Page 57 of Malicent
The mutations are more than what I imagined—far beyond. Telepathy? An entire domain? That shouldn’t be possible. How did it even get past my wall?
The girl. Something about her.
I don’t have time to figure it out. The Crep moves.
I fall forward, my body completely unresponsive. My vision blurs, but I can still hear it.
The claws scrape against stone as it dismounts from the wall. The ground trembles beneath me. I can feel it approaching. It’s coming to feed.
The beast purrs, sniffing the air with great satisfaction. “Lamb for slaughter,” it murmurs, inhaling deeply, savoring my scent. “For thee to feast. Born of dark, but not like thee.”
I need to move, but I cannot.
Then—
Something else shifts in the shadows. A second presence.
A growl, then the eyes. Sapphire pierces through the darkness, and the Crepitus Vox stops. It sniffs the air. A low, guttural clicking vibrates from its throat in a warning.
It knows.
A new predator is near.
The rotting stench thickens as the Crep steps over me. I want to vomit, but I do not wretch. Its massive weight shifts above myfrozen body, pausing as it takes in the new arrival. Not to shield me, but rather to guard its meal.
The shadows suddenly ripple. Oily waves of black smoke twist into a solid form, pooling into the shape of a massive panther. Six long, sinuous snakes protrude from its back, their bodies coiling and flicking as they taste the air.
Its sapphire eyes remain locked on the Crep, sizing up the bigger threat.
Muscles coil.
It pounces, and the Crep lunges to meet it. They clash in a flurry of claws and fangs. Exploding in a flurry of movement, bodies slam into stone, and snarls and screeches tear through the cavern.
I cannot see them anymore. Only the sounds remain.
I lay frozen, staring at the cavern wall, waiting for the victor.
Chapter 15
Cage
THE STENCH OF DEAD FLESH hangs thick in the air. The cattle long since dead, their carcasses are now a haven for a magnitude of insects. Flies buzz and burrow into the decaying tissue.
I snap the lid on the final sample dish, sealing away the unnatural blue tissue I’ve collected. Slipping the dish back into my satchel, I hoist the leather strap onto my shoulder.
A few feet away, Kalix is gagging. His sleeve is pressed against his nose in a futile attempt to block some of the smell. His enhanced sense of smell makes it worse for him, though I can’t bring myself to feel sympathy. If anything, the sight of him struggling almost makes me smile.
“If you hurl on the samples, Iris might actually turn you into a common dog,” I yell out, watching as he retches again.
Kalix shoots me a scowl, “So she threatens time and time again, yet here I am—man of flesh!” He winks and chuckles, but his amusement is cut short as he gags after inhaling another lungful of decay.
I shake my head, exhaling sharply. Enough distractions. Scanning the area, I motion around us. “Where the hell is our witch?”
Kalix, still regaining his composure, lazily flicks his wrist, pointing a small surgical blade toward the tree line. “She went wandering that way.”
I freeze mid motion, deadpan.
“And you did not think to follow her?” I say flatly, but irritation coils beneath my words. “Or even mention it?
