“Liar.”
“We were friends.”
“Get the fuck away from me,” I rage.
“Briar, please just listen to me,” he says, as he reaches for me again.
“You fucking killed him. You killed my brother.”
“I didn’t know that would happen. I...I was trying to help him.” The color drains from his face. “He told me he needed to be prepared to return to Daramveer.”
“For what?” I shout.
“He was going to kill your father, and now, knowing what I know, it was to protect you. I swear.”
“Shut the fuck up!”
“Please don’t yell. We aren’t safe out here,” he begs, in a failed attempt to calm me.
I continue to backpedal. “You are the only reason I’m not safe out here.”
Shadows start to swirl around me, like a thick fog spreading across the forest floor, and an uncontrollable sensation starts to rise in my throat. My tattoo throbs with pain, and I grit my teeth, trying to ignore it.
I slam my eyes closed.
Breathe.
One.
Two.
Three.
Fuck. It’s not working.
Larkin whispers, “Just let me talk.”
A deep, thunderous scream breaks me from my daze. The forest seems to pulse like a slow heartbeat, and unease rises around us. Larkin rushes forward and grabs my arm, pulling me back into the small pocket of trees. He claps a hand over my mouth and crouches behind a large tree trunk. His large body presses against my back, and I can feel his rapidly beating heart. I attempt to slap his hand away, but he holds me tight.
“Get off me,” I mumble under his hold.
His gaze snaps in all directions, and tears flow from my eyes and onto the back of his hand. I relax my jaw to bite down on his hand, but he pulls it tighter, stopping me.
“Be quiet,” he whispers.
The clearing before us seems to pause, and a single crow squawks as it flies from a nearby treetop. The sun overhead dims, allowing more shadows to pour from the tightly packed trees across the clearing, and a horrifying darkness settles into my chest.
My eyes widen when I see it, and I fight the urge to whimper against Larkin's grip.
A creature that would stand three heads taller than Larkin if it weren't for its hunched back crawls into the clearing. Tattered white fabric clings to its lanky body, and its skin appears cracked, as if over time, the creature has slowly started to shatter from despair. Black, hollow eyes slowly scan the clearing for any signs of life, and it sniffs the air. Its movements are fidgety and unnatural—like the muscles in its body are also screaming—as it stalks forward.
I dip my head against Larkin, no longer caring about the news and instead fearing for our lives. The creature gradually turns toward us and points a long, clawed finger. A tear rolls down my cheek, and I feel Larkin behind me holding his breath. He slowly removes his hand from my mouth and places both hands on my shoulder, demanding my attention, as he spins me to face him.
“When I say run,” Larkin pauses, glancing at the creature, “run as fast as you can to the right. When we make it past that sixth tree, I’ll shift us to the mouth of the mountain. There’s a spot we can hide there.”
I stare into his dark eyes, allowing the tears to fall from a mix of fear and betrayal.
“I know you don’t trust me right now, Briar, but please listen.” He leans closer. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you, but we cannot fight this thing.”
