Page 18 of Howling Eve

Whatever this place was, it seemed to be thriving from what she could tell in the dim light. Not even the farms near the children’s home seemed this abundant. How had they managed this?

Finally, she came to a stop in front of the gate itself and slowly turned in place, her eyes skimming over the flat clearing that faced the entrance at the opposite side of the road. Her skin prickled as she stared at it, the brilliant trail of lights flickering there in tiny bursts as if something had opened over there, creating a temporary tear that was in the process of healing over once more.

Nowthatwas familiar. She’d caught glimpses of that before, but it was usually more of an impression or so faint that she barely saw it. This was distinct, and she felt a tremor of excitement wash through her. Did this mean she was getting closer?

“Hey, you—girlie. What the fuck are you doing out there?” a male voice barked, startling MaryAnne so much that she nearly stumbled when she spun around quickly to face him.

The face that peered at her through the small hatch on the gate was a deep green color with sharp angles and a broad, slightly hooked nose. Bright yellow eyes regarded her as his head cocked a little too sharply to be a gesture of anyone remotely human if his coloring hadn’t given him away. Thick eyebrows in a deep pine green that matched the thick fringe of lashes around his eyes lowered in a scowl on his pronounced brow as he stared back at her.

Fear skittered up her spine as he pinned her with his hard, questioning gaze, and her entire body tensed in preparation to flee. A deafening silence filled her ears, and that she heard nothing but the frantic rhythm of her heart and the rush of her blood through her veins even as she drew in deep breaths, struggling to get air into her lungs. Her scars ached with the phantom sensations of tearing flesh and hot blood seeping from the burning wounds. Trembling in place, she felt faint with the blood rushing through her demanding that she run and run now.

She wanted to just jump back into her truck and drive back to the one place that felt safe in this crazy world. A place where she could hide away from the monsters that now walked the earth. She could leave. Sheshouldleave. She tried, but she couldn’t do it. This was a mistake to think that she could just track down the carnival and demand answers when she could barely stand to walk by them at a safe distance.

No! Stop it!

She bit her lip hard, the sting of pain cutting through her blind panic. The metallic bite of blood filled her mouth, and she grimaced. She couldn’t afford to be a frightened girl hiding from the monsters anymore. The home had given her an illusion of complete safety, apart from the monsters sharing their world with them. Jason and Tibby had shielded her to protect the safe little world she’d created in her head. She hadn’t been any safer. Not really. She’d simply traded hiding in the narrow confines of ruins to sleep where she believed the creatures couldn’t reach her for the solid walls of the home that she believed kept them away entirely. Reality was ugly, with no true safety, but she had to believe that Jason was right and that the fae weren’t all terrible.

She certainly wasn’t going to get anywhere if she tried to run away every time someone nonhuman so much as looked at her funny, and now she was going to have to do it on her own. She didn’t have her children with her to provide enough noise and distraction to mentally buffer her reaction to them. She needed to fight through her fear and wrest control of it. She didn’t survive all those years wandering by running like a rabbit every time she heard or saw one. How would she get any information about her kids if just being around one of the fae monster sent her into a panic attack?

“A… are you talking to me?” she asked warily as she glanced around and forced herself to take a reluctant step toward the gate.

He snorted derisively, and somehow that sound of exasperation made him seem more familiar and less frightening. “No, I’m talking to the specter standing right behind you. Of course you! What are you doing out there? Don’t you know it’s not safe to just be standing around out there at night—a young female at that. Raiders won’t hesitate to scoop a little thing like you up.” He shook his head emphatically, and MaryAnne’s gaze shot around her nervously, her waning fear of the sarcastic monster behind the gate suddenly eclipsed by the dangers potentially out there with her.

“Raiders? What are raiders?”

“Been living under a rock, have you?” He chuckled unkindly. “There are all sorts of beings who look to plunder whatever they come across. A little thing like you’d be eaten up in no time.”

She swallowed nervously but straightened her spine with determination. It was obvious that he was getting a kick out of frightening her. “Only for the past few years,” she admitted, bolstering her nerve. Living within the children’s home was about as close to living under a rock as one could get but she was out in the world now and there was no turning back. “But I did spend ten years wandering around this hellhole after the Ravening, and as much as your kind has overrun our land, destroying everything in your path, I don’t recall once hearing of raiders.”

“Ah,” he said slowly, drawing the word out as he scratched his jaw with long black claws. “I suppose that explains it.” He tsked softly and shook his head. “Poor traumatized little thing. I’m going to let you in so you can get a proper rest and catch up on the gossip. You might be surprised to learn that there are things out there far more monstrous than ‘my kind.’” He chuckled darkly and stepped back from the gate.

