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We kept moving, despite the ever-tightening circuits by the unseen wolf. I had no idea how much distance we’d covered, because I’d lost all sensation of time and place from the moment we’d entered this fog. But the faintest caress of magic now whispered through the air, and it was coming from directly ahead.
“Oh, that doesn’t feel very good,” Saska commented.
“He’s begun the sacrifice ceremony, which means we’re officially out of time.”
“That may well be, but we have to get out of this fog before we can be of any use to your brother, and this fucking tree line seems way deeper than it should be.”
Which no doubt had something to do with the magic that pressed all around us.
We moved on. The swirls of movement increased, gaining an intensity that suggested growing frustration. Another howl ripped through the air, the sound hoarse and desperate.
Then, from the right, the wolf attacked.
I felt its approach a heartbeat before it hit, and swung around, sweeping the blade across the fog. The wolf must have realized at the last moment it was silver and twisted away violently, but the blade nevertheless scoured the mangy length of his pelt. He didn’t bleed blood; he bled decay, and lord, it was foul. This wolf had been in the ground even longer than the one that had been sent in as a distraction during Juli’s kidnapping.
More movement, then the muzzle of a wolf that was more skull than flesh appeared out of the gloom, lunging for my face. His teeth were as rotten as his scent, and his mouth impossibly wide. Once again, I retreated. His jaws snapped closed where my face had been moments before, and he shook his head in frustration, spraying drool and rotten bits of skin across my body.
Bile rose, but I gulped it back down and slashed the knife across the wolf’s decaying snout. He jerked away, but once again wasn’t quite fast enough. The knife’s sharp edge sliced through remnants of flesh, muscle, and bone, but it was the godly glow that caused the greater damage. It leapt from the metal to the creature’s decaying flesh and spun down his length, quickly forming a glowing cage. The wolf howled and writhed, obviously desperate to escape, but the glowing net only got tighter. Then the stench of burning flesh stained the air. There was no smoke or fire, but that light nevertheless consumed him in his entirety. Within heartbeats, there was nothing left, not even tiny bits of ash or bone.
Another howl rent the air, quickly followed by several gunshots. It was only then I realized Saska’s hand was no longer on my shoulder.
I spun and scanned the fog. The shots had come from my left, but the movement seemed to be coming from the right.
“Saska?” I shouted. “Where are you?”
“Here” came her reply.
“Here” came another, from behind me.
“Here” came the third to my right.
I had no idea which of them was real—and no time to find out.
The clock was counting down. I couldn’t keep wading through this fog looking for Saska—not if I wanted to save my brother—and that was undoubtedly the wraith’s intention. He was forcing me to make a choice, to choose one life over another. It was just another means of ramping up the anger and the guilt.
Maybe his demons were demanding a soul filled to the brim with all the dark, juicy emotions as their final feeding prize.
“Sorry, Saska,” I said. “I have to keep moving.”
Several more shots, then a quick “Go” echoed all around me.
The bastard had planned his trap very well indeed.
I spun and ran toward that gathering wall of magic, hoping all the while that it wasn’t another trick. The fog eddied around me, suggesting I was still being tracked even if I wasn’t yet being attacked.
I kept the knife in front of me, using its glow to spot and dodge the heavily shrouded trees and shrubs before I ran into them. Just as I began to think the fog was never going to end, the vague outline of what seemed to be picnic tables became visible in the near distance. There remained no sign of the sorcerer, but his magic now crawled across my skin, tiny gnats of power that made me want to stop and scratch. He was close, even if I couldn’t see him.
Then, just as the fog started lifting and the hope that I was finally nearing its end surged, something moved to my left.
I swung round and raised the knife. Saw, in its godly glow, a decaying wolf launch at me.
That wolf had Aiden’s face.
My eyes widened in horror, and for too many seconds I didn’t move. Couldn’t move, as the dead thing soared toward me, its mouth open and eyes hungry. Deep down, I knew it wasn’t Aiden. Knew it was nothing more than an illusion, because it was impossible for any wolf to maintain any part of their human form once they’d shifted. And yet, I stood there, frozen, staring at the face of the man hurtling toward me with seemingly deadly intent.
Lizzie came Belle’s internal scream. Move! Now!
It was enough to break the freeze. I threw myself sideways, but it was far too late to totally avoid damage. The wolf’s teeth scoured my right arm, tearing clothes and skin instead of throat or face.
