The Beast roared and charged, gouging the earth with its clawed feet. Tyler collapsed into a ball and covered his head. Emma lunged sideways, her dagger tumbling to the grass. The monster followed her movement, jaws chomping the empty air where she’d stood a moment before.
Opal spun the other way, fleeing blindly. Without another option, she dove into the pond.
The icy water nearly stopped Opal’s heart. She kicked beneath the surface as a frustrated roar echoed into the depths. When she ran out of breath, Opal spluttered to the surface, wiping liquid from her eyes.
Logan and Nico ran to help Emma. The Beast thrashed around on the field, trying to snatch Nico in its teeth. Logan went down, clutching his knee. Emma was shouting in Tyler’s ear, trying to drag him toward the woods, but he seemed unable to move.
As Opal watched, Nico threw himself behind a downed tree and wriggled under it. The Beast twisted away, spotting Emma and Tyler. It stormed at them, roaring in fury. “Look out!” Opal screamed.
Tyler scrambled to his feet. He pushed Emma behind him and lifted his dagger. The Beast slowed to a stalking pace, its black eyes gleaming. Tyler squared his shoulders.
The creature halted. Saliva dripped from its mouth as it regarded Tyler curiously. Seconds ticked past as the twolocked eyes, one rumbling like a dragon, the other shaking like a leaf.
The Beast snarled. Its head darted forward in a deadly strike.
Tyler sprang, sidestepping the Beast and stabbing it in the neck. Black blood spurted from the wound. The Beast reared back and howled, ripping the dagger from Tyler’s fingers.
But the figment didn’t vanish.
“No,” Opal breathed, dripping in the shallow water.
“It didn’t work!” Tyler backed away, his voice cracking as he stared up at the supernatural predator. “Everyone get out of here! I’ll … I’ll …”
Nico and Logan were crouching at the edge of the woods—too far away to reach Tyler before the Beast struck again—but Emma shot forward to stand beside him, clutching her dagger.
The Beast’s eyes shifted to her.
“Emma,get back,” Tyler ordered, his voice raw with fear. Quick as a rumor, the Beast swung its tail, smacking Tyler in the chest and knocking him down. In the next second it wheeled on Emma.
“Run!” Opal screamed.
The Beast whipped its tail again, sweeping Emma’s feet. The dagger bounced from her fingers. The monster dipped its face close to hers and seemed to smile, baring an acre of jagged teeth as it prepared to finish its kill.
“Emma!”
Tyler scooped up her dagger and threw it as hard as he could. The blade punched into the Beast’s side.
Its eyes widened. A howl of pain shook the island.
The Beast shimmered and disappeared.
“Holy crap.” Opal waded out of the water as Nico and Logan emerged from the trees. Opal picked up the key dagger from where she’d dropped it on the grass.
Tyler and Emma were slumped side by side, chests heaving. They gave each other a shaky fist bump.
“Let’s get out of here,” Logan said, his voice sharp.
Nico put a hand on Tyler’s shoulder. “You okay, man?”
“Fine,” Tyler wheezed. “Never better. Bring on more Beasts.”
“I don’t get it.” Opal was staring at the weapon in her hand. “The dagger didn’t work, but then it did?”
“No idea,” Tyler said weakly. “Seriously. I just saw it go after Emma and reacted.”
A biting wind swept the island, chilling Opal’s skin. She felt a sudden sense of impending loss. “We should get inside,” she said. “Right now.”
But before anyone could move, a black-robed figure emerged from the woods. The creature carried a scythe. Its robe didn’t ripple in the wind.
