《Tempest Born (Progression Fantasy)》


 Chapter 1 – Dancing

    The ground shook in time with the beating drums. The valley echoed with the roar of the crowd. The clear night sky glowed with the flickering bonfires.


    Syl ignored it all. The Ka-Sho was everything. It consumed her. Some small part of her brain registered the drums. Registered the beat that was supposed to lead her dance. Supposed to, but didn¡¯t. If anything, she led the drums.


    The rhythm of the Ka-Sho trailed her movements like floating strands of gossamer. There it hung, for a heartbeat and no more, before the bone-deep thump of the drums and her fellow dancers snatched it up. Syl wasn¡¯t in the centre of the circle of dancers, but she was the centre of the dance.


    As she moved, others followed. The weight of the crowd shifted to get a better view, dancers spun in the circle around her, and Ancestors above bore witness to her dance.


    Syl shifted seamlessly from En-Da to Pal-Bok with the changing tempo of the smaller, faster drums. The crowd¡¯s thunderous voice quieted, mesmerized by her movements, to be replaced by stomping feet and clapping hands in time with the heavy drums that guided her strikes.


    Her focus turned inward, and the faces around her blurred. It didn¡¯t matter who was watching or dancing beside her. All that mattered was the Ka-Sho.


    There was only the rhythm. It thrummed through her veins like her blood. It beat her heart and filled her lungs. Her every lunge shook the ground like a titan¡¯s step. Her every punch snapped the air like a whip.


    The drums¡¯ intensity built, the tempo demanding more and more. Sweat sheened Syl¡¯s skin and glistened in the firelight. Muscles screamed as she leapt into the air, vaulting as high as she was tall, before flipping over and slamming her fist back down to the ground.


    But the drums wouldn¡¯t let her rest.


    She rose in a smooth spin, sucking air into her lungs for the final burst. With a cadence that bordered on impossible, Syl exploded into motion. Hands and feet a blur, gravity seemingly had no pull on her. She struck and she danced. She jumped and she rolled. And then all at once, she stopped, her foot held for the final stomp.


    The entire village paused. Every drum, every villager. Nothing breathed. Nothing moved. It all hung by a thread. For her.


    The heartbeat she paused stretched for an eternity.


    The primal force of the Ka-Sho filled her. The cool night air kissed her skin. The sweet smells of the village tickled her nose. And the building anticipation of the crowd energized her. But not as much as her own eagerness.


    Unable to contain it a second longer, a small smile curved her lips.


    As if that smile were a sign, time snapped back to normal speed, and her foot slammed down to finish her dance. A thousand feet came down with hers. A thousand pairs of hands came together. The drums pounded. The valley itself shook under their power.


    Then the cheering started. A booming roar that spread Syl¡¯s small smile with pride. Friends¡¯ hands clapped on her shoulders and she turned to find her smile mirrored on their faces.


    The next moments hazy, she nodded and responded to shared words of praise before leaving the ring. She didn¡¯t try to stand out, but the eyes of the crowd followed her as she parted from the others.


    ¡°No holding back huh?¡± Dena, her best friend, asked and playfully punched her in the shoulder.


    ¡°We might as well crown you winner and take the rest of the feast off,¡± Reylo added, then blushed furiously when Syl turned to look at him.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that¡­¡±  Syl started.


    ¡°Of course, it is,¡± Leeze piped up. ¡°I specifically wore this outfit so that Nak would look at my legs. But not a single eye in the entire crowd was on me. If you¡¯ve ruined my chances with him¡­¡±  she said with a glare and fingered the carved-bone pendant she was never without.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that Nak over there by the ahbay?¡± Kule pointed out. ¡°Is he old enough to drink that yet?¡±


    ¡°Of course, he is! He¡¯s a man,¡± Leeze said, smoothing out imaginary wrinkles in her outfit.


    ¡°Well, at least Henna isn¡¯t around. She seems to have just as much of a thing for Nak as you do,¡± Kule added.


    As if on cue, a young woman with flawless skin, long legs, and shimmering black hair stepped out of the crowd beside Nak. She handed him a cup, said something quietly, and the two shared an intimate laugh.


    ¡°KUUUUUULE!!!¡± Leeze snarled and spun. Kule was wisely already dashing off in the other direction. Leeze was after him in a flash.


    ¡°Boy needs to keep his mouth shut,¡± Dena chuckled.


    ¡°It¡¯s like magic,¡± Syl agreed. ¡°Was my Ka-Sho really that good?¡± she went back to the earlier topic.


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°You must have felt it,¡± Dena said with a smile. ¡°You always say you can feel the dance. That really was something else today. Maybe the best I¡¯ve ever seen you.¡±


    Syl¡¯s cheeks warmed at the praise, and the image of Reylo¡¯s constant blushing flashed through her mind. Was that what she looked like?


    ¡°I¡¯m sure even Rogar would admit you won that round,¡± Dena continued, smiling at her friend¡¯s flushing, and turned towards the aforementioned youth.


    Rogar crossed his arms but didn¡¯t look her in the eye. ¡°I¡¯m glad we weren¡¯t sparring,¡± he grumbled, then turned and walked away.


    ¡°Did¡­ he¡­ just compliment you?¡± Dena asked, genuine surprise on her face.


    ¡°I think he¡¯s admitting he can¡¯t win this year,¡± Reylo shrugged. ¡°None of us can.¡±


    ¡®C¡¯mon guys, you¡­¡±  Syl said.


    ¡°Syyyyyyyyyllllllll!¡± Xelly yelled a split second before crashing into her. Eight years her junior, he already came up to her chest, and she had to struggle to keep her balance. ¡°You were amazing,¡± her brother went on, a mix of pride and admiration in his eyes.


    ¡°You saw?¡± she asked him as she tussled his hair.


    ¡°I almost forgot to breathe!¡± he exclaimed. He was a bit prone to over-exaggeration. ¡°Can you be my Sho-Sen when I¡¯m old enough? I want to fight like you!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not for fighting,¡± Syl said with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s a dance¡­ that we sometimes use for sparring¡­¡±  she amended under Xelly¡¯s disbelieving glare.


    ¡°A dance that every partner in the village is too afraid to join you for,¡± Dena chimed in.


    ¡°With good reason,¡± Syl¡¯s mother added as she joined the small group. ¡°That was beautiful, Syl.¡±


    Enna, Syl¡¯s mother, had won the Ka-Sho-Dan when she was fifteen years old. She was Syl¡¯s inspiration. When Syl won in her first year, at the age of only twelve, her mother¡¯s eyes had shone with pride. That pride had only grown with each consecutive year, and victory, but there was something new there with it this time.


    Respect.


    Syl didn¡¯t have the words to express her appreciation for the look on Enna¡¯s face. So, she simply wrapped her arms around her in a tight hug while the drums began anew.


    The second wave of dancers would be taking the stage.


    Syl pulled away from her mother, ¡°Should we go check out the competition?¡± she asked Dena.


    Dena burst into laughter. ¡°Competition? For you?¡± She was actually laughing so hard tears were running down her cheeks.


    ¡°What would you suggest we do then?¡± Syl crossed her arms and asked her friend flatly.


    ¡°Eat!¡± Dena said with gusto, slapping her fist into the palm of her other hand. ¡°There¡¯s enough roasting meat around here to¡­ feed¡­ a village¡­¡±  she said lamely, as that was exactly the point of the feast. ¡°And then there¡¯s the pies.¡± Dena gave Enna a look of deep appreciation on that point.


    ¡°Then you might want to hurry. A few of them didn¡¯t make it to the feast on account of somebody¡­¡±  Enna¡¯s gaze shifted to a shrinking Xelly.


    ¡°I asked Nikk to help me bring the pies out to the tables! I didn¡¯t know he was going to eat all of them,¡± Xelly said, but he didn¡¯t look up at his mother.


    ¡°And the cherry filling I found on your cheek?¡± Enna asked.


    ¡°I told you! I don¡¯t know how that got there,¡± Xelly said flatly.


    But Syl was watching Dena. As soon as ¡®cherry¡¯ touched the air, her eyes opened wide in fear.


