The dragonfly circled him twice before shooting off into the woods. He took off after it, racing to keep up, dodging trees and branches. Suddenly, it stopped and plummeted to the ground. At first, he wasn’t sure what he was looking at. All he could see was a pale, dirty, crumpled heap splayed out on the cold, damp ground. But when the dragonfly dove toward it, the heap twitched. Theo’s stomach turned over in horror as he realized just what he was looking at.
Olivia’s spine arched sharply as the dragonfly plunged into her chest, glowing beneath her ribs as it was absorbed into her body. Then she slumped lifelessly back to the ground. Her nightgown was soaked and plastered to her skin, covered in mud and blood. Her hair hung in thick, wet ropes against her chalky white skin. Blood trailed the side of her face from a cut at her temple, and her lips were turning blue.
“No!” He rushed forward and dropped to his knees. Pulling off his jacket, he wrapped it around her as best he could. Her skin was like ice; he needed to get her inside quickly. “Jake,” he shouted into the fog.
“I’m coming,” a muffled voice replied.
“Olivia.” Theo stroked her face, then grasped her chin, shaking her gently. “Olivia, open your eyes.”
She stirred, her eyes rolling.
“Olivia,” he repeated more firmly. “Stay with me.”
Her eyes met his, her gaze unfocused as she tried to speak, her voice barely more than a croaky whisper. He leaned forward to move his ear closer to her lips.
Before he could puzzle out what she was saying, he heard a sharp growl, and his head snapped up. It sounded too close and too big to be a stray dog. Sliding his arms around Olivia’s back and under her knees, he lifted her carefully.
“Jake!” he called again.
Jake burst through the fog, weapon drawn. His eyes widened as they fell on Olivia sagged in Theo’s arms. His mouth opened to speak when the growl came again, low and menacing. Jake raised his weapon and pointed it at the fog, his eyes sweeping back and forth as he placed Theo and Olivia protectively behind him. This time when the growl came, it was accompanied by an angry snarl.
“Run!” he shouted.
Theo turned and bolted through the trees, cradling Olivia in his arms. He heard Jake fire and then take off right behind them, shouting directions as they cut through the fog. It was gaining on them, whatever it was. Breathing heavily they broke through the edge of the tree line. The mist had now spilled out of the woods and across the grassy expanse between them and Olivia’s house.
“What the hell?” Jake hissed.
Silver-colored rings rose up in the mist, pale and ghostly, surrounding Olivia’s property. They would have been mesmerizing if not for the ominous snapping and snarling coming from behind them. They caught vague glimpses as the fog writhed and shifted. It was hard to get a sense of the creature without actually seeing it.
“They must be Olivia’s protective wards.” Theo started toward the silver rings. “We need to get her inside them.”
Behind him, he could hear Jake fire again as they both ran flat out for the shining silver rings that rose to form a column. The creature was snapping at their heels, but they didn’t dare look back.
Theo gripped Olivia tighter. He felt Jake stumble next to him, but he just about managed to stay upright. They were almost there. With a final burst of speed and a rush of adrenaline, he leaped through the ethereal light, closely followed by Jake. They spun around just in time to see the creature, in all its terrifying glory, leap behind them. The creature crashed against the silvery light of Olivia’s wards with a sickening thud and fell to the ground hissing. It climbed to its feet, its dead-looking eyes glaring at them hatefully as it paced back and forth, growling deep in its throat.
Theo had never seen anything like it. It was huge, almost as tall as a small horse, and its form was black and corpse-like with patches of mangy fur hanging from it in filthy-looking clumps. Drool hung from open jaws, that revealed rows of tiny needle-pointed teeth.
Suddenly, it rushed forward, hurling its skeletal body against the silvery shield. Its growl became louder and angrier as a large patch of burned flesh smoked at its shoulder, raw and angry. It rushed the shield again and again. Each time it burned and singed its body, but the creature didn’t seem to care. It kept on battering relentlessly at the shield as it tried to reach them.
One of the protective rings suddenly shattered, crashing to the ground like shards of glass. Olivia stirred as both Theo and Jake took an involuntary step back as the creature charged the rings again. Its skin was torn at its shoulder and across its muzzle. The wounds oozed sickly blackened blood, revealing bleached white patches of bone, yet it continued to hack away at the shield, trying to get to Olivia.
“Theo,” she croaked weakly. “Put me down.”
“No.” He glanced down at her.
Although she was pale and shaky, her eyes had lost that glazed, unfocused look and now stared back at him with grim determination. Another ring splintered and crashed to the ground, but he didn’t look. His eyes were focused on her alone.
“Theo, the wards were not designed for this,” she whispered hoarsely. “In a few more moments they will fail, and I won’t be able to stop it.”
“You don’t have the strength for this,” he argued.
“Put me down, Theo.”
Fighting against a deeply rooted need to protect her, he allowed her to slide down his body until her feet touched the ground, but as they did, her legs folded under her. He caught her, holding her upright against his body with one of her arms wrapped around his shoulders. “Just hold onto me,” she whispered.
He nodded slowly as she turned her attention to the creature hissing and snarling on the other side.
She reached inside herself, feeling for the heat and light of her magic. Her hands trembled and glowed, but a wave of exhaustion swamped her all, and she could manage were a few sparks from her fingertips.
