Page 35 of Restored

Seconds after the arrow buries deep into its skull, the Kerolu drops, its lifeless body twitching.

Archie sends another careening into the air so fast it snaps the first tree it meets and slams into the one behind it. The Kerolu is stunned for a second before it recovers, charging in his direction.

Archie raises his hands, sending the sharp end of the broken tree into a Kerolu’s stomach. The tree branch cuts clean through its torso, the pointy end sticking out of its thick, furry back, dripping blue blood.

My palms sweat as I grip the dagger so hard my knuckles turn white. The scene in front of me ensues in slow motion, and I watch in horror. I only remember Ledger’s words when a Kerolu comes bounding towards me, its red eyes angry and locked in.

I swivel around, frantically searching for Cam. He is dodging a Kerolu, disappearing and reappearing behind it, swiping his sword into its side.

There is a clash behind me as Ledger intercepts the Kerolu coming for me.

Rocks careen around, knocking the Kerolu off balance. This distraction is enough for Ledger to brandish his sword right at the creature’s neck skillfully. His movements are sure and strong and hit their mark, decapitating it. Dark, navy blood spurts into the air.

My stomach sours, my mouth watering, a gag working its way up my throat at the sight. I force myself to turn awayand take a deep breath, trying to quell the nausea. I do not have time to be sick; I must get to Cam.

Archie is now at Cam’s side; his movements are incredibly fast. He slashes at a huge Kerolu, making contact a few times, splattering his face in navy droplets.

Cam takes one strong swipe at the Kerolu, but its head swipes up, the sharp horn tip plunging right through his arm.

He grimaces in pain, yanking his arm from where it is impaled by the Kerolu’s horn. Archie yells something to Cam, and his head snaps up, meeting my panicked gaze.

We run for each other almost instantly. He reaches his hand out to me when we are close enough and mine meets his. The second our skin touches, the world goes black, and a moment later, comes rushing back.

My head is spinning as I orient myself. We are only about fifteen feet away from the mayhem. “Sorry.” Cam’s breathless voice comes from next to me. “I can’t teleport far when I have someone with me and am under pressure.”

Before I can answer, Cam grabs my hand again, blackness taking over before we reappear. He does this two more times before he is satisfied with how far away we are from the Kerolu.

We are both trying to catch our breath as he turns to me. “Stay here, Layla; I must go back to help. We need you and your powers so please stay quiet and hidden. I’ll come get you as soon as it’s safe.”

I nod, not able to form words yet and he disappears.

Almost as soon as Cam vanishes, a rustling comes from a few feet away. I freeze, straining to hear, and shakily lift my dagger, desperately trying to coerce myself into turning towards the noise.

Heart racing, I ever so slightly turn my head, my body poised to strike. I nearly sob with relief when I see Apollo.

“You scared the shit out of me.” I take a few steps towards him, realizing his reins are stuck on a tree branch. His eyes are wild, and he is trying to pull himself free.

I follow his stare to see the Kerolu from earlier that had run after the horses.

“Just great,” I mumble to myself. “I suppose you don’t want to be friends?” I call to the creature. “I could heal you, and you could give me a cute little seashell and send me on my way?”

That gods-awful siren screech is all I get in response, the drool from its mouth peppering the air. It moves first, its strong thighs sending it hurtling through the air towards Apollo. I yank his reins free, and he blots.

I careen around, racing as fast as I can through the trees. Ifeelthe rush of air on my neck as the creature lands behind me. The pounding of my heart thrums through my ears. The greens and browns of the woods blur my vision as I run.

A scream rips from my throat as the Kerolu barrels into me. I hit the ground with such force the breath is knockedfrom my lungs. My head pings off the ground, making my ears sing.

I don’t even get a second of reprieve before the creature locks its horrible jaws around my thigh. It’s gnarled serrated teeth dig deep into the muscle of my leg drawing fresh rivulets of crimson. Its eyes are wild, unseeing, lost in bloodlust. My body jostles as it shakes its neck in an animalistic predatory way.

White spots fill my vision as the pain laces through me. The dagger in my hand gleams in the sunlight as red, beady eyes lock with mine. My thoughts are empty as I slam the dagger as hard as I can into its fleshy neck.

Its head snaps to the side, its bloodied teeth scraping across my thigh. It wails in pain, and I can barely feel my own as I scramble to my feet.

The dagger slides around in my palm, slick with blue, sticky blood. I limp away from the Kerolu, putting precious distance between us. Hot blood drips down my thigh, the crimson color telling me it’s mine.I am so royally fucked.

The scrape of the creature’s nails on the dirt signals its pursuit. The Kerolu’s anger billows off it.

I foolishly chance a look back, my injured leg snagging on a root, sending me crashing to the ground.

---