Secrets of the Tally by Halie Fewkes

Author:Halie Fewkes [Fewkes, Halie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2015-08-21T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

That was what I thought it was, at least. I snapped my eyes open and listened intently, yet all was silent. Even if a monster loomed over me, I wouldn’t be able to see it. Why was there no light? Oh great, I hadn’t lit the fire. Getting up in the morning for sparring was going to be a bear.

I let my heart slow its pace as I realized I had probably been dreaming. Why had a dream scared me so badly?

I heard something again, a small shuffle next to my bed. My abruptly woken muscles wanted to freeze and play dead rather than face the unknown intruder, but I reached slowly and silently for my short swords on the ground next to me. My fingers brushed against a sheath, and I reached my other hand silently around to take the sword out without being detected. My bed made the tiniest squeak as my weight shifted, and that was when I heard a growl very close to me.

Somebody grabbed my wrists to keep me from getting to my short swords and a second person had a hand over my mouth before I could scream. I tried to break free by jerking my whole body to the side, but they were far too strong to squirm away from. Then I felt something brush against my shoulder that meant it was all over.

Arm spikes.

“Quit moving!” one of the Escalis hissed. I felt a blade come into gentle contact with my neck and I froze, struggling to take short breaths through my nose and stay calm enough to think.

“Let’s kill her now.” This second whisper was interlaced with a growl.

“Not until she tells us how they got out of the Breathing Sea.” I recognized this terrifying sharp voice as the Escali from the bridge — the more lithe of the two monsters who kept tormenting my life. “And I have other questions for her.”

Well I didn’t have any answers! I caught them by surprise this time as I jerked my pinned arms in front of my face and rolled to the side, straight off the bed. The sword cut into my neck, but it wasn’t deep. The grip the Escali had on my wrists had been relaxed enough to yank free, and I was away from them as soon as I hit the ground.

“She’s mine!” a snarl came from the more aggressive of the two.

I backed up to where I knew my wardrobe stood and squeezed in next to it to hide. Where were my short swords? I needed something to defend myself with! I hoped they could see as little in the dark as I could, because knowing the layout of my room was my only advantage. I considered screaming again, but I couldn’t bring myself to let them know where I hid.

“She can tell us later!” The Escali searching for me grabbed me by the shoulders and threw me with his unnatural strength into the wall.

I screamed but found myself back in my bed.

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