Page 38 of Witch Unbound
I set off toward the ominous forest.
* * *
CORA
It was too quiet, as if this place was holding its breath, waiting for something. My sixth sense warned me I wasn’t alone, even though I couldn’t see anything following me. The rocky terrain was getting harder to navigate, each rise higher and more perilous. I spotted inky crevices in the stone, here and there, which made my pulse race.
Were creatures hiding inside?
No. Don’t dwell. Don’t think about it.
I climbed the next rise to find sandy flatland beyond, gray and dead, but there was life in the distance in the spindly silhouette of a treeline. My gut told me this was the way I needed to go.
I picked up speed, barreling down the rise and onto the sand, but I’d barely taken two steps when an eerie screech cut through the silence. My heart leapt into my throat and I froze. Adrenaline gushed through my veins, making my limbs tremble.
Yep, I most certainly wasn’t alone.
The screech was answered by another not too far to my right.
My presence had been detected. There was no time to waste. I needed to get to the forest, fast.
I broke into a sprint, grateful that I’d opted for low-heeled boots today, because otherwise there was no way I’d make it across this crumbling expanse without getting stuck.
The screeching grew closer.
I picked up speed. Almost there.
The ground in front of me erupted, spitting out a monolithic worm-thing. It reared up, cutting off my path. Mottled skin split open to reveal a multitude of teeth in several mouthy holes.
Fuuuck!
I scrambled back and dove to the left as it slammed into the ground where I’d stood a moment ago. I beelined toward the trees with the thing right on my tail. The ground shuddered beneath me and then exploded to my left as another worm broke through the surface. I veered to avoid it, picking up speed, body low, focus on the treeline.
So fucking close.
Wait, what was that movement up ahead in the trees? A figure. Wait, was that a person?
Jasper, maybe?
The air ahead shimmered like a veil before smoothing out. Was a barrier between us? I caught sight of a pale face, the flash of eye whites, and the curve of a familiar jaw.
“Jasper!”
The ground beneath my feet shifted, throwing me into the air with a worm beneath my boots.
Shit.
I launched myself off the beast and hit the ground in a scramble, aiming for the forest. “Jasper.”
He was there, right there within reach. He was looking right at me. “Babe.” I ran toward him, joy expanding like a helium balloon in my chest. I’d found him. I’d fucking found him.
The air slammed into me, knocking me back.
What the fuck? No. I ran toward him again and bounced off air.
A barrier. A fucking forcefield of some kind.
Frustration twisted my gut into knots. “Jasper!”
