“You manifested it with your dreams,” he taunts. “About that, do you want to talk about them?”
My cheeks burn up, and I glare at him.Shut up!I write viciously.
“Make me.”
That is the most immature thing I’ve ever heard. I mean, the last time someone probably said that was Tatum when he was twelve!
Don’t tempt me, or I will,I warn him, planting a hand on my hip.
He chuckles before looking around. My eyes adjust to the odd darkness, and I can see him.
“So, we follow the moonlight. Try to keep up, Blondie; there’s no one to rescue you out here,” he says, shouldering his scythe and leading the way. I simply glare at his back, following him. The glowing scars are a good enough target to follow. They’re thin and small, but as long as he doesn’t go too far, I won’t lose him.
I look up at the moonlight, following the stream of light. I close the gap between us.Follow the moon or the moonlight itself?I ask.
He looks down at me, seeming to think it over.
“Huh. Good question. I’m going to take it literally. We follow the ray of light, and if we don’t get anywhere, we switch plans.”
I nod. I’m glad he’s taking the lead because if we fuck up, he can’t blame me.
We travel in silence for quite a while before he stops. “I don’t think this is correct; we’re going in circles. Not sure why we summoned a pathfinder or whatever random weirdo we conjured up. I mean, if he’s supposed to find the path, then where the fuck is he? We’re being left to find our own path. This shit makes no sense.”
I roll my eyes.They created a path; we need to take it ourselves, unless you want to be carried like a princess?I write, wrinkling my nose at him.
I’m waiting for a cocky reply as I turn to look across the marshes when, suddenly, he pushes me. I let out a silent scream as I slip and slide into the murky water. Theo snickers.
“You alright there, Blondie?”
I turn, trying to get up when I feel something wrap around my ankle. Something that feels like a skeletal hand.
I’m in control. Breathe.
I cast a spell, my powers blazing as I blast whatever is in the water, illuminating the darkness. Theo turns sharply just as I see the outline of a figure in the water. My heart betrays me, skipping a beat before several skeletal figures lurch towards me.
“Holy fuck!” Theo growls.
My eyes burn, my aura surrounding me as I send several blades of magic through the water, just as Theo drops to his knees beside the water and grabs me by the upper arm and pulls me. Pain rips through that shoulder as several hands wrap around my legs, dragging me back down. I look up at him as he realises he won’t be able to get me out. Whatever is down there is holding me tighter and taking me further down. My waist is in the water now.
How deep is it? When I fell, I swear I was sitting at the bottom. It wasn’t that deep.
“Fuck,” Theo mutters, his eyes turning milky white. One hand remains wrapped around my arm as he swings the scythe into the water with his other hand. Dazzling blue and white flashes through the water, and I see the skeletal figures scatter. “I got you,” he grunts before he lifts me from the water, pulling me onto solid ground.
I stumble, brushing my legs to make sure nothing is holding on, one hand on Theo’s knee, before I realise and jerk away. I snap my head up to look at him, giving him the best death glare I can. He raises his hand in surrender.
“Sorry?” He grins.
No!I write, shoving him as I stand up, my clothes and hair sticking to me. Taking a deep breath, I’m about to cast aspell to dry myself when Theo curses.
“We should go. Now!” he shouts, grabbing my wrist as he breaks into a run. I look over my shoulder to see the skeletal shadows that are dragging themselves from the water.
Holy Goddess!
I raise my hand, and the earth rises before them, throwing them back into the water.
Theo slows down, slashing through two of the skeletal marsh dwellers.
More are coming! I focus on the ground, breaking off a piece of the earth from beneath us, moulding it together and lifting us several feet from the ground.
