Home > Ruthless Fae(3)

Ruthless Fae(3)
Author: Ingrid Seymour

“He was here. I had him.” I’d dug through the topsoil, yanking up clogs of dirt, but there was no sign of my cousin. He’d just been here. He had to be—

“Tally!” The gentle hands turned firm as someone hauled me upright.

Tyler whirled me around to face him. “Stop this. He’s gone. We can get him back, but not like this.”

Vinya stepped beside him until they formed a united front, a study in opposites—her face pale and hopeful, his dark and serious.

“They used magic,” the witch said. “I could feel it. He isn’t in the ground, Tally. They’ve taken him somewhere.”

“Back to the dome,” Tyler said, his dark eyes gazing out into the night as if he could see all the way there.

I pulled out of his grasp, still angry and not ready to give up. “Then we have to go after him.”

They both stared at me.

“We go after him,” I repeated. “Now.”

Vinya shook her head, her long, red hair falling over one shoulder. “We lost half our people on that raid when we rescued you, Tally. We can’t just pop in and out as we please.”

“They’ll be waiting for us,” Tyler added. “Going after him is exactly what they want us to do.”

“But he’s hurt,” I said, my anger and frustration not letting me accept their words. “You saw him. What they did to him.” Tears prickled at the backs of my eyes. My cousin. My melthelel.

“We did see him.” Tyler put a hand on my shoulder to calm me, or maybe to keep me from turning and flying through the jungle toward the dome. “We will help him, but we need to be smart. The longer we’re here on the ground, the more vulnerable we are.”

Vinya nodded, her voice tight with what sounded like fear. “Something is coming. I can hear it.”

Our heads darted up as we registered her words. “What’s coming?” I asked.

She shook her head, biting her lip. “Something big. We need to go.”

Pulling out the gun he wore on a shoulder strap, Tyler gestured for us to head out. “Move. Now.”

Fear zapped over my skin like a current, but I refused to give up on my cousin so soon. Yet, I could see that Vinya was right. There was no sign of Sinasre here. The Habermanns, and their evil island, had taken him from me once again, and I needed to survive long enough to make them pay. Besides saving Sinasre, making sure we destroyed them and their operation was my main goal.

The idea that my aunt was actively working with those monsters had haunted me ever since I’d learned that awful news. And now her son was in more pain because of her selfish actions.

Vinya tugged at my arm, then turned and began to trek back to the rendezvous point. The island was treacherous and full of magic that blocked Vinya’s ability to teleport us back to the ship. She’d made it clear when we’d left the ship that she couldn’t just beam us out of the jungle wherever she liked. We had to get to the pocket where the magic flowed freely, which meant hiking back the way we came, about a ten-minute walk in the dark.

We had to hope that whatever prowled the night would leave us alone until we got there.

By the sounds of things, luck was not on our side.

Twigs cracked, and the ground trembled. Whatever was coming sounded massive.

“We need to go faster,” Tyler hissed. “Move.”

I spurred my wings into action, choosing to navigate the tree branches rather than run clumsily along the jungle floor. Vinya ran forward while casting a protection spell behind us, the same one she’d used as we exited the dome only hours before. Tyler kept his gun at the ready, though I had a feeling a few bullets might not stop whatever chased us.

Ahead, the trees thinned out. Tyler ran beneath me, glancing up. “We’re close.”

“Just a few more yards.” Vinya dropped her defensive spell and shot a beam of light towards the clearing where we’d first touched down. The light arched through the sky like a falling star and landed on the spot, illuminating everything within a twelve-foot radius.

That was when we spotted them.

Two monsters waited, blocking our escape. They were grotesque, unlike anything I knew possible.

The first had an oblong head with eyes on either side like some sort of shark. Rows of dagger-like teeth filled its mouth, top and bottom. If the head wasn’t enough of a killing machine, the body was even worse. The creature stood on all fours, legs as wide and solid as tree trunks, with flat feet, and sharp hoof-like toes. Thick spikes protruded from its shoulders, down the top of its head, and along the tail that wiped back and forth like a cat waiting to pounce.

The second creature was clearly female, naked, and standing erect. Thick vines twined up one leg and over the opposite shoulder, covering most of her important anatomy. Her hair, if it could be called that, was also vines that grew from her scalp and down to her shoulders. She didn’t look like the formidable opponent her partner did, but I had a feeling her dark stare meant something vicious lurked under the surface.

I recorded all this in two seconds as we skidded to a stop and readied for a fight. We couldn’t leave without getting to the spot they occupied, and they were here to stop us from doing so.

Heart pounding, I pulled out my sword while Vinya readied her magic and Tyler lifted his gun.

“Move out the way!” he shouted as if they could understand him. He aimed the rifle’s sight at the large beast’s chest. “Or we’ll have to use force.”

They didn’t move. Instead, the big beast clawed at the ground, while the viney female lifted her hands, palms up.

Could creatures like this cast magic?

Vines shot out of the ground like vipers, whipping around us and tangling our limbs. They snaked over my arms and tugged me down, fastening the hand that held the sword to my body. Ropes circled my feet and slithered up both shoulders. I beat my wings but went nowhere as they dragged me down.

Beside me, Vinya screamed and Tyler fired a round of three shots before the gun clattered to the ground. I wanted to help them, but the vines pinned me to the earth. Growling, I fought against them, but they were as strong and solid as chains, However, these were organic. I could smell the living material inside them as one snaked over my face.

The sword was still in my hand, and, though my arm was pinned, my wrist could move. Carefully, I began sawing at the vines. If I had a few minutes…

But I didn’t. The beast with the rows of horrible teeth advanced.

Its body shook the ground as it walked. And, though I lay flat to the earth, I could see the beast as it headed my way, towering over me by eight feet, at least. One of its feet could crush my skull, and it appeared as if that was what it intended to do. It stepped closer, nearly smiling with that giant mouth. It dropped its head down until the fangs were only inches from my skull. Drool dripped onto my skin, sliding down as its tongue lapped out and slathered over my cheek.

Terror and horror wared inside me as I pictured the beast devouring me. Would he sever my head from my body with its jaws or crush it under the weight of those horrible clawed feet?

“Leave her alone,” Vinya screamed. An errant spell flew forward, but landed in the dirt and fizzled. Tyler grunted but didn’t seem to be able to help either.

Biting down the scream in my throat, I continued sawing at the vine. If I could cut it loose...

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