Nine Souls by Shayne Silvers

Author:Shayne Silvers [Silvers, Shayne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Argento Publishing, LLC
Published: 2018-02-25T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 30

I took a deep breath, smelling the air, eyes darting about, ears focused to hear the smallest sound other than the steady patter of raindrops. I even tapped into my Fae magic, fumbling with it to try and get a better sense of everything. It was still somewhat awkward for me to use – working better in the heat of the moment than for casual, everyday things – but it at least gave me heightened senses enough to be certain we weren’t about to be surprised. I studied the hut before us, facing it squarely, watching the dim candlelight in the dirty center window. It was a sagging, decrepit building made of ancient, waterlogged wood. The porch was slanted, and other than the candlelight, it looked uninhabitable.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small metal pen. I thumbed it on and blue laser lights shot from each end, a thin beam made more visible thanks to the overcast skies and heavy rain. I was sure to aim one end at the candle light, and shuffled a few steps laterally until I was confident the beam of light was ninety degrees at the wall of the building. I glanced over my shoulder, eyeing the other laser beam pointing into trees that looked like any of the others surrounding the clearing with the hut. I marked the spot, turned my back on the candlelit window and began walking away from the house.

Talon and Carl silently fell in step with me as we made our way to the woods. After a few minutes of walking through the mud we crossed into the tree line. I kept my eyes on the trunk I had marked with the laser, occasionally glancing behind me to make sure the house still sat behind us. So far, so good.

The path began to grow thicker, the mud deeper, even trapping our boots, making us struggle to continue. The smell of damp rot increased, and I heard Talon snort. Then he sneezed a few times. Carl’s eyes squinted to bare slits, his tongue flicking out to taste the air as everything grew darker and gloomier with each step.

Low growls suddenly rumbled out of the nearby foliage. “No talk, no touch, no eye contact!” I snapped at Talon and Carl. “I warned you about this.”

They stiffened obediently, their every predatory sense urging them to ignore my demand. But they listened, shoulders tightening as fingers rested on hilts of the weapons at their hips. Thank you, Dog Whisperer, I thought to myself.

I continued walking as if I hadn’t heard the growls, eyes latched onto the tree I had marked. The growls grew harsher, angrier, and I even heard footsteps crunching over soaked twigs, the snapping of jaws, and saw fiery yellow eyes in my peripheral vision – stalking us.

Then a blast of hot air struck me in the face as I took the last step between me and the tree.

The gloomy woods were gone and I stood in a sunlit clearing.

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