CHAPTER 3
N ikki nestled further into the crook between the pine tree’s trunk and the fallen log. The breeze had picked up a few minutes ago, right after sunset, and there was enough room to provide protection from the wind.
She bit into her granola bar and focused on her crossword. With the sky bathed in dark shades of purple, she had to squint to see the page. “A four-letter word to believe something desired may happen or events will turn out for the best.”
The first letter in the puzzle was already filled in—the letter ‘H.’ Nikki tapped the rubber end of her pencil against her bottom lip. Hmm, how about ‘hope.’ “How fitting, that’s just what I need right now.”
She wrote the remaining letters in the corresponding boxes then shoved the small paperback into her pack. Working the crossword had helped occupy her mind, but now, the reality of her situation teased at her subconscious.
She glanced into the darkening forest. Were there wolves out here? Bears? Coyotes? Dread, cold as ice, snaked over her shoulders. Her muscles tensed, tightening at the base of her neck. Trailing a fingertip over her bracelet, she followed the links from her wrist over her hand and around the ring on her middle finger. The familiar movement often calmed her nerves, but not tonight. “C’mon Jasmine, bring the cavalry. I need to study for my test.”
Jasmine…
Although they’d recently moved from polite acquaintances to work friends, Nikki didn’t know that much about Jasmine. Not even where she lived or who was in her family. What if Jasmine never returned?
A gust of wind rippled through the boughs. The limbs brushed against each other, sighing in the dusk. Goosebumps prickled along Nikki’s arms, and she rubbed her skin, trying to maintain some warmth from the relentless chill in the air.
With temperatures in the eighties during the day, she’d dressed in a thin top and a pair of shorts. A sweater hadn’t even crossed her mind. She huddled further against the tree, but the wind was relentless, beating at every exposed piece of skin.
Between the treetops, the full moon and a few stars became visible in the sky. Toby, her little brother, would’ve enjoyed a night in the woods. Born with Down Syndrome, he hadn’t grown past the mental age of five and had loved camping. Unable to handle Toby’s special needs, their father had fallen down the long road of alcohol addiction until one day he’d taken them on a little joy ride and smashed the car into a tree.
Nikki was the only survivor. Since her mother had passed during Toby’s birth, Nikki had no family left. The familiar loneliness echoed within her as if she were a hollow cave. She’d lost so much. How she missed her little brother.
She rummaged in her pack, her fingers grazing against her water bottle, another granola bar, the baggie of trail mix, the puzzle book, a pen. Her small flashlight seemed intent on eluding her. To be caught out here in the woods after dark was a completely different experience than hiking the trail during the day. A tendril of fear wound inside, squeezing the breath from her.
With a quick jerk, she upended her pack, dumping the contents in her lap. The water bottle rolled off her leg and the trail mix, the granola bar, and the pen flew through the air. Her puzzle book slid between her foot and the fallen log. Something cold and metallic caressed her bare thigh. She grasped the penlight. The muscles in her arms shook from relief.
She depressed the button. Light shot from the bulb in a thin stream, illuminating a few feet in front of her. She shined the beam over her surroundings. Her water bottle lay nearby. She stretched to retrieve it.
A twig snapped.
Hisssss…
Every muscle in Nikki’s body tensed. A scream lodged in her throat. The beam of light was like a beacon, announcing her location. Fingers shaking, she flicked off the light.
Not accustomed to the blackness, she was blind. A soft whimper threatened to escape, and she clamped down on it, snuffing the sound.
A strong astringent scent like rubbing alcohol wafted by on the breeze. Brush under nearby trees rustled.
Her pulse pounded at her temple, racing at breakneck speed. Yet, she remained frozen, like a mouse hiding from a predator.
“The putrid scent of humans from the nearby trail clogs the air. Why do you wish to go this way, my lady?” a man’s voice echoed from the trees.
Nikki’s first impulse was to jump up, yell for help, but something held her in place, an even deeper instinct perhaps, one of self-preservation.
A loud female tittered, the sound uncanny and unnatural. “Eldon, please. Your intelligence is sorely lacking. I suspect Saar will send troops this way, and I’d like some revenge.”
Nikki turned her head to peer toward the voices. Her eyes had adjusted to the dimness, and she caught movement between the trees. A woman, with a patch over one eye, wearing a blouse and short skirt, traipsed through the woods, a bald man at her side. How odd…
Loud chuffing sounds burst from the man. “I smell Stiyaha.” His long tongue whipped from his mouth. The tip snapped in the air.
Nikki screamed.
The sound was swallowed by a roar so loud it shook the trees.
A man with a dark shirt and black pants emerged from behind a boulder. He raised his fist, the long dagger blade extending from the hilt in his grasp.
Other bald men dropped from the trees. Like a pack of wild dogs, they circled the armed man.
Nikki scrambled against her hiding spot, burying herself as deep into the copse as possible.