    ¡°Did¡­ any of the pies¡­ make it?¡± Dena asked, her face as serious as if she were asking about a terminally ill patient.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Nikk was really hungry and¡­¡±  Xelly trailed off when he looked at Dena. Her eyes had narrowed from surprise to that of planned vengeance. Xelly very carefully chose his next words, his life depending on them. ¡°¡­ and I know there were at least a dozen he couldn¡¯t have possibly eaten all by himself¡­¡±  he finished with an audible gulp.


    Dena leaned down to eye level with the youngster. ¡°You¡¯d best be telling the truth Xelly¡­ or else¡­¡±


    The boy was foolish enough to ask, ¡°Or else what?¡±


    ¡°Or else...this!¡± Dena exclaimed as she tackled him and began to tickle mercilessly.


    Close friends their entire lives, Xelly was as much Dena¡¯s little brother as he was Syl¡¯s. When Xelly reached out with a pleading hand towards Enna and Syl, neither rushed to his aid. He¡¯d gotten himself into this.


    A minute that must¡¯ve felt like an eternity later, Dena finally relented and stood triumphantly. Xelly lay gasping for air on the ground, though his smile stretched from ear to ear.


    ¡°And¡­ that¡¯s¡­ just the¡­ beginning¡­¡±  Dena said, breathing heavily from the tickle attack so soon after her Ka-Sho. ¡°Expect something a thousand times worse if I don¡¯t find my cherry pie!¡± she threatened, then grabbed Syl¡¯s arm and led her off into the crowd.


    ¡°See you later,¡± Syl called over her shoulder to her mother while Enna helped Xelly get up and dusted him off.


    ¡°Have fun,¡± Enna called with a small wave.


    ¡°Think they¡¯ll let us have some of the ahbay?¡± Dena asked while weaving through the crowd.


    ¡°We¡¯re not eighteen yet,¡± Syl countered. Her father let her try the strong alcohol once. It had her head spinning and her stomach heaving. The next day¡­


    Her head hurt just thinking about it, and she didn¡¯t need a repeat in the middle of the Ka-Sho-Dan.


    ¡°We¡¯re so close though!¡± Dena argued, leading them towards the tables where barrels of the fermented beverage waited. ¡°I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll let us if you ask.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what? Why me?¡± Syl tried to dig in her heels but Dena had too much forward momentum.


    ¡°Because you¡¯re the star of the Ka-Sho-Dan,¡± Dena explained, and took her place in front of one of the two men handing out cups. ¡°Two please,¡± she said, and elbowed Syl to speak up.


    The large man eyed the pair and casually reached up to scratch at his dark beard. ¡°Two cups? For who?¡± he asked them.


    ¡°Uh¡­ for¡­ my parents?¡± Syl didn¡¯t sound very convincing, and the man¡¯s raised eyebrow told her exactly that.


    ¡°You¡¯re a wonderful dancer,¡± the man said, ¡°but a terrible liar.¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon,¡± Dena said and started batting her eyelashes at him. To Syl, it just looked like she had something in her eye that she desperately wanted to get out. ¡°Just one cup each?¡±


    ¡°No can do. You know the rules as well as I do,¡± the big man said and crossed his arms.


    ¡°Listen, ladies,¡± the other man in front of the table spoke up. ¡°There¡¯s barely enough for the adults. We¡¯d have a riot on our hands if we started giving it out to you girls too.¡±


    Syl tried not to bristle at the way the man said, girls. They were only a few months away from her eighteenth birthday!


    ¡°What do you mean there¡¯s barely enough for the adults?¡± Dena asked, concerned. Her family did the brewing.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Ulkina¡¯s little girl. Looks just like her mom,¡± the bigger man said to the other. ¡°It¡¯s not like our stocks are low, we just don¡¯t have enough here. Kilik went to get more, but he¡¯s taking a long time.¡±


    ¡°Oh, phew,¡± Dena said. ¡°So¡­ since you know more is coming¡­¡±  Dena suggested with a wink.


    ¡°No,¡± both men said in unison.


    The scowl Dena gave them made it all the more comical and Syl could only laugh as she tugged her friend back towards the Ka-Sho-Dan.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go watch some more of the dance,¡± Syl said while Dena sputtered something unintelligible about pie and ahbay.

 Chapter 2 – Definitely Not Kidding

    ¡°He¡¯s a monster,¡± Dena said between gulping gasps of air.


    Three hours of non-stop Ka-Sho¡ªand all twelve barehanded forms¡ªhad even Syl on her back regretting every life choice she¡¯d ever made.


    ¡°I can¡¯t feel my legs¡­¡±  Leeze wheezed.


    ¡°I¡¯d be happy to feel them for you,¡± Kule offered.


    ¡°Touch me and you lose those fingers,¡± Leeze said, rolling her head just enough to glare at the boy. Kule was too busy looking at her sweat-sheened legs to notice.


    ¡°Spear forms,¡± the Sho-Sen said and all seven trainees on the ground groaned in unison.


    ¡°But Sho-Sen,¡± Leeze complained. ¡°We just competed last night! And we have to compete again tonight. Shouldn¡¯t we get a break?¡±


    The Sho-Sen, their instructor, simply crossed his muscular arms. ¡°Considering some of what I saw last night, I thought you would appreciate the opportunity for extra practice.¡± His eyes shifted to Kule, who was conveniently examining his fingernails.


    ¡°Syl¡¯s just going to win anyway,¡± Leeze sighed.


    Syl only half-listened to the complaints as she stood and picked up her Sho-Val harness. The argument would play out the same way it always did, so she loosened her tired muscles while running spear-forms in her head.


    Each of the twelve barehanded Ka-Sho forms had a slight variation involving the use of the Sho-Val. It was anybody¡¯s guess which the Sho-Sen would start with, so she strapped her harness on.


    ¡°While Syl¡¯s performance last night was excellent,¡± the Sho-Sen gave her a small nod. ¡°Even she can make mistakes. Victory is still up for grabs. And if you ever want to beat her, you need to stop simply following her.¡± A poignant look reminded them only Syl was on her feet.


    ¡°You¡¯re kidding, right?¡± Kule asked from the ground, finally taking his eyes off his fingernails. ¡°We just¡­¡± His words cut off when he looked at the Sho-Sen¡¯s face.


    The man was definitely not kidding.


    Each of the trainees sluggishly got up and joined Syl by their kits.


    As taught, Syl drew and inspected each of the Sho-Val¡¯s three components. She started with the paired blades, each two feet long, and attached to foot-long hafts. The softly curving edge was free of nicks and sharp enough to split sunlight. The balance felt right as she slowly executed a pair of spins before switching hands and repeating the same maneuver.


    Confident in the blades, she reverently placed them on the ground and drew the third, and simplest, piece of the Sho-Val. Two feet of haft with no blades, each end had clasping mechanisms to connect with the other components. Many people ignored its functionality. In nimble hands such as Syl¡¯s, it made the Sho-Val an extremely versatile¡ªif difficult¡ªweapon to master.


    Syl went through each of the weapon¡¯s configurations, from separate paired blades, eight-foot double spear, to five-foot single spear. Unlike most others, Syl also practiced with the middle haft in one hand and a blade in the other and she checked the balance before finally nodding her approval that all was in order.


    Her Sho-Val was the prize for her victory at the Ka-Sho-Dan the previous year, and it was a remarkable piece of work. Her inspection finished, she sheathed the weapon in the harness over her back and took up her position again in front of the Sho-Sen.


    When the others finally lined up beside her, the Sho-Sen looked at Kule. ¡°Which form would you like to practice?¡± he asked.


    Kule answered predictably. ¡°En-Da!¡± he said emphatically, stating the easiest of the forms.


    ¡°Then we shall start with Pal-Bok,¡± the Sho-Sen said, and an evil grin slowly spread across his face.


    On the wheel of Ka-Sho forms, Pal-Bok was the polar opposite of En-Da, and one of the most difficult with a Sho-Val in hand. Exhausted from three hours of practice already, Pal-Bok would be grueling.


    ¡°Great choice,¡± Rogar said out the side of his mouth.


