Bane of Winter by Debbie Cassidy

Author:Debbie Cassidy [Cassidy, Debbie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-03-07T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

VELES

The forest closes in around me and the moist stench of decay hits the back of my throat. This is home. This is where the beast belongs. It longs to fall onto all fours and strip off the memories. It longs to revel in the hunt and the dribble of warm blood down its chin.

I have been a beast too long for it to release me so soon, but the memory of Wynter’s scent and the feel of her skin beneath my tongue keep me grounded. I am here for Black Annis. I am here so that I can find a way back to Wynter, and the beast will have to be still.

I climb over logs and jog across the fragrant mossy earth, dark and gray and black with Berstuk’s taint. This forest, which was once lush and green, is now his playground. Will he stop me? Will he come out to fight me?

His Baku are dead, slain by Wynter’s hand. He will want retribution. Even before the spell took our minds, Berstuk was a twisted god, preferring to inflict pain and cause conflict. It is no surprise his loss of memory turned him darker, and as the god of nature, he naturally took to the forests of Nawia.

I am deep in her domain now, the tiny corner she calls home, and not even Berstuk is insane enough to challenge her, the most dangerous of us all. Black Annis … although try as I might, I cannot recall what part she plays in the grand scheme of things? Was she a goddess before this? If so, who? I resolve to ask Dagda when I return, but for now I come to a halt in the clearing surrounded by bent and twisted trees and covered in a thin, reedy fog.

“Annis, I wish to speak with you.”

Silence greets me, but I feel her presence. She is here. She is watching.

“Annis, I need your help.”

Soft laughter echoes around the clearing. “The great and powerful Veles requires my help? What is it this time? More poison in your veins? Wait … where is your mortal companion?”

“That is why I have come to you. She is in danger, and you are the only one who can help me get to her.”

The fog parts and a hooded figure with gnarled hands peeking out from the sleeves of her cloak steps through. “Danger?”

“Yes.” How much should I tell her? How much does she already know?

“Enough, God of Death. Enough to know that this place is a lie. Enough to want to be free of it. Enough to know that your mortal companion is no more mortal than I am.”

My heart stills for a moment, and then the beast surges to the surface, its instinct to protect what is precious to us, even though it doesn’t fully comprehend why, and I have bridged the gap between us to lunge for her. She shifts like a shadow, her wail of rage a frightful thing that tears at my skin.

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