Page 64 of Whispers of the Elderoak

She walked for hours, large trees looming overhead as glowing insects darted among their twisting branches. The forest was dense, and she had to step over roots and fallen logs with almost every step. In between the roots of the trees, violet bioluminescent flowers bloomed and when Ava got too close, they retreated into their stalks as if hiding from the threat of being found. She’d never seen anything like it and the biologist in her wanted to stop and study each and every living creature in this forest.

But she kept on, urging herself toward her destination and fueled by the fear that the daemons would come after her if she stopped for too long.

Surrounded by the noises of the night, she occasionally hid beneath a shrub or behind a tree when she heard the larger creatures sniffing about, hunting for their dinner. Though she couldn’t make out their features in the dark, she knew enough to avoid them, not risking her safety to get a closer look.

Taking a break, she found a spot on the mossy ground and leaned against a tree, anxious to rest her body and eat, feeling faint from pushing herself for so long. Her three mouse companions remained by her side, darting around her and catching small insects for their own meals.

As she was chewing on a piece of dried meat, something rustled in the shrubs in front of her. Staying silent, she slowly unsheathed her dagger and faced the direction the noise was coming from, holding completely still and hoping whatever it was would pass by in the night. If the creatures here were anything like back home, as long as you didn’t pose a threat, chances were they wouldn’t even spare you a second glance.

The rustling became more pronounced when something emerged from the bushes, glowing faintly. It was small, about the size of a house cat and looked like a fox with its fluffy tail and oversized ears. Except it wasn’t a fox because the foxes back home didn’t glow.

A golden light shone around the animal, emanating from its fur as it tilted its head and looked at her with curious eyes. Slowly approaching, it sniffed at her feet as it assessed whether she was a threat.

“Hello, there,” she whispered.

It sat on its haunches and inspected her, ears moving as if it was listening and she sat silently, in awe of the magical creature before her. After a minute or so, it turned its head as if hearing something far off Ava couldn’t make out and took off into the woods, the glow fading as it disappeared.

“Amazing,” she said, rising to continue her trek.

She plodded on, pushing through the night and keeping an eye out for a place to sleep and hide for the day. Though she heard growls and cries in the night, she never came across any other animals and was thankful the dangerous ones seemed content to leave her alone.

The next fewdays repeated the same pattern. Walking all night, then searching for a hiding place to rest and spend her day.

She had to be getting close. Surely, she would arrive at some town or the capital soon. Weakness and starvation were starting to set in, and each day was becoming more difficult to continue. Her body ached with her injuries, and she often had to pause and rest before the dizziness overcame her. She was out of food and struggling to find a place to refill her water. She needed to get somewhere safe as quickly as possible.

Luna had appeared to her the day before, but hadn’t stayed long, explaining she had to stay hidden until Ava reached the capital. That the fae wouldn’t believe she had a companion.

Though she was disappointed, Ava had shrugged and bid her friend farewell and hoped it wouldn’t be long before shereturned. She was used to her comings and goings now and wondered if the other animal companions of Monterre did the same.

She had passed through the thick forest for most of her expedition, terrain barely changing except for the towering green mountains in the distance which were getting closer each day. Mosshaven must be somewhere near those mountains. Faithfully following the star, she pressed on, thankful she had heard no inkling of Deidamia, Andras or their terrible army.

As she walked, her mind tended to wander and tonight she couldn’t stop thinking about Remy. Was he okay? Had he found his way back home? He was a strange creature, repeating words half the time, but he was tenderhearted and generous. Her very first friend in Eorhan, she hoped to see him again, unsure of what her future held.

She wouldn’t let herself think too hard about Henry. Or Andras. Or whoever he was. The heartache was too raw, too deep. Unable to acknowledge she was deceived by a man, she didn’t want to face it. She just needed to get to safety.

Maybe they had a library in Mosshaven where she could get lost in a new book. Would she even be able to read it? She wondered what the fae there were like, if they would be kind to her or be wary of her human appearance. Would she make friends? How would she find a place to live if she had no money? Maybe she needed to ask for a job somewhere.

Lost in thought, she continued, unaware of her surroundings.

So unaware she didn’t notice she wasn’t alone. Didn’t hear the almost silent steps approaching until it was too late.

A low growl rumbled behind her, and she whirled, removing her dagger and gripping it tightly. She had been fortunate enough not to come across any of the dangerous creatures lurking in these woods, but it seemed her luck had run out.

The reflection of eyes stared at her from between trees and she backed away, heart in her throat, as a creature emerged from the shadows.

Its body was vaguely human, but it crept on all fours, arms and legs unnaturally long and attached to the sides of its torso. Gray skin glistened in the moonlight and glowing white eyes leered at her through its gaunt face, mouth opening wide revealing hundreds of needle-like teeth dripping with saliva. It had no nose and looked at her with a hunger in its eyes.

Realizing a dagger would do her no good, not wanting to get close enough to the being to use it, she sheathed it and reached behind her back for her bow instead. Her trembling hands grabbed an arrow and nocked it into place, slowly drawing the bow and readying to release the arrow into the creature.

It slunk toward her, and she willed her hands to stop trembling, reminding herself how to aim, hoping the skills would come back to her easily. She had been an excellent archer, but a moving creature was different than a stationary target.

As she took aim, a twig snapped under her foot, startling the creature. Its speed increased, creeping like a spider over the brush and fallen trees then crouched into a lunging position, preparing to strike.

Now. It had to be now, before it leaped for her.

She drew the bow further, aiming for its mouth, as it let out a low horrific scream. The creature leaned back on all fours and leapt into the air.

Ava released her arrow, her aim true, and clumsily scrambled out of the way as the creature crashed down where she had been standing. It twitched violently as she took her dagger and stabbed it in the head, assuring it was truly dead.

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