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Though she couldn¡¯t disagree with Rogar, Syl simply took up the ready position without complaint. For Pal-Bok, even the relaxed, first position took effort. She balanced on one foot, the full eight-foot spear held above her head in one hand, with her other arm straight out in front of her. If they hadn¡¯t done the barehanded forms already, she could have held the position for hours.


    Everybody¡¯s muscles trembled as they took the stance, but nobody dropped out of it.


    A small smile of respect replaced the evil grin on the Sho-Sen¡¯s lips. He was proud of them, and that gave Syl the determination she needed to slide through the forms as the drums thumped their demanding rhythm.


    Mercifully, they only went through six of the twelve forms before the Sho-Sen had them put down their spears.


    ¡°At least he didn¡¯t make us do bow forms,¡± Kule whispered to Rogar.


    ¡°Excellent idea, Kule,¡± the Sho-Sen said, and gestured towards their resting bows.


    ¡°But what about lunch?¡± Leeze asked.


    ¡°Complete the bow forms to my satisfaction and lunch shall be your reward,¡± he answered.


    ¡°And if they aren¡¯t to your satisfaction?¡± Kule asked.


    ¡°Then we have six other Sho-Val forms we can enjoy together. Now, bows.¡± The Sho-Sen stood straight with his hands clasped behind his back. The discussion was over.


    As before, Syl was the first with the bow in her hand. The first back in line. The Sho-Sen gave her a small nod.


    ¡°Syl, which form?¡± he asked her.


    ¡°Lo-Dal,¡± she said immediately. Lo-Dal combined significant groundwork with numerous athletic flips, and with the bow, required being able to accurately shoot from several awkward positions. It was the form Syl struggled with the most.


    ¡°Lo-Dal it is,¡± the Sho-Sen said.


    ¡°Oh, of course he actually goes with what she picked,¡± Kule said quietly.


    ¡°Because it¡¯s already one of the most difficult forms,¡± Dena shot back.


    ¡°If you have the energy to talk, you have the energy to take up the first stance,¡± the Sho-Sen said, abruptly very close to Kule. The boy did well not to jump out of his skin at the man¡¯s sudden appearance beside him.


    Two other bow forms followed Lo-Dal and each of the seven trainees held their breath as they waited for the Sho-Sen to call out a fourth stance.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got special plans for you this afternoon,¡± the Sho-Sen said cryptically instead. ¡°So go home and get something to eat. Be back here in two hours.¡± The man didn¡¯t leave room for questions, turning and walking off immediately.


    ¡°What do you think he¡¯s got planned?¡± Edar asked.


    ¡°Torture is my guess,¡± Dena said.


    ¡°Torture after lunch is better than torture now. I think another bow form would¡¯ve killed me,¡± Leeze said.


    ¡°At least¡­¡±  Kule started, but three others interrupted with a shouted, ¡°Shut up Kule!¡±


    ¡°Fiiiiiine,¡± he grumbled.


    ¡°We don¡¯t need to go back to the village,¡± Dena offered. ¡°I brought enough sandwiches for everybody.¡±


    ¡°We can eat those on the way back. A pre-lunch snack to get our stomachs warmed up for the main event,¡± Kule said, rubbing his hands together. ¡°Candied boar!¡±


    ¡°Then why did I bring this all out here with me?¡± Dena looked regretfully at her packed lunches. ¡°I think we should just stay here. Besides, who knows what the Sho-Sen has planned for us. We don¡¯t want to have boar-tummy later.¡±


    ¡°There should be fresh pie,¡± Syl said slyly.


    ¡°To the village!¡± Dena practically shouted, pointing. ¡°What are you all waiting for?¡±


    ¡°So, Syl, you ready for the second round of the Ka-Sho-Dan tonight?¡± Edar asked her a few minutes later as they walked in a loose group along the covered trail back to the village.


    ¡°After that practice, I may just end up sleeping through it,¡± Syl said, eliciting a chuckle of agreement from the rest of the group.


    ¡°You¡¯d think he¡¯d give us an easier day,¡± Leeze added. ¡°Does he have a bet on somebody from one of the other classes or something?¡±


    ¡°His niece is what, thirteen now? Did she pass the first round last night?¡± Edar wondered aloud.


    ¡°The Sho-Sen is harder on her than he is on any of us,¡± Dena said. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m sure you all saw that smile today. He wants one of us to win.¡±


    ¡°He wants Syl to win,¡± Kule said bluntly, but without any resentment.


    ¡°Not as much as Reylo does,¡± Rogar said, and elbowed the boy on his right in the ribs.


    Reylo proceeded to turn as red as was physically possible. His crush on Syl was about the worst-kept secret in the village. But Syl just didn¡¯t think about him the same way, and she didn¡¯t have the heart to break it to him.


    ¡°I just¡­ you know¡­¡±  Reylo stumbled. ¡°I want to see one of us win, and I think Syl¡¯s got the best chance.¡±


    ¡°You also think she¡¯s got the best a¡­¡±  Kule cut off abruptly as Dena thumped him in the stomach.


    ¡°Reylo¡¯s right,¡± Leeze said between mouthfuls of sandwich. ¡°You do have the best chance Syl. Everybody¡¯s watching you.¡±


    ¡°But don¡¯t expect us to just roll over and give up. We¡¯re all aiming for top spot,¡± Rogar said with determination.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t have it any other way,¡± Syl responded with a smile as she looked at her friends.


    ¡°Maybe rolling over and giving up would be in your best interest, Rogar,¡± Dena said, jabbing a sandwich in his direction.


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± he asked.


    Dena held up one finger. ¡°Yesterday, Syl had you face down in the dirt begging for your mama during your spar.¡±


    ¡°I tripped!¡± he explained.


    Dena held up a second finger. ¡°Day before that, pretty sure she dunked you in the river.¡±


    ¡°Saw a fish,¡± he mumbled.


    Dena held up a third finger, but everybody was laughing too hard for her to even go on.


    Syl couldn¡¯t help but smile at her friends. The next few days would have her dancing like her life depended on it. But with these people beside her, with their unspoken support, she would come out on top.


    The jibes continued all the way back to the village and poor Rogar was left red and mumbling by the friendly torment. With just ninety minutes left until the Sho-Sen expected them back at the Ka-Sho field, the group was quick to wave their goodbyes and split up.


    Except Dena.


    She looked at Syl with determination and mouthed a single, sacred, word.


    Pie.

 Chapter 3 – The Rain

    The thrum and energy of the village was a palpable thing. People Syl and Dena passed wore wide smiles despite their hurry and had a bounce in their steps. It was like everybody was out and about, running this way and that to prepare for the night¡¯s feast.


    Fire pits and roasting meats filled the air with mouth-watering smells, men sang as they decorated the buildings, and small children laughed and dashed between them all.


    ¡°I love this time of year,¡± Dena told Syl. ¡°Having so many people here from the other villages makes it so exciting!¡± She had to raise her voice to be heard over the hum of the village, but Syl couldn¡¯t miss the exhilaration in her friend¡¯s words. And Syl agreed wholeheartedly.


    Despite the month of veritable captivity coming with the rainy season less than a week away, or perhaps because of it, Syl was full of energy. She wasn¡¯t looking forward to her parents making her stay inside like they did every year.


    Like every parent in the valley did.


    But this week, the week before the rain started, the annual Ka-Sho-Dan and the gathering of the valley¡¯s best dancers was what Syl anticipated all year long. Even now, after hours of grueling Ka-Sho practice, her fingers twitched to hold her Sho-Val again. Her legs longed to jump into the Ka-Sho ring and dance to the pounding drums.


    She wanted it so badly she could almost hear the drums beating the blood behind her ears.


    A group of first-year Ka-Sho trainees maintained the Ka-Sho-Dan ring Syl yearned for as she passed. Her eyes lingered on the space. For the past five years, that ring had been hers. She had clearly dominated the competition.


    Will this year be the same?


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Dena said, reading Syl¡¯s thoughts as she put a gentle hand on her shoulder. ¡°Somehow, you¡¯ve gotten even better than you were last year. You¡¯ve got this.¡±


    ¡°You and the others have gotten better too¡­¡±  Syl started, but Dena shook her head.


