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I heard only a muffled, angry screech followed by a dull thud. I carefully sat up again and tried to recognize what had happened during my dive.
Our bubble had disappeared, but fortunately, so had the attackers. Apparently, as soon as I was immersed in the mud, they thought I had escaped.
Hecate lay motionless on the ground. Oh no! I hastily crawled out of the mud hole and towards her. A moan escaped her as I shook her gently. She was still alive. Could gods actually die?
"Hecate, we've made it," I let her know with relief. "Those walking corpses are gone."
I gently pulled on her arm. "Can you stand up?"
But the Goddess of Magic didn't budge. I knew we had to get out of here, and we certainly didn't have much time before these monsters appeared again.
I shook Hecate once more. Nothing. Desperate, I punched her lightly in the face. Still nothing. I didn't dare to hit her harder, as I didn't want to incur the wrath of the Goddess of Magic.
But I couldn't leave her here either. Determined, I jumped to my feet and tugged at Hecate's arms to pull her up. I hoped this would bring her to her senses, but I didn't have enough strength, and the next moment, she collapsed like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
Desperate and panting with exertion, I dropped onto the grass next to her. Angry about this hopeless situation and my own failure, I ran my hands over my face. A frustrated growl escaped my throat. I had to think of something quickly.
My gaze fell on the still-unconscious goddess.
"So much for thinking you were protecting me. Now I have to save you, a Greek deity!" I hissed, coupled with a mirthless laugh. Fate could be so cruel sometimes.
The mud on my body was already drying. It wouldn't be long before it crumbled off my skin like dust. If I didn't do something soon, we would be surrounded by another pack of hungry dead within the next half hour.
Suddenly, I heard a flutter in the sky above us. Startled, I looked up. The fake sun blinded me so much that I had to squint and shield my eyes with one hand.
Tears formed and balanced along my eyelashes when I finally recognized what was circling above us. A huge owl.
I rummaged in my memory for my knowledge of Greek mythology, which we had studied intensively in the last year of High School. Unfortunately, it had been the year that Alex and I had spent a lot of time outside the classroom.
But I could vaguely remember an owl. Wasn't it one of the animals associated with Hecate?
I looked up at the sky again. This owl was much bigger than any I had seen before. Maybe it could help me get Hecate back to the beach?
But first, it had to come down to us.
"Come, good owl!" I called up to her in a hushed voice. "Fine owl, come to us!"
But regardless of whether I stroked honey around its beak or phrased it like an order, the animal stubbornly continued to circle. Every now and then, it let out a screech that sounded even more like a mockery each time. Almost as if it was laughing in my face.
"They always say that owls symbolize wisdom," I called out bitingly. "You seem to have been skipped over when dispensing this wisdom." I stared at the bird with bared teeth and noticed too late the rustling from the bush very close to us.
No, please don't let it be those soulless monsters with their fireballs, I prayed to no one in particular. Eyes wide open, I looked at the now trembling undergrowth as I slowly pushed myself before the defenseless goddess. I didn't know how to defend ourselves, but I couldn't leave Hecate unprotected.
I pulled the dagger out of my knife belt as silently as possible. The dried mud made it challenging to unsheathe. But in the end, I was victorious and held out my weapon to the invisible attacker with a trembling hand.
This was my death I was facing, I finally realized. Actually, it was an excellent place to die, the realm of the dead, I thought at that very moment.
My nerves calmed at the thought, and my grip on the weapon became firm and unshakeable. The fear that had held me in its stranglehold previously disappeared, and an indescribable peace filled my heart.
I would fight one last time, and then I could let go. This knowledge strengthened me. The rustling became louder, and a soft stomping sound could be heard. The next moment, a sharp white lance pushed its way through the bush's green leaves. With a grim expression, I stood protectively in front of the Goddess of Magic. The owl continued to circle above us, but its screeching had faded.
The tip of this white weapon came towards me unexpectedly quickly until I discovered a pair of eyes that pierced me, searching and knowing at the same time. A snow-white, powerful body followed until a horse with a horn on its forehead stood before me.
Surprised, I let the dagger slide to the ground. Was that a unicorn? Didn't they only exist in fairy tales?
CHAPTER 12
Ishould have felt fear, but I didn't. The animal I saw before me was kind and courageous at the same time. Its soul radiated both with an inevitability that left no room for doubt.
