My scream was muzzled by the stifling mist. Digging my heels into the soft ground, I skidded a couple of feet, hurtling three blades in as many heartbeats toward the horrid thing before coming to a stop. The familiar thunk of knives sinking into wood jolted me withterror as the midnight mist of the nightmare reformed, quickly effacing any evidence of my perfect aim.
How did I defend against a creature born of mist and shadows?
It smiled at me—if one could call it that—and my limbs went leaden, exasperating the trembling in my body that tingled like a thousand bees buzzing. Its top lip pulled up from the movement, exposing row upon row of long, pointed teeth like a snarling dog that’d swallowed a porcupine.
Beads of sweat dappled my forehead, like tiny, isolated drops of despair.
There wasn’t a perverse nightmare sinister enough to conjure what towered over me. Ten feet tall, and lanky, its head was more corporeal than the body, which was crafted of black mist and shadow that seemed to consume the vestiges of light that deigned to reflect through the suffocating mist. Slightly almond shaped, its head was slick with the same sticky glean of a slug. It had no nose, but rather two slits that seemed to gather information as it continually expanded and contracted in micro-movements. The eyes were unnervingly large, easily bigger than my hand, and looked as if they were frosted over. Its wing-shaped tips trailed up the sides of its massive head, and although there were no pupils, it could see me as clearly as I could see it.
Faster than I could throw another blade, it gripped me by the throat, its gnarled, misty hand wrapping around the entire circumference of my neck, lifting me off the ground so we were eye to eye.
Abandoning the daggers in my hands, I scraped at my neck, feet kicking to find purchase. I could have sworn it didn’t have hands a moment ago, only tendrils of mist. Was the mist an illusion? But then, why hadn’t my blades struck?
The beast’s tongue slithered from the depths of its never-ending teeth like a snake, not the delicate forked tines that teased information from the air, but a thick serpentine structure that vibrated as it hissed, “Yessssssah.”
My body recoiled from the soft, edged word that brought with itthe distinct scent of carrion. Freeing a dagger from my bandolier, I plunged it into the beast’s belly. A cool slickness wrapped around my hand and squeezed hard, like quicksand vice made of slime. I screamed and thrashed, but as I did, it opened its mouth to the limit and sucked in, as if consuming the sound.
Pleasure shuddered through it.
I went to close my mouth but couldn’t. It sucked in a breath, and from deep within, my power shuddered before gurgling up my throat and leaking from me to him. Helpless and frozen, sparks of greens and blues and teals and pinks flew out of me, absorbed by the quills that changed hues until its maw was a terrifying rainbow of color. I couldn’t scream. Couldn’t move. Couldn’t cry for what was being ripped away from me. Stolen. I couldn’t even close my eyes to veil the horrific sight.
As the brightness intensified, my vision swam and my hands fell limp to my sides, my useless dagger falling to the ground.
The creature screeched in ecstasy, and as the shuddering pleasure of my power pooled into it, the mist and shadow knit together, becoming corporeal.
Just as my vision swam, a warm, thick liquid sprayed across my face, filling my mouth before the creature’s grip relented and I tumbled to the ground, the impact brutal on my body. I let out a pained gasp and choked on the bitter, pungent liquid coating my tongue, then rolled over to my hands and knees, yielding to the coughing fit that swiftly had me gagging.
An obscure shape rolled into my vision, and the misty white eyes of the creature looked up at me, now covered in a milky film like a long-dead fish. I didn’t have time to turn away before I vomited onto its almond-shaped head.
“Nyleeria?” a male voice asked in surprise. “What are you doing here?”
I’d know that voice anywhere. Spitting out the last of the bile, I sat back on my heels as my gaze followed the grounded tip of ablood-coated broadsword up to find Endymion on the other side of the hilt.
He offered me some water, and I swished the fresh, chilled liquid around, then spit it out, repeating the process until my mouth was clear of blood and bile. Finally allowing myself to drink, the gulped iciness stung the back of my throat as it quenched my thirst and soothed my nerves.
Still trembling, I held the canteen up to Endymion, who stared at me with unmasked concern.
“What are you doing here, Nyleeria?” he asked, waving away the canteen.
I took another swig, wondering the same about him while trying to grasp for my wits through the shock that coursed through my veins. Gods, I didn’t know who to trust, what to do.
“Stars.” He sighed, running a hand through his silken hair, which fell back in place, unbothered by the touch. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere. How did you make it here?”
“You’ve been looking for me?” I croaked, refocusing on him.
“Everyone’s looking for you. How did you get here?” Worry slipped into his question.
“I rode here.”
“Right, but how did you gethere?”
“I camped here last night, then woke up to that thing, and ran.”
He shook his head. “No, Nyleeria,” he said with genuine calmness. “How did you gethere?”
“Endymion, I’m not sure how else to answer you. Like I said, I rode here.”
He lowered himself gracefully to the ground, resting a relaxed elbow on a knee that didn’t touch the earth. A mix of frustration and genuine worry filled his features. “You really have no clue where you are, do you?” The words held a depth to them, an awareness of something I hadn’t fully grasped.
