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The same magic that drew me here forces me to stare at her. Her eyes widened with terror, and I watched as her breath hitched in her throat. Then, in a second, she turned and fled.
And I cannot help but follow her.
SIX
TESSA
This cannot be happening to me.Those words cycle and recycle through my mind with every step that I take.
The demon, because that is what he is, saw me as the villagers dispersed.
He could not possibly know that it was me that … summoned him, could he?
Streaks of haphazard fear spark through my body. My skin tingles and my heart is racing almost painfully fast.
I’m not sure why he’s following me. Maybe the magic has painted a large target on my back.
Maybe he can smell the magic on me.
I don’t know. All I know is that I have to get away from him as quickly as I can.
The settlement is large and designed to house as many families as possible. And while it’s large, it’s not very safe.
Sometimes, when I’m thinking too hard, my stomach turns to see how we live.
I have known no other life, but I cannot give up hope that there could have been a different future for me.
A future where I do not have to avoid foul-smelling water when I step out of bed in the morning.
There are many nooks and crannies in Camp Shadows. It’s more an encampment than a settlement.
And I’m quite sure none of the humans living here chose to settle here.
Settlement is quite the wrong word.
The demon is the size of a giant and towers over me. His enormous shape casts shadows everywhere.
Sometimes, the shadows that he casts help me to hide, but he must have caught sight of me just then.
The giant demon stopped walking, and I froze in the doorway of the farmhouse that we call home.
Whatever magic that called him here must have dissolved as soon as the orcs disappeared.
I had been hoping that the magic would have made him leave afterward. But no, he remained.
What could he possibly want here?
What could he possibly want with me?
I can’t stop myself from shuddering uncontrollably as I sink to the floor of my bedroom. For a second, all I can do is shake violently.
All I can do is stare at my pale knees and hope that I won’t die a painful death.
The book!
The thought jolts through me, as urgent as a burning fire.
I scrambled to my knees and crawled to the makeshift bed. I had dug up some floorboards once I realized the importance of the book. I keep it hidden there.
