At last, the figure stops a few body-lengths in front of us, pulling down its hood to reveal a creepy smile.
It is a male. Or, at least, it has all the features of one.
Whoever this is stands about as tall as Daegan, has perfectly slicked-back white hair, skin almost as pale as his hair, and the eeriest pale blue eyes I’ve ever seen. They’re so light they almost blend into the whites of his eyes. I see why he glows now, too. The white cloak he wears seems to emit a faint light, much like his hair. Similar to the way some of the foliage around us is illuminated.
It's either confidence or arrogance that would make you want to stand out so starkly in the middle of this dark forest. He must have nothing that threatens him here.
“Are you Maethrel?” I ask again, my voice cutting through the silence. Not like a sharp blade, but rather a small, dull knife.
He nods, his lips pulling into a tight smile that feels too knowing. He looks at us like he already knows all of our deepest secrets, and it makes me feel unsettled. “Yes. I’ve been waiting for you.”
His voice has a hissing quality to it, not unlike the foes we just destroyed.
“Our friend needs help. He was stung by one of your creatures.” Daegan’s determined voice punctures the air. “Can you help us?”
I thought he’d be too arrogant, too proud, to ask for help. Especially from a stranger in a deadly forest. It appears I’ve been proven wrong.
“Follow me,” the figure says calmly, turning and waltzing into the forest like he doesn’t have a care in this world.
Daegan begins to lift Raef in a rush, and I hurry to assist him.
“I’ve got him,” he says, not sparing me a glance as his muscles lightly strain to lift Raef on his own.
“So you’ll ask the creepy glowing guy with an army of shadows for help, but you won’t accept mine?”
He flicks his gaze to me in annoyance, but time is of the essence, so he lets it go. “Lift under his other arm,” he says.
“Come on Raef, you don’t want to go out like this. Taken down by a fuzzy plant-spider,” I murmur. Somehow, I think he’d appreciate the dark humor at this moment. Daegan shoots me a curious glance.
I do as he says and we get Raef to his feet. Daegan takes the brunt of his weight, but I do believe that I’m helping a small amount by holding his other side steady. Raef leans his head and body toward Daegan, and he’s able to take some shaky steps with our guidance.
It sounds like every breath he takes is the hardest thing he’s ever done in his young shifter life.
Though the glowing figure ahead of us looks like he’s out for a leisurely stroll in his garden, we still struggle to keep up. He doesn’t look back, either. Once again, I get the sense that he knows more than he should, and the eeriness of it makes my skin crawl.
“Who do you think he is?” I whisper.
“Maethrel,” Daegan says.
“Maethrel is supposed to be a female,” I whisper, more to myself.
“Are you positive about that?”
I look at the illuminated figure walking gracefully ahead. “I guess not.”
“He’s our only hope right now. Raef is dying,” Daegan says. I think he’s trying to walk faster than our current pace. He’s unaffected by the weight, but I’m struggling to keep up, and he knows it.
“Stop,” he says. Then, with a touch more softness, “I’ve got him.” He holds Raef’s arm out, bends his knees under him, then lifts him across his shoulders with ease.
I stare after him as he takes off at a much brisker pace. Releasing a sigh, I sneak one last glance behind us, then take off after them.
We soon lose sight of Maethrel, or whoever he is, and we’re forced to pick up our pace even more to cut around the corner of a path. When we come around the other side, a dark cottage waits ahead of us. It’s not massive, but it’s not a hovel either. The material it was constructed with is all black wood, which I’m assuming came from this very forest, but the most interesting part is the dense collection of glowing crimson flowers lined neatly up the front path and under the front windows. He has a garden. A garden that looks like an illuminated blood bath.
We still don’t have a visual of our strange guide, but Daegan doesn’t hesitate as he bounds up the path with Raef hanging limp on his shoulders, opening the front door. I have no choice but to follow, if a bit reluctantly.
The moment I enter the cottage a powerful aroma invades my nose. Not an unpleasant one, but something slightly… foreign. Like some sort of tea or the smell of unfamiliar herbs burning. It has a note of sweetness to it. The aromas don’t surprise me, though. What does surprise me is how neat and uncluttered the interior is. We walk straight into a sitting area that holds a large, black stone table that’s low to the ground, and a fireplace in the corner that’s already lit and crackling. A small kitchen is in view beside the main room. All of the furnishings are black, in an unusual, whimsical style that I’ve never seen. I like it.
“Sit, please,” our host gestures toward the cushions on the ground spaced out around the table.
