Shanara shivered from her words. But she nodded. “There is something that hunts in the dark. I can never catch it, but I feel it, and when it leaves…I’m tired.”
“Where?” Nix rubbed down Shanara’s side, trying to comfort her.
“The deep.” She shivered. “It used to be my home, but whatever is there forced me out.”
Nix walked around her again, and Megan came up next to her. “Show us.”
Shanara shook her head. “I don’t know if I can.”
Megan pressed against her. “We are here with you. We will help you take back your home.”
Shanara looked between all of us, and I watched her regain a little courage. She thought about it for another minute before she nodded. “Okay.” I walked to her.
“If it is okay with you…I’d like to stay with you.”
Shanara nodded, and I hopped up on her back. “Hold on tight.” Then she took off, headed to the darkened trees.
We ran through the trees, heading to the darkest recess of her mind. Every so often, there was a skittering sound that made their ears twitch. Something was watching us. Suddenly, a shadow that lept above us. The noise sounded again and my back crawled. It was almost like a million little legs were crawling over something. It gave me the willies.
Nix’s voice was low as we ran. “Something is hunting us.”
Megan chuffed an agreement, but it was Shanara trembling that had me looking around. Her body remembered the feeling, and it was warning her to turn back.
I ran my fingers down her side. “It’s okay. We are here. We have you.” She nodded, but I could still feel how tense she was. She kept running, but I could feel that she wanted to turn back. She was only going deeper because we were with her.
She ran around trees, but every sound had her jumping. It kept running my fingers through her fur. I was mumbling some words of encouragement when something landed on us. Megan saw it first and lunged towards me, but I felt something sink fangs into me.
I screamed as I fell from Shanara’s back. The darkness enveloped me, and I was terrified. I shook my head, trying to clear the fear, but it was like every pull that this creature made. It injected me with fear. This was how it worked. This creature, whatever it was, was a manifestation of the rune. As Vince pulled power from the affected, it made them fear him a little more. It was keeping everyone in line.
I opened my mouth to scream, but I heard Nix yelp. I tried to see what was happening, but the darkness was absolute. I pulled into myself, trying to think of happier times. I was whimpering; the fear was so thick. My dad. I needed my dad.
The memory of him teaching me magic bubbled up in my mind. It circled around until I finally understood what my brain was telling me. The light orb. Nix and Megan both screamed out in pain, and something in my mind shifted. Attacking me was fine, but once you touch my wolves…all bets were off.
I bellowed, and light exploded from me. The ball of light was bigger than my first, and I threw it up into the air. The thing on top of me screamed and tried to run, but I grabbed it to keep it in the light. “Attack it.” I screamed at the three wolves, and they were trying, but it was strong.
The black body was a hard shell, almost like it was a carapace. I tried to attack with my own hands, but we were just bouncing off its body. A dark, eerie laugh echoed through the clearing.“Stupid females. Do you think you can kill me? I am the destroyer, the ravenous. I will eat through all of your energy and in the end I will be the one standing, and you will be husks of your former selves.” The face…I don’t even know if it could even be considered a face reared from me and I felt the drain stop for a blessed moment. Nix tried to dive for it again, but she bounced off. It laughed again and I could hear Vince in its voice.
This was who he was inside. A black leech of a creature that took from anything and everything he could. He didn’t survive on his own power, but on what he could steal. Sip by sip. Tiny mouthfuls at a time to boost himself into the position he was in now.
“You can’t kill me. You aren’t strong enough.” His words ricochetted against the trees. “I will eat you slowly until I am satisfied.” His words echoed in my mind. Slowly.
He struck me again, sinking its fangs into my shoulder. The slow draw of power was back, and an idea formed in my mind. I started to push power into the leech. Slowly at first. Nix growled, but I wrapped my arms around the leech.
“What are you doing?” Nix’s voice was confused as she circled closer and closer.
“Feeding it.” It chuckled, thinking I was stupid, but Nix understood. She jumped on the back of the creature and forced its fangs deeper into my neck.
“Good?” She met my eyes over the body and I nodded.
“Perfect. Hold it.” She nodded once, and then I pushed power faster into the leech.
It grunted with the influx, but I kept the tap pouring full blast. My power funneled into the creature, and Nix held it there while it screamed. “Stop.” Its voice was panicked.
I stroked its hard body. “I thought you were ravenous?” My voice was soft. “Take it. Take it all.” I slammed all of my power into the leech at once.
My hips hit the table as I staggered. My power bouncing back to me once the leech was burned away was unsteadying. The rush of power made my head spin, nearly dropping to my knees, but Toya and my mother both wrapped their arms around me. “I got you, baby.” My mom’s steady voice snapped me out of the confusion.
I shook my head to clear it once. “Rick, take the towel away.” He nodded and pulled it from her wound. Her armpit was a mask of red and torn flesh. “Shelly, I command you to heal yourself.” She sighed, and we all watched the skin ripple over her armpit with bated breath.
