Love vs The Beast! (Frightful Loves) by Elizabeth Gannon

Author:Elizabeth Gannon [Gannon, Elizabeth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-11-05T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

Abram Worthington had no particular love for Tarasque Creek, or indeed for Nevermore County as a whole. It was, in his opinion, one of the previously unmentioned but most horrifyingly abyssal rings of hell.

“You have to ease up on Henrietta, Abram.” His wife Cordelia chastised again, motioning to the old mule pulling their wagon. “You know she’s not as young as she used to be…”

The mule continued moving through the growing twilight, stumbling along the uneven road.

“Well, if she wants to get any older, she’ll pull like the hounds of hell nip at her heels.” He urged the old girl onward, praying that she lasted until they made it to Sparkle County, at the very least.

The Sparkle County residents were bastards—down to the man-- always quick to point out how much better literally everything was there than in Nevermore, but it wasn’t like Abram had a lot of options at the moment.

Behind them in the wagon, their daughter Esther popped her head up between them. “Henrietta can pull so much better now that she has her new hat.” The girl enthused excitedly, gesturing to the dirty straw hat which was balanced on the animal’s gray head. A single yellow flower was stuck into it at an angle, like a young maid going out on the town.

Abram didn’t bother to tell the girl how ridiculous that was, as he was too preoccupied with the road at the moment.

“Sit back down, honey.” Cordelia reached back to help the girl sit amid the crates again. Then she refocused on the road. “This was folly, Abram.” She said softly, voice tinged with fear. She quickly glanced back to ensure that Esther wasn’t listening. “We never should have done this.”

“We are perfectly fine.” He assured her with confidence he no longer felt. “Burgermeister Portefaix says that…”

“Everyone knows he’s just a bloated old turtle!” His wife interrupted in a rare display of temper. “We shouldn’t have listened!”

“And what would you have us do?” He snapped back. “Wait in that town to be feasted upon by a monster? Or watch our daughter be lorded over by some foreign devil?” He shook his head in defiant certainty, even though he recognized that his wife was correct, as usual. “This was the best option we had.”

Packing up and fleeing town had been a terrible choice, but it wasn’t like there were many better. As it was, they had just enough time to finish packing their meager belongings, board up their house, and try to make a break for it before that damn Krewhian Captain sealed the borders of town and sold them all to the British as prisoners of war.

Death had invaded the village and stalked it at all hours. Supplies were running short because no one would dare risk the journey to obtain them, there was no game left to hunt, and only a madman would make a delivery to Tarasque Creek at this point.

The town was cutoff, like castaways on a deserted island.

No. While they still had the ability, escape was the most sensible option.

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