forgotten how to read. Talon can read, but we will not see him until we stop for the night. I glance up at the bruised purple sky. There is plenty of time left to travel before darkness closes in.
I bite back on the groan that wants to form. While I’m not doing the running, my body aches from clinging on to Michael’s back and being bounced around.
“I want to hear your voice,” he says.
It wasn’t that long ago that he was tired of me talking and asking questions about a life he could only remember snippets of. He believed I was the reason for him being here, because back in high school he’d gone to a party where he knew I’d be hoping to ask me out.
But I wasn’t the reason. He would’ve been taken regardless.
Now, he looks nothing like the boy I once fancied. Back then, he had dark curls that were long enough to fall over his eyes. He’d been tall and lean and always moving with somewhere to be. I know now that it was because he had work most days, and if he wasn’t working, he had to look after his father and siblings.
Michael has changed in the short time I’ve been here. He lost an eye fighting for me. Horns of all sizes grow out of his skull, leaving no room for hair, and his body has bulked out. His shoulders and chest are massive—and are even bigger after the last fight—and his legs are furred and end in hooves, not feet.
He offers me a claw tipped hand and I take it, flinching at the sight of my own claws.
I have already failed at remaining human.
I wriggle my nine remaining toes, knowing I can’t afford to mess up again or Tail will eat another one. I’d like to hear my voice again. I know the changes caused by Under can be reversed. That Michael now has two very human fingers is proof of that.
And I think it’s something to do with Under making our thoughts real.
But it’s not as easy as willing the changes away.
If it was, my claws would be gone, and my voice would be back. I have spent all my time on Michael’s back trying to think them away. No, it’s not thinking it’s something else that unlocks the reversal.
“Ready?”
I sigh. No, I’m not. I need a moment to stretch. I keep hold of his hand and with my other hand, I mime walking.
“We need to reach the ridge before night so we can rest.”
I let out a yip of frustration. I know I’m not as fast as Michael, but I need to walk. At least for a little bit. So that is what I mime next, bringing my thumb and finger together until they almost touch.
“Okay.” But he’s not happy about it.