    ¡°Oh, we joke we¡¯re going to make you work for it, Syl, but we all know the truth. We¡¯re just amateurs dabbling in the art of the Ka-Sho. You, though, you¡¯re a master. When I watch you dance, it takes my breath away. Every time.


    ¡°The Sho-Sen says we shouldn¡¯t follow you, but we don¡¯t have a choice. You¡¯re as much the Ka-Sho as the drums are. And it¡¯s not just us that knows it. Everybody in the village does. Everybody came to the Ka-Sho-Dan last night and is going tonight, but not to watch the competition. They¡¯re going to watch you.¡±


    ¡°No pressure or anything,¡± Syl sighed, but her cheeks warmed at the compliments.


    ¡°Pressure only makes you do better. Has since we were kids stealing pies right from your mother¡¯s oven.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Dena,¡± Syl said. She hugged her friend. ¡°Speaking of my mother¡¯s pies, I should get back and help her out with those.¡±


    Dena¡¯s eyes practically lit up. ¡°She¡¯s going to have more at the feast tonight?¡±


    Syl rolled her eyes. ¡°You know she is. I saw her kneading the dough when I was heading out this morning.¡±


    Dena¡¯s hands came together to clasp in front of her face and she started to hop in place with excitement. ¡°Is she making more cherry? I looooooove the cherry.¡±


    ¡°Dena, she¡¯s been making pies for you for fifteen years. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll have a couple cherry pies set aside just for you. Especially after last night.¡±


    ¡°Your mother is the best,¡± Dena exclaimed. ¡°And Nikk is going to regret yesterday when I get my hands on him,¡± she schemed, memories of missed pie opportunities flitting across her face.


    They parted ways after Syl promised, twice more, to make sure there were extra cherry pies for Dena. And to bring one for dessert after lunch.


    She nodded absent greetings to people she saw on the way home, her mind running through Ka-Sho forms in preparation for the night ahead. Nobody had ever won more than three years in a row before her, and Syl was determined to capture her sixth consecutive victory. As she rounded the last corner, she barely registered the two men standing in front of her door but ducked back before either noticed her.


    One of them was her father, looking serious, as she peeked around the corner. The other man was Nuto, Rogar¡¯s father. She didn¡¯t think they had spotted her and she was just close enough to overhear their conversation.


    ¡°¡­ they would make a good match,¡± Nuto said. ¡°If you suggest it to Syl, I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll hear you out.¡±


    ¡°Oh, she¡¯ll hear me out,¡± her father, Firon, chuckled, ¡°but that doesn¡¯t mean she¡¯ll listen to me.¡±


    ¡°Then you should make her,¡± Nuto went on. ¡°You¡¯re her father.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps you haven¡¯t met my daughter,¡± Firon said with a conspirator¡¯s smile. ¡°I doubt there¡¯s anybody in the village that can make her do anything.


    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    ¡°Besides,¡± he continued, ¡°she¡¯s almost an adult now. She¡¯ll make her own decisions. I won¡¯t make them for her. If she¡¯s interested in marrying your son, she can bring that to me herself.¡±


    Syl almost choked at the word ¡®marry.¡¯ Her¡ªmarry¡ªRogar? Whose idea was that? Syl didn¡¯t think Rogar would be any happier with the arrangement than she would.


    ¡°Firon, listen to me,¡± Nuto went on. ¡°It would be a good joining, for both of our families.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all well and good, Nuto, but it¡¯s my daughter, specifically, that I¡¯m concerned with.¡±


    ¡°Firon¡­¡±  Nuto started again, but a stout shake of Firon¡¯s head stopped him. ¡°Fine, fine. I¡¯ll let it go for now. But think on it. It¡¯s not a bad match.¡±


    ¡°My answer will be the same after I think on it, my friend. It¡¯s Syl¡¯s decision. Not yours or mine.¡±


    Syl let out a relieved breath at her father¡¯s answer.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you and your family at the feast tonight?¡± Nuto finally asked in defeat.


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to attend but my wife is busy making pies for it as we speak.¡±


    ¡°Everything okay?¡±


    ¡°Teb fell and broke his arm. I¡¯ve got to head out to his stead to set it right. I¡¯ll be back in a few days.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a shame. Your daughter¡¯s last Ka-Sho-Dan and you won¡¯t be here to see it.¡±


    ¡°Nuto, my friend, we both know Syl will be in the finals. I¡¯ll be back before then. Speaking of¡­¡±  Firon raised an eyebrow as Syl rounded the corner, innocently pretending she¡¯d just gotten home.


    Her father saw straight through that ruse, but he didn¡¯t comment on it. ¡°You¡¯re back early,¡± he said instead.


    ¡°The Sho-Sen has plans for us. Whatever that means. Gave us a few hours for lunch,¡± Syl answered and gave her father a hug. The extra squeeze let him know just how much she appreciated his input, or lack-there-of, on the marriage proposal.


    ¡°If you¡¯re back, then Rogar should be too. I¡¯d best get home before he pesters his mother. Have a safe trip, friend,¡± Nuto said and clasped arms with Firon. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to your dance tonight,¡± he told Syl.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said quietly as her father returned the farewells.


    When Nuto was around the corner and out of sight, her father turned to her. ¡°How much did you hear?¡±


    ¡°Enough,¡± she said with a smile. ¡°Thank you. But you¡¯re going out to Teb¡¯s farm?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s go inside to discuss it. I haven¡¯t told your mother or brother yet,¡± Firon said, and opened the door, ushering Syl inside ahead of him.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t told me what?¡± Syl¡¯s mother asked from just inside the door.


    ¡°Uh, hello dear. Didn¡¯t expect to find you¡­ so close,¡± Firon said.


    ¡°I heard voices outside the door,¡± Enna explained. Dry dough covered her hands, but that didn¡¯t stop her from crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow at her husband. He hadn¡¯t answered her question yet.


    Enna, like Firon, was a doctor. She had infinite patience for her patients. Which left absolutely none for anybody else.


    ¡°Teb broke his arm¡­¡±  Firon started, but a huff from Enna cut him off.


    ¡°And he expects you to go out there and set it? Is that it? Tonight?!¡± Enna exclaimed and began to pace. ¡°The nerve of that man¡­¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t be gone long¡­¡±  Firon started, again.


    ¡°Four days! Minimum!¡± Enna turned on him with an accusatory glare. ¡°Did you plan this so you wouldn¡¯t have to help me with any more baking?¡±


    Syl¡¯s father looked genuinely surprised by the accusation, but instead of answering, he pointedly glanced at Syl.


    Enna¡¯s eyes went from Firon to Syl, and back again. Understanding washed over her in an instant. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have said that. I know how excited you are for the Ka-Sho-dan.¡± Syl¡¯s mother stepped forward and put an arm around each of them.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about the pies,¡± Firon said, wrapping ¡®his girls¡¯ in his arms.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Xelly will help me,¡± Enna replied.


    Syl¡¯s little brother Xelly, short for Xelion, wouldn¡¯t be terribly happy about the new arrangement.


    Not that Syl was going to mention it.


    When they separated a moment later, doughy handprints on both Firon and Syl, Enna gave her husband a loving smile. ¡°I¡¯ll get a few meals packed for you. The next batch of pies is already baking, so I¡¯ve got some time.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Firon said, and planted a soft kiss on his wife¡¯s forehead. ¡°As for you Syl,¡± he said, turning to face his daughter. ¡°I¡¯ll be back in time to see you win the Ka-Sho-Dan. Don¡¯t you doubt it.¡±


    ¡°You better be,¡± Syl said with a faux glare. ¡°I hear the prize this year is a bow crafted by Hemil himself. If I don¡¯t see you in the audience, you can bet you¡¯ll be my first target after I win it.¡±


    Both Enna and Firon let out a soft whistle. ¡°A bow by Hemil? That¡¯s quite the prize.¡±


    ¡°And after the spear you won last year¡­ every hunter in the valley is going to be jealous,¡± Enna said.


    ¡°They already are,¡± Firon said proudly.


    Syl¡¯s cheeks heated again at her parents¡¯ praise.