Despite his warning, MaryAnne jumped as the gate groaned and slowly opened, revealing the warm glow of a cobbled-together town inside. She gave it a suspicious look, but it certainly looked a lot warmer and far more inviting than her cold truck parked outside. And if there were raiders running about like the guard suggested… She shivered at the thought. The guard could be just spinning stories for the pleasure of scaring the shit out of her, but did she really want to risk it? Knowing how many days she’d slept in the open on the road when there were more than just monsters to worry about made her feel sick to her stomach. Perhaps one night in town wouldn’t be a bad idea.

Feeling none too optimistic about her decision, MaryAnne stepped through the gate, her gaze cutting to the male leering at her as the gate closed behind her with a resounding thud. His clothing clung to his lean frame in hues of russet red and golden browns reminiscent of fall leaves, his tunic billowing slightly around the waist and terminating just below his hips so that there was no way of avoiding the sight of his tight trousers cupping his frighteningly large sex.

With how slender he was it was easy to ignore how much taller he was than her. Not anywhere near as large as the male who haunted her every waking moment but still comparable to a tall human man as he loomed over her, his long fingers with their wicked claws twitching slightly as he held his spear. He didn’t need a spear with claws like that. They were flesh renders, and just looking at them made her scars beneath her clothes ache.

“Don’t look so scared, girlie. I have no interest in hurting you, however I may look. You’ll see… There are many humans who live here. Riverside Outpost welcomes all—not always to our benefit,” he added with a slight frown as if reflecting upon something unpleasant, but it melted away quickly as if it had never been there. “We are a peaceful lot. I can’t help having a goblin face,” he added with a self-deprecating snicker.

She stared at him wordlessly for a long minute and nodded as he gave her a salute and shambled back to his post with his peculiar long-limbed gait. A shiver stole over her. Was she making a mistake? Perhaps she should just ask the guard about the carnival and be on her way, but his warnings leaped to the fore of her mind again and she turned away from him, examining the buildings clustered around the main road and the little square just ahead. He said there were humans here, but perhaps she could locate someone who might be able to tell her something of the carnival.

Her initial impression of the town wasn’t exactly encouraging. What did the goblin say it was called? Riverside Outpost? It could have been Dead Outpost with how empty the streets were. There was no one out and about, and the buildings within the outpost walls were dark, with only faint candlelight drifting through heavy curtains. All but one building at the end of the street at the edge of the square. It drew her to it like the last autumn moth seeking the warmth of a flame. A soft music could be heard just outside the doors, and she tipped her head back to peer at the lettering on the wooden sign. She didn’t recognize the larger flowing script, but just below it, printed clearly, it said Nightshade Tavern.

“Yeah, that sounds friendly,” she muttered. It sounded like a murder destination in an old horror movie where tourists holed up before a terrible monster tore them apart. Entering was probably the most tragically stupid thing to do. “I’m an idiot,” she grumbled as she twisted the knob and pushed the door open.

Candlelight and some sort of strange, unnatural pulsing light caught in lanterns lit up the entire room with a startling amount of brightness. She squinted, blinking rapidly as she waited for her vision to adjust. It only took a moment for everything to come into focus, but it seemed to be just enough time for every patron of the tavern to fall silent and turn in their chairs and stools to look over at her. The stairs at either side of the room led to a second and third floor lined with rows of doors. Rooms for rent?

She patted her pocket and was relieved when she heard the faint jingle there. She never emptied her pockets after the carnival and still had coins left over. She could probably get a room if they were open to be paid in coin. Maybe even a hot meal if she was lucky. That alone would be worth the stop if no one knew anything worth her time.

MaryAnne focused on the bar and the tall elf who peered at her from behind it. He was shorter and thicker than some of the elves she’d seen in passing, his complexion the deep blue hue of the late evening sky. His dark hair was bound in intricate braids that framed his face while thick clusters of crow feathers fluttered from where they were bound into his hair. A feather stirred, and one of his ears flicked as he regarded her. The tips of his ears were clearly visible from where they pushed out from his head. He lifted a dark eyebrow as his red eyes pierced her.

It took all that MaryAnne had not to fidget. Not so much because of him. Elves at least were civilized and were human enough that they didn’t inspire a lot of fear in her. Not like the enormous smoke-colored male at his side who was built like a mountain with his bald head and double sets of wickedly sharp tusks jutting up from his jaw.

If the visual threat of being gored to death wasn’t bad enough, he had sharp teeth that were visible as his lip curled in a sneer. His nostrils flared and his snarl grew more impressive as his massive arms crossing over his thick chest. His hands were just as enormous, his claws like curved daggers ready to eviscerate anyone who stood in his way. There was a strange red pigmentation that started around his claws and bled across his hands only to stop just shy of his elbows. It was like he’d plunged his hands in blood so many times that they had permanently stained him.

“It’s rude to stare,” the male spat, his deep, grating voice making her jump. “Crows steal the eyes of those who stare too long for fear of mortals stealing secrets,” he hissed, drawing out the last letter in a way that sounded almost violent to her ears.

“Sorry,” she whispered in horror, her eyes dropping away from him immediately as she swallowed uncomfortably.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com