“Don’t attack! Not yet.” The woman held out her hands, commanding the strange creatures. She adjusted the patch over her eye. “Noeh, what a pleasant surprise. What brings you—”
“Where is my son? What have you done with him, Mauree?” The large man took a step forward, toward the lone woman.
Caught up in their own confrontation, they didn’t notice Nikki. Afraid to make any noise, she inhaled and exhaled with slow, deliberate breathes. A part of her feared they would hear her racing heart.
“Your son?” Mauree tilted her head. “Is he missing? How interesting. Perhaps I’ll have to find the little tyke.”
A loud, anguished howl tore from Noeh. Dagger outstretched, he lunged toward Mauree.
“Kill him!” Mauree’s shrill voice echoed between the trees.
The strange bald men attacked the solitary man, this ‘Noeh.’ Long, knifelike claws extended from their fingers. Lengthy tongues snapped from their mouths.
Nikki flinched. Had she fallen down the rabbit hole? Was she in some kind of bizarre, delusional nightmare? Another shriek built in her throat, but fear paralyzed her and kept her rooted in place.
Noeh changed, growing to a towering height of nine feet. Long, shaggy hair grew over his limbs. His clothes magically disappeared beneath the fur. Tusks emerged from his mouth, along with a feral growl of pure rage.
Nikki gaped at the unbelievable sight. Yep, it was official, she was in Wonderland. Her silent scream ricocheted in her mind.
Gaetan tracked through the forest, following the trail of broken branches, bent ferns, and utter destruction Noeh had left in his wake. Even without his preternatural ability to see in minimal light, Gaetan couldn’t have missed the carnage. He couldn’t keep pace, and he’d lost sight of his friend a few minutes ago. A spurt of energy lit by fear urged him onward.
Noeh’s loud roar echoed through the trees. The beast was loose.
Gaetan tightened his grip on his staff. The sunstone on the end flared to life a moment before resuming its usual orange luster. Pulling on his inner determination, he hobbled over the beaten path and prayed he wasn’t too late.
Snarls, growls, and the slashing of claws through flesh filled the night air. Gaetan crested a small hill, and the moon’s soft glow provided enough light to reveal several Gossum surrounding a beastly Noeh. Black sludge, deathly evidence of more of the vile creatures, coated the ground at his feet. The Gossum attacked, ever relentless, one after another. Blood dripped from several of Noeh’s wounds, but he never relented.
Noeh gripped a Gossum by the tongue and flung it far from him. The creature smacked against a tree. A loud crack rent the air, its back broken. It slid to the ground in a pile of goo.
Not far away, Mauree placed one high-heeled foot on a nearby downed tree. A black patch lay across one eye, the other sparked with killing intent. She clapped her hands. “Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!”
Anlon was nowhere in sight. A strange combination of relief and panic flitted over Gaetan’s nerves.
He gripped his staff and, forcing his deformed leg to bear his weight, pushed himself into a hobbled run. Pain rippled up his calf, and he used the energy to fuel his drive. He must aid Noeh. Nothing else mattered.
Gaetan closed the distance, and a glint of light shifted his focus.
Mauree slid a dagger from a pouch along her thigh. Her attention riveted to Noeh. With a quick flick of her wrist, she launched the weapon.
Gaetan was too far away. He slowed to a stop behind a tree, the realization freezing his muscles in place. He couldn’t save his king.
Helpless, Gaetan watched from the shadows, the back of his throat stinging. The blade flipped end over end through the air, catching the moon’s glow with each revolution. With a soft thunk, the tip embedded in Noeh’s throat.
Noeh tensed, the muscles in his arms and legs turning rigid. A strangled gurgle emitted from his lips. Blood gushed from the wound, pulsing with each beat of his heart.
A Gossum stung him on the face, another on the arm, a third raked its claws down Noeh’s back. Each strike made Gaetan flinch. They swarmed over the great king, and Gaetan could only see glimpses of his bloodied body. Before Noeh landed on the ground, he disintegrated, turning to sand in an instant. Gaetan held back a gasp. Oh gods, no.
His best friend and king was dead.
Grief, powerful and strong, tore through Gaetan, shredding his heart. For a long moment, he couldn’t think, his brain refusing to acknowledge what his eyes so clearly revealed.
“If anything ever happens to me, I want you to raise Anlon.”
The memory of Noeh’s words reverberated in Gaetan’s mind, and his promise to Noeh bore down on him like a serpent twisting around Gaetan’s soul. The unbreakable bond would drive him to find the babe as much as his guilt. If he didn’t honor his commitment, when he died, his soul wouldn’t return to Lemuria, but instead, it would disappear into the ether, the space between space. That was worse than death.
He didn’t care, not for himself, but he couldn’t let the babe suffer, lost and alone, or worse, fall into the enemy’s hands. Anlon was somewhere. Gaetan just needed to find him. He curled his hand into a fist. Nothing, absolutely nothing, would keep him from his commitment.