    She was lucky to have parents that cared for and supported her like they did. And while part of her was angry at Teb for taking her father away from the competition, the other part of her was all the more determined to make the finals because of it.


    Maybe her father saw the conflict going on inside her head because he tossed her a comforting wink before heading off to pack.


    ¡°That will be your life, you know,¡± Enna said quietly to Syl as Firon disappeared around the corner. ¡°After your eighteenth birthday, you¡¯ll be on the road with him. Setting broken arms, sewing up cuts, and watching children vomit on your shoes.¡±


    ¡°The glamorous life of a doctor,¡± Syl said with a chuckle. ¡°Do you miss it?¡±


    ¡°Sometimes. But I¡¯m still busy enough taking care of the people here. Not to mention you and your little brother. I don¡¯t need the hassle of being on call to walk the length of the valley and back,¡± Enna said, but there was a hint of wistful longing in her voice.


    ¡°How do you know I won¡¯t follow in your footsteps?¡± Syl asked her mother.


    Her mother gave her the ¡®I-know-you-better-than-you-know-yourself¡¯ look. ¡°Syl, my darling of darlings, one of the reasons you are so good at the Ka-Sho is because of your complete inability to sit still. You always need to be on the go, doing something. Staying in one village and tending its people? That, my dear, is not in your future.¡±


    ¡°What if I meet a nice boy and settle down? Nuto was just by¡­¡±  her mother¡¯s roaring laughter cut her off. The woman laughed so hard Firon even poked his head around the corner to make sure she was all right.


    ¡°Oh, what I wouldn¡¯t give to see Nuto¡¯s face after he really understood what he was getting himself into,¡± Enna laughed.


    Syl wanted to be shocked by the bluntness of her mother¡¯s words. She wanted her mother to see the expression of hurt on her face. But Syl was laughing too. Her mother was right. Nuto had no idea what he¡¯d be getting his son into.


    The two laughed until the front door cracked open and Xelly¡¯s dark-haired head popped in. The look of concern on his face turned into one of sheer terror when his mother¡¯s hawk-like glare swung in his direction.


    He could tell in that instant his feast plans had just gone up in smoke. He even tried to turn and run but Enna was simply too fast.


    Between tears of laughter, Syl stood aside as her mother dragged her younger brother into the kitchen and threw an apron over his head.


    ¡°Better you than me,¡± she mouthed so only Xelly could see.

 Chapter 4 – Make Sure

    ¡°That was too much food,¡± Syl told Dena on the return trip to the Ka-Sho field.


    ¡°I think I ate an entire boar by myself,¡± Dena groaned.


    Syl reached over and patted her friend¡¯s stomach as they walked. ¡°Just one?¡± she asked.


    Dena scowled at her but quickly turned her attention down to her tummy. ¡°Do you think¡­?¡± she asked half-heartedly, pinching the skin beside her belly button.


    ¡°A few hours on the Ka-Sho field will work it right off,¡± Syl said, and then they both groaned at the thought.


    ¡°The Sho-Sen is a cruel person if he makes us practice more,¡± Dena complained. ¡°We worked our butts off last night. And this morning! We need a chance to rest before the next dance tonight.¡±


    ¡°Compassion hasn¡¯t been one of his most prevalent qualities,¡± Syl chuckled. ¡°We¡¯ll probably go through the forms we skipped this morning. Twice.¡±


    ¡°If I die,¡± Dena turned and grabbed Syl¡¯s arm. ¡°Make sure my mom doesn¡¯t look under my cot. Make sure!¡±


    Syl laughed at the concern on Dena¡¯s face, but promised, nonetheless.


    Dena breathed a sigh of relief as they reached the Ka-Sho practice yard. The others from their group joined a few minutes later, and they all sat waiting for the Sho-Sen to arrive.


    ¡°He¡¯s usually here when I get here,¡± Rogar said. ¡°Maybe he had a bit too much ahbay over lunch?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen him touch the stuff,¡± Edar countered.


    ¡°He lost his older brother to a fishing accident. Blames it on ahbay,¡± Dena told them. ¡°Happened just after his brother¡¯s eighteenth birthday. The Sho-Sen was two years younger, so he¡¯s never even had so much as a sip as far as I know.¡±


    ¡°How do you know that?¡± Leeze asked.


    ¡°Mom told me. I think she had a thing for him before she met my father. But the loss of his brother¡­ broke¡­ something inside of him. He withdrew and devoted himself to the Ka-Sho. No wife or kids because of it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s kind of sad¡­¡±  Syl said. ¡°He seems like a good person.¡± Shocked looks surrounded her, so she amended her statement, ¡°I mean¡­ beneath the Ka-Sho slave-driver¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m almost looking forward to the Ka-Sho practice this afternoon. Ate way too much,¡± Rogar mirrored what Dena had said earlier.


    ¡°At least out here on the Ka-Sho field we don¡¯t have to worry about even catching a glimpse of boar,¡± Kule said, his hands on his stomach. ¡°I swear if I see even a hint of one before the feast tonight¡­¡±


    ¡°Congratulations,¡± the Sho-Sen said loudly as he approached the group. ¡°Ka-Sho practice is cancelled. You¡¯re going boar hunting.¡±


    Six heads swivelled in unison to look at Kule.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­¡±  he started defensively.


    ¡°Enough chatter. Grab your bows. Arrows are over in the tent,¡± the Sho-Sen thumbed back over his shoulder.


    ¡°Why do we have to go hunting?¡± Leeze whined as she slowly got to her feet.


    ¡°Because we already had people coming from the other villages last night to see our Ka-Sho-Dan,¡± the Sho-Sen answered.


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°Coming to see Syl, you mean,¡± Edar said. Suddenly six accusatory glares turned her way.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to blame me for having to go hunting?¡± Syl asked flatly.


    ¡°Yup,¡± Kule said.


    ¡°Seems that way,¡± Leeze said at the same time.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t¡­¡±  Reylo mumbled.


    ¡°It¡¯s usually your fault,¡± Rogar chimed in.


    Syl rolled her eyes and threw up her arms.


    ¡°You¡¯re not the only people that¡¯ll be out today,¡± the Sho-Sen advised. ¡°Several hunting parties are involved. Try not to shoot anybody.¡±


    Syl¡¯s eyes fell on Edar. ¡°I can¡¯t make any promises.¡±


    ¡°Not my fault you¡¯re popular,¡± he shrugged in response.


    ¡°At least with so many people out hunting, it shouldn¡¯t take too long,¡± Kule said.


    Three hours later, crouched in yet another bush, Syl turned and smacked Kule across the shoulder. ¡°You just had to say something, didn¡¯t you?¡± she hissed at him.


    ¡°So not my fault,¡± he shot back in a whisper. ¡°We would¡¯ve had one already if Rogar didn¡¯t piss on it.¡±


    ¡°I had to go,¡± Rogar growled. ¡°How was I supposed to know it was sleeping in that bush?¡±


    ¡°And it was aaaaaangry,¡± Leeze said, and Syl had to nod. She¡¯d never seen a boar that mad before.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯d be pissed off too,¡± Kule said dramatically. ¡°Get it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Kule, you¡¯re very funny,¡± Leeze deadpanned, shaking her head.


    ¡°Can we focus, just for a minute, on why we¡¯re out here?¡± Edar asked the group, always the serious one.


    ¡°What can we do before Dena gets back from scouting?¡± Kule asked. ¡°Who chose Dena anyway? She¡¯s about as sneaky as my grandmother.¡±


    ¡°Then your grandmother must be a ghost,¡± Dena whispered, a hair¡¯s breadth from Kule¡¯s ear. The man jumped and spun, startled, only to trip over a thick root and topple into a large, prickly bush.


    Everybody tried to keep their snorting laughter in check, but the trio of nearby birds taking off in fright showed how grossly they were failing.


    ¡°What did you find?¡± Rogar asked Dena.


    Dena took a moment to smirk at Kule, and then turned her attention to Rogar. ¡°There¡¯s a boar path running alongside the road up ahead there,¡± she pointed off at an angle from their position. ¡°We can probably follow it, and maybe get lucky.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not eating the one we found earlier,¡± Kule said as he got out of the bushes. ¡°It¡¯d just taste like¡­¡±


    Rogar¡¯s shove back into the bush drowned out the rest of Kule¡¯s words.


