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TheValeofShadowsdidn’t look any different from the last spooky forest we’d crossed. Tall dark trees, check. Soggy moss underfoot, check. The odd branch creaking in the wind, check. Nothing weird so far.
Yet I had the uncanny sensation of someone watching us. But every time I whirled around, wanting to catch them out, there was nothing there. A woodpecker’s drum roll made my neck hairs stand up. It came out of nowhere, and the echo bounced from tree to tree like an ominous machine gun volley.
Since we’d left the river bank, Dyf had not said a single word to me. He marched ahead of me, his shoulders rigid with tension. Anger radiated from him so that I didn’t dare to ask where we were going.
Silently, I stumbled across ferns and downed trees. After the third time I tripped, he slowed down. He never looked at me as he yanked me up by the arm, preventing me from falling flat on my face. As we continued walking, he sank deeper into a glower that began to frighten me. Something was off. He acted as if I had done something terrible, but I didn’t dare ask.
The further we went, the more the twisted trees closed in, their gnarled limbs reaching out like skeletal fingers. The air was heavy and oppressive, filled with a sense of malice that weighed down my spirit. I needed to sleep desperately. I’d barely recovered from the attacks of the horny triffids before I’d nearly drowned. Without Dyf, I’d have died several times over. But if we didn’t find a place to rest, I’d die from exhaustion, anyway.
Eventually, I broke. “How much longer?”
I tried to keep the tremor out of my voice. But the never ending gloom was getting to me. My skin and hair had dried despite the cold, but my feet were still squelching in the wet shoes, my throat hurt, and my face felt hot. Just my luck if I’d caught some weird Fae virus.
“I am uncertain,” he said, his words echoing through the silence. “The paths here are treacherous and ever-changing.”
I swallowed and winced when the motion burned like fire. Dyf looked left, then right, and sighed. Then he walked to the left, and I forced myself to follow him. It wasn’t like I had a choice, but every step was harder than the one before.
As we delved deeper into the heart of the Vale, the darkness grew even more oppressive, as if we were being ingested whole, consumed by an ancient malevolence that lurked just beyond our sight.
At this stage, my head hung low with exhaustion. Every swallow cut my throat like razor blades, and I stared at the back of Dyf’s legs while I dragged myself forward with each step.
When he paused, I nearly walked into him. He sidestepped me as if he didn’t want me to touch him. Somehow, that hurt more than all my physical pains.
He whispered, “Quiet.”
His body was so tense, he seemed to vibrate. There was fear in his eyes as he scanned the area. The air grew cold and heavy, saturated with the scent of decay. An unnatural stillness lay over the Vale, as if the forest itself was holding its breath, waiting.
I shivered as I searched the trees for any sign of movement. But nothing stirred. Not a single leaf fluttered or branch creaked. Even the birds had stopped their racket.
Then a pale shape detached itself from the shadows ahead, gliding across our path. I gasped and slapped a hand over my mouth to stifle the sound. The creature was humanoid, pale as bone and hairless, with an elongated, thin face. Soulless black eyes reflected the dim light as it turned its head, regarding us with a calculating stare.
My heart slammed against my ribs. What was that thing? Dyf squeezed my hand in warning before letting go.
“Do not move,” he breathed. “Shadeling. It should pass us by.”
I forced myself to remain still, wishing Dyf was still holding my hand. The shadeling drifted closer until the hollow darkness inside its eyes seemed to burrow into my mind. It reached out a gnarled hand, as if to touch my face.
Then, with a rush of air, it vanished. I sagged in relief, breathing hard.
***
After our encounter with the shadow creature, we continued. The shadeling had freaked me out so much, I plowed on, no matter how tired I was, and how much my joints ached.
It was night, but there was no moon or stars. Towering trees loomed overhead, their gnarled branches disappearing into the inky blackness.
Dyf stopped again, his body tensing. “Do you hear this?”
“No. What is it?” I whispered back. I was so fucking done with this place. And then I heard rustling leaves and snapping twigs moving toward us.
“Shh,” Dyf hushed, scanning the shadows. “Stay behind me.”
A low, guttural growl echoed through the darkness. A chill raced down my spine as my mind went into hyper drive, trying to identify the source of the noise. It almost sounded like... cats?
“Please tell me that’s just some really pissed house cat,” I muttered, gripping Dyf’s arm tightly.
“Unfortunately, no,” Dyf replied, shaking my hand off. “Grimalkin.”
I ignored his brushoff, putting it down to the unknown danger. “Ugh. I don’t even want to know what that is.”