    ¡°I hope the others are having better luck than us,¡± Edar lamented, but started walking where Dena had pointed.


    The group spread out when they found the boar path and followed it for almost fifteen minutes before Leeze called out.


    ¡°Hey guys, you should come take a look at this,¡± she said loudly.


    If Leeze had found a boar, she wouldn¡¯t be so loud. Something else had gotten her attention.


    Syl cut through the trees to the road and found Leeze standing beside a small, two-wheeled, toppled-over wagon, small casks scattered on the road and in the nearby grass.


    ¡°Dena, isn¡¯t this¡­?¡± Syl turned to her friend.


    ¡°Yeah, this is one of my family¡¯s wagons. And¡­ this is our ahbay,¡± Dena said, kneeling down and righting one of the casks.


    ¡°Guess we just got lucky! Can I pour you a cup Leeze?¡± Kule asked and strutted over to one of the casks.


    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± Dena said evenly while she inspected the top of the cask she¡¯d righted. ¡°These were marked for last night¡¯s feast. What are they doing out here?¡±


    ¡°Kilik!¡± Syl realized.


    ¡°The old tanner?¡± Edar asked.


    ¡°Yes. Remember last night Dena, those guys said he¡¯d gone to get more ahbay, but he hadn¡¯t come back?¡± Syl asked her friend.


    ¡°That would make sense¡­¡±  Dena said as she thought about it. ¡°But where is he? And why would he leave our ahbay here in the middle of the road?¡±


    ¡°He knew we were coming and that we¡¯d be thirsty?¡± Kule offered.


    ¡°Maybe we should take a look around,¡± Reylo said, ignoring Kule. ¡°He might have fallen and hurt himself.¡±


    ¡°Good idea,¡± Syl agreed. ¡°Rogar, Rey, why don¡¯t you check further down the road on that side. Leeze, you and Kule take the other. Dena, Edar, and I will check in this direction,¡± Syl pointed opposite where she¡¯d told the others to go.


    ¡°Yes, Sho-Sen!¡± Kule said with an over-dramatic bow.


    Leeze grabbed Kule by the ear and dragged him off, her other hand wrapped around the pendant at her throat. ¡°She¡¯s got a point, let¡¯s go.¡±


    The others, likewise, started searching, but Dena walked right up to Syl. ¡°Not like you to take charge like that.¡±


    ¡°Something about this is bothering me, Dena,¡± Syl said, and looked at the toppled cart. ¡°We¡¯ve only seen one boar all day, in an area usually thick with them, and now this.¡±


    ¡°Maybe the festivities last night scared them off,¡± Dena reasonably suggested.


    Syl considered it but shook her head when she eyed the cart and scattered casks.


    There was more to it than that. But what was that ¡®more¡¯?


    ¡°Guuuuuuuuuys,¡± Kule shouted, and Syl¡¯s stomach fell at the panic in his voice. ¡°You need to get over here. Syl¡­ Syl you need to help him.¡±


    Not one for hesitating, Syl sprinted to where Kule pointed into the bushes.


    Well, there was her ¡®more.¡¯ They¡¯d found Kilik, but he was beyond anything Syl could do.


    Something had ripped his throat out.

 Chapter 5 – Emergency

    ¡°Mom!¡± Syl called as she threw the door open. ¡°Mom?¡± she almost-shouted again when her mother didn¡¯t emerge from the kitchen.


    ¡°Mooooooooom!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the emergency?¡± Enna answered, pushing aside the curtain leading into her bedroom. Concern etched her face, a mother¡¯s instincts responding to the way Syl called out for her.


    ¡°No time to explain, come on,¡± Syl said and grabbed her mother¡¯s arm. She led Enna outside and around back to the family¡¯s small clinic. The empty ahbay wagon stood in front of the door, and Syl could see the others already inside.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Enna asked and gestured towards the wagon.


    ¡°Easiest way to carry him back,¡± Syl said and went straight into the clinic.


    ¡°Carry who back?¡± Enna asked. She got her answer as soon as she entered. Kilik¡¯s body lay on the surgery table, but he was far beyond any treatment Enna could possibly administer.


    Enna immediately went over to inspect the body, starting with the obviously fatal wounds to the man¡¯s neck. ¡°What happened?¡± she asked her daughter.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Syl answered. ¡°We found him like that out on the road between Dena¡¯s brewery and the village.¡±


    ¡°What was he doing out there?¡± Enna asked as she moved her inspection to the scratches on his arms and legs.


    ¡°I think he went to get more ahbay.¡±


    ¡°When?¡±


    ¡°Last night, during our Ka-Sho-Dan.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s consistent with the state of the body. He¡¯s been dead for hours. Leeze,¡± Enna didn¡¯t look at the girl when she called her name. ¡°Go find Lorac, he should be with your father. Reylo, get your aunt. Bring them both back here as quickly as you can.¡±


    The two youths left without question. Everybody in the village knew that when Enna told you to do something, you did it.


    ¡°Did anybody see you bring the body here?¡±


    Syl slowly shook her head at the unexpected question. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Maybe? We brought the wagon around the back of the village because we figured the main roads would be clogged for the feast. Why? What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Enna looked up and met her daughter¡¯s eyes. ¡°Nothing. I just don¡¯t want people jumping to conclusions before I talk to Lorac and Velena.¡±


    Lorac, Leeze¡¯s father¡¯s best friend, and the finest hunter in the village. Velena, Reylo¡¯s aunt, and the village chief. It wasn¡¯t a good sign Enna needed to see them both urgently.


    It didn¡¯t take long for either to arrive and both joined the inspection of Kilik¡¯s body straightaway.


    ¡°What do you think did this?¡± Lorac asked.


    ¡°I think it was a Lake-Wolf, but I was hoping you could confirm that for me,¡± Enna answered.


    ¡°Hard to say,¡± Lorac said, and leaned in close to the ripped-out throat. ¡°Nothing else I know of could do that.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a Lake-Wolf?¡± Kule asked.


    Lorac looked back at the group as if he¡¯d forgotten they were even there. ¡°A predator from deep in the lakes. Twice as long as we are tall, and that¡¯s not including its finned tail. When it¡¯s on land, it walks on four clawed legs and has a long, narrow snout with saw-like teeth. A big one could look me straight in the eye.¡±


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Kule distinctly looked up to meet Lorac¡¯s eyes, and visibly gulped.


    ¡°From the lakes?¡± Syl asked. ¡°How come I¡¯ve never heard of one?¡± When she looked at her friends, the same confused expressions painted their faces.


    ¡°We think a couple of the lakes go very, very deep. Some dangerous things live down there, and don¡¯t often come up to the surface. But,¡± Lorac added. ¡°This wouldn¡¯t be the first Lake-Wolf we¡¯ve had find its way into our valley. Last one was decades ago when my father was in his prime.


    ¡°He tells stories of the hunt¡­ sometimes.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes?¡± Leeze asked, her thumb rubbing her pendant. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard that kind of story.¡±


    ¡°He only tells it when he¡¯s had a bit too much ahbay,¡± Lorac answered, and the grim look on his face told them how the story went even before he continued. ¡°He lost his entire hunting party, and more than twenty other hunters were killed before they finally brought the creature down.


    ¡°When one makes it into the valley, it runs rampant through our hunting grounds, devouring everything in its path. Boar, deer, bird, or person. They¡¯re voracious eaters, and without competing predators, it¡¯s paradise,¡± Lorac finished.


    ¡°With all the people travelling the roads for the Ka-Sho-Dan, and at night no less, we need to take care of this immediately,¡± Velena said, taking charge. ¡°Lorac, gather the hunters. All of them. That includes you lot,¡± she said to Syl and the others.


    ¡°What about the feast?¡± Edar asked.


    ¡°Go get your families and spread the word I¡¯ll be making an announcement within the hour at the Ka-Sho-Dan ring,¡± Velena said to the youths, ignoring Edar¡¯s question. She¡¯d given her instructions and that was that.


    Velena, Lorac, and the others quickly filed out to see to their duties, and only Syl remained with her mother.


    Enna hardly seemed to notice the others leave, one finger on her lips, like it always was when she was puzzling something out.


    ¡°What is it, Mom?¡± Syl asked as she walked over to the operating table opposite Enna.


    ¡°What do you see?¡± Enna asked, pointing at the body in front of her. It was the doctor in Enna asking the question, not the ¡®mother¡¯.


    Syl¡¯s parents had groomed her to be the village¡¯s next doctor. She¡¯d spent years helping set bones, sew up garish wounds, and even conduct autopsies. Whenever her mother asked her ¡°What do you see?¡± it was meant as a learning opportunity. Even in a situation like that, Enna was going to teach her.


    Syl put aside her emotions, her empathy for Kilik and the family that would grieve his loss, and looked at the body in a purely clinical way.


    ¡°The cause of death is obvious,¡± Syl said, gesturing towards the torn-out throat. ¡°The injury itself might not have killed him outright, but he would have bled out within minutes regardless. The scratches on his arms and legs are fresh. You can see where they haven¡¯t had a chance to begin healing. They happened only a few minutes before he passed.¡± She pointed towards the small cuts and waited for her mother to nod before continuing.


    ¡°There don¡¯t seem to be any other defensive wounds. And no broken bones.¡± Syl lifted and inspected each of Kilik¡¯s hands. ¡°No cuts or scrapes on his hands to indicate he fought back either.


    ¡°He knew he was being hunted, so he ran,¡± Syl theorized. ¡°But he wasn¡¯t fast enough, and the Lake-Wolf must¡¯ve gotten around in front of him, or somehow otherwise been able to sneak up on him. He was dead before he had a chance to fight back.¡±


    ¡°Good so far,¡± Enna said, her arms crossed and her foot tapping. The woman only did that when something was really bothering her. ¡°What else?¡±


    What else? Syl went over the body from head to toe. There weren¡¯t any other injuries telling her anything. What was she missing?


    She looked to her mother for a clue.


    ¡°What did Lorac say about Lake-Wolves?¡± Enna asked her.


    Syl went through everything he¡¯d said in her head, and her eyes widened when it hit her.


    ¡°Voracious eaters,¡± Syl said. ¡°Lorac said they ate everything in their paths. Kilik wasn¡¯t eaten. He was hunted and killed.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Enna said. ¡°I know the story Lorac spoke of. My father kept a journal of the most unusual patients or injuries he encountered, so your father and I would be prepared if we ever encountered something similar.


    ¡°Your grandfather believed there were actually two Lake-Wolves responsible for Lorac¡¯s story. The first was a regular Lake-Wolf, a voracious hunter like Lorac suggested.¡±


    ¡°What was the second then?¡± Syl asked. ¡°And why didn¡¯t Lorac mention a second one?¡±


    ¡°The hunters didn¡¯t believe there was a second. The killings stopped after they¡¯d finally exterminated one.¡±


    ¡°But?¡± Syl prompted.


    ¡°But my father believed the second Lake-Wolf was what he called a deviant. It hunted for sport, not for food.  It hunted the hunters, but it didn¡¯t eat them.¡±


    ¡°What happened to it?¡±


    ¡°It vanished, like smoke. Which is why the hunters don¡¯t believe it was ever really there. If we¡¯re dealing with another deviant now, this could be much more dangerous than Lorac or the others believe.


    ¡°Lorac¡¯s father caught the Lake-Wolf by baiting it. That won¡¯t work on a deviant.¡±


    ¡°Mom,¡± Syl started as a cold fear settled in her gut. ¡°What about Dad? Did he already leave?¡±


    Enna¡¯s jaw clenched the way it did when something worried her, but she didn¡¯t want to show it. ¡°He¡¯ll be fine. He went in the other direction.¡±


    ¡°What if he isn¡¯t?¡± Syl asked, a slight tremble sneaking into her voice.


    ¡°He has to be,¡± Enna answered, the same fears reflected in her eyes.

 Chapter 6 – Ancestors

    ¡°¡­ and he will be missed,¡± Velena finished, gesturing to the funeral pyre behind her where Kilik¡¯s body lay.


    The Ka-Sho-Dan for the night was cancelled, but it was too late in the day for the hunters to go out and look for something as dangerous as a Lake-Wolf. Velena announced the feast would continue as planned, alongside a funeral for Kilik.


    Hunters patrolled around the crowd, guards against the threat outside the line of torches. The same smells of cooked food as the night before wafted through the air, but the mood was entirely different. Where excitement had pulsed, anger simmered. Kilik had been popular, well loved, and the father of three beautiful, young girls, who sobbed quietly in their mother¡¯s arms as Velena lowered a torch to the pyre.


    ¡°Why do we burn the bodies?¡± Leeze asked quietly from beside Syl.


    ¡°To let our essences join our Ancestors,¡± Edar answered.


    ¡°Where are our Ancestors?¡± Leeze asked. The crackle and pop of the growing pyre forced her to raise her voice.


    Edar pointed up towards the clear sky. ¡°Each of the stars in the sky is one of our Ancestors,¡± he said. ¡°They watch over us and keep us safe, and that¡¯s why the rainy season is so dangerous. When the rain-heavy clouds roll in, our valley is hidden from our Ancestor¡¯s sight. And from their protection.¡±


    ¡°They didn¡¯t do a very good job protecting Kilik,¡± Rogar pointed out.


    Edar shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s not things like Lake-Wolves the Ancestors protect us from.¡±


    ¡°What is it then?¡± Dena asked.


    ¡°They protect us from the things we can¡¯t touch, the Anihazi,¡± Edar said.


    ¡°Anihazi? Isn¡¯t that some kind of spirit?¡± Reylo asked. ¡°I think my grandma talks about them sometimes.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Edar said. ¡°Don¡¯t any of you remember what we were taught as children?¡±


    ¡°That superstitious nonsense?¡± Rogar said as a particularly loud pop spurted fire ten feet into the sky. ¡°Nobody believes it anymore. Only your grandmother, the storyteller, talks about it. They¡¯re just stories.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not nonsense,¡± Edar said, heat in his voice. ¡°Or stories. It¡¯s our tradition. Our heritage. The Anihazi are dangerous. Why do you think we hide when the rains come? Why do our fields have covered paths even though we only use them for one month of the year? Why do we stay inside at night when there¡¯s fog? Why are our villages hidden beneath the trees? To protect us when our Ancestors can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I thought it was because the storms were dangerous,¡± Leeze mused. ¡°My mom said something about lightning.¡±


    ¡°And predators that only come out in the fog,¡± Reylo added.


    ¡°My dad said the same thing,¡± Kule agreed. ¡°And they hunt little boys who don¡¯t eat their vegetables.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ I think that¡¯s just your parents making sure you eat healthy,¡± Reylo shrugged.


    ¡°Wait. You mean it¡¯s not true?¡±


    ¡°Not the vegetable part at least¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been eating vegetables I didn¡¯t have to?!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re both wrong,¡± Edar said. ¡°It¡¯s the Anihazi we hide from.¡±


    ¡°Anihazi can¡¯t possibly be worse than vegetables,¡± Kule grumbled.


    ¡°You¡¯re just repeating what you already said,¡± Rogar snapped, fed up. ¡°Tell me, have you ever seen one of these spirits?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just it,¡± Edar said emphatically. ¡°We can¡¯t normally see them.¡±


    ¡°Convenient.¡±


    ¡°Enough, both of you,¡± Syl snapped. She held no stock in tradition other than the Ka-Sho, but neither of them would be able to convince the other of their views. And now was not the time for it. ¡°At this point, the Anihazi are not our problem. The Lake-Wolf is. We should be out there hunting it, not huddling here with this feast all around us.¡± She gestured towards the food-laden tables.


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    ¡°The rites are important,¡± Edar said, but eyed Syl warily.


    ¡°I understand they¡¯re important to some people,¡± she conceded with a shrug. ¡°But protecting the rest of the villagers seems a bit more important to me right now.¡±


    ¡°Want to get it done so you can get back to winning the Ka-Sho-Dan?¡± Kule asked.


    Syl took a threatening step forward, and only Dena¡¯s firm hand stopped her from doing something she¡¯d regret later. ¡°You think that¡¯s what I¡¯m worried about?¡± Syl hissed.


    ¡°Her dad¡¯s out there,¡± Dena quickly explained before Kule could say something else stupid. ¡°Went out to Teb¡¯s farm this morning.¡±


    Kule actually had the decency to look ashamed. ¡°Syl¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t know.¡±


    Syl took a breath to calm down. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Kule. I¡¯m sorry I snapped at you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure your father is fine,¡± Reylo said. ¡°Teb¡¯s farm is nowhere near where we found Kilik. He¡¯ll be back before you know it.¡±


    Syl turned an appreciative smile towards Reylo for trying to make her feel better. He blushed furiously and spun away, mumbling something Syl couldn¡¯t make out over the sounds of the fire.


    ¡°We¡¯ll find the Lake-Wolf tomorrow and everything will go back to normal,¡± Dena said, looking Syl in the eyes. ¡°Then your father will be back, safe and sound, just in time to see you win the Ka-Sho-Dan.¡±


    ¡°Do you really think we¡¯ll be part of the hunt?¡± Leeze asked, knuckles white around her pendant. ¡°This Lake-Wolf thing sounds pretty dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Scared?¡± Kule asked


    ¡°We¡¯re not hunters,¡± Leeze answered, a hint of fear in her voice. The girl had good reason to be afraid of a Lake-Wolf, and yet¡­


    ¡°We¡¯re almost adults now,¡± Rogar said aloud what Syl was thinking. ¡°We may not be hunters, but we¡¯re all responsible for the village¡¯s well-being. If they ask us to go, isn¡¯t it our duty?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t we already have enough hunters?¡± Leeze asked, looking to the others for support. Surprisingly, even Kule was quiet.


    ¡°They won¡¯t send us out alone,¡± Syl reassured her. ¡°We¡¯ll be part of a larger hunting party, and it¡¯s important we go.¡±


    ¡°How can it be important we risk our lives?¡± Leeze asked.


    ¡°Because even after this Lake-Wolf is killed, it won¡¯t be the last one to threaten our valley. Someday, when Lorac and the other hunters are old, or dead, it will fall on us. This is our chance to learn about the threat, while still protected by the other hunters, and in turn, protect our children.¡±


    It was the same as when her parents taught her about medicine. They challenged her in a safe environment, so she¡¯d know what to do when they were gone. And it wasn¡¯t just her parents; it was the way of the village.


    ¡°I just mean,¡± Leeze continued her protests. ¡°What if it finds us instead of the other way around?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why we go together,¡± Syl said with an encouraging smile. ¡°We¡¯ll watch your back, and you¡¯ll watch ours.¡±


    ¡°Especially Kule,¡± Dena added. ¡°We all know how much he enjoys watching your backside.¡± Her mouth quirked as she said it, as did the others¡¯, and the mounting tension dissolved.


    But jokes wouldn¡¯t solve their problem. Syl talked big and she believed in what she said, but the memory of Kilik¡¯s torn-out throat was a hard one to push out of her head. The Lake-Wolf was dangerous. Especially dangerous if what her mother said was true about it being some kind of deviant.


    That deviant her mother talked about was never caught. Could it be the same one? Could it have come back? Was it hiding in the valley the entire time? Was it a different one?


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± she whispered to herself. When Dena gave her a questioning look, she just shook her head and smiled.


    The fire roared in the centre of the crowd but people began to filter away. Only the immediate family would stay until the last spark faded, as tradition said they should. The rest of the village was expected to leave them to see their loved one off in peace.


    Peace and sorrow, she corrected as she looked at the tear-streaked faces of Kilik¡¯s three daughters. If her father didn¡¯t make it back safely, that would be her.


    No. She wouldn¡¯t let that happen. She¡¯d find the Lake-Wolf by herself if she had to.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get something to eat,¡± Kule said with a shrug. ¡°Would be a shame to let all this food go to waste.¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one complaining this morning about never seeing another boar?¡± Reylo asked, and elbowed Kule gently in the ribs.


    Kule gave him a level glare. ¡°I said, and I quote, ¡®I swear If I see even a hint of one before the feast tonight¡­¡¯ The key words in there are before the feast tonight. Well, it¡¯s the feast. So, I¡¯m ready for more boar. Especially the candied stuff.¡±


    ¡°How can you even think about food with¡­ with that¡­?¡± Leeze said, gesturing towards the fire.


    ¡°Not the first funeral pyre we¡¯ve had,¡± Kule said, looking a little confused. ¡°There¡¯s usually food¡­¡±


    ¡°Not the pyre,¡± Leeze explained. ¡°The Lake-Wolf.¡±


    ¡°Kule¡¯s right,¡± Syl said, and then shook her head. ¡°Wow. I can¡¯t believe I actually said that.


    ¡°Look,¡± she went on, ignoring Kule¡¯s scowl. ¡°We have to eat. Tomorrow is going to be a long day. We need to keep our strength up.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can,¡± Leeze said quietly, and gave the leather strap around her neck a gentle tug.


    ¡°Leeze, of course you can,¡± Syl comforted her. Neither of them was talking about just the food. ¡°We all can. And we all will. This kind of thing is exactly what the Sho-Sen has been preparing us for. Not for the Ka-Sho-Dan, not really. For this. For protecting the things and the people we love.¡±


    ¡°When did you become the motivational speaker?¡± Rogar asked, but his arms weren¡¯t crossed for once.


    Syl¡¯s eyes went from the pyre to Kilik¡¯s family, and then to her mother and brother, before she finally answered. ¡°When I realized there are things I want to protect, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Not even your birthday yet and you sound so¡­ adult¡­¡±  Dena said with a chuckle.


    ¡°I¡¯d just like to say,¡± Kule piped up, ¡°that I agree with Syl. There are things I want to protect as well.¡±


    ¡°Candied boar doesn¡¯t count, Kule,¡± Edar sighed.

 Chapter 7 – Tracks

    ¡°That¡¯s where we found the body,¡± Syl told Lorac as she pointed into the bushes from the road. ¡°Just a few feet in.¡±


    ¡°To be clear, it¡¯s where I found the body.¡± Kule puffed out his chest. He was obviously quite proud of himself. Nobody paid attention to him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see any tracks,¡± Lorac stated, kneeling down and examining the soft ground.


    ¡°Kids probably ruined them with all their fussing,¡± another hunter, Vacksin, said. ¡°We¡¯ll pick up the tracks deeper in the woods.¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t ruin any tracks,¡± Rogar said, putting himself right in front of Vacksin and locking eyes with the older man.


    ¡°Now¡¯s not the time,¡± Lorac said in his usual, even voice. The man rarely shouted, but everybody had learned to listen when he spoke. He turned to address the group, fifty-strong. ¡°Vacksin, I want you to take your group into the woods here and head to the north. Gudar,¡± Lorac called to one of the other hunters. ¡°Same thing, but you go south. I¡¯ll go straight west from here.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a river not far from here, on the other side of the road,¡± Edar spoke up, several hunters raising eyebrows at his boldness. ¡°That may be obscuring its tracks.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an animal,¡± Vacksin shook his head in disbelief. ¡°It doesn¡¯t hide its tracks. It doesn¡¯t even know we¡¯re hunting it.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say it was actively hiding its tracks,¡± Edar clarified for the older hunter. ¡°But I believe a Lake-Wolf is a creature of the water. It would make sense for it to stick to what it¡¯s comfortable with.¡±


    Before Vacksin had a chance to respond, Lorac stood. ¡°Edar has a point.¡± His eyes shifted to Vacksin and made it very clear the time for arguing was at an end. It was time for hunting. ¡°Falow, you know the river? Good. Follow it up-river. Hensel, you go downriver.¡±


    The two hunters nodded and each began quiet discussions with their groups. With the five groups of the most experienced hunters given instructions, Lorac turned to Syl and the others. The seven almost-adults hadn¡¯t been put in the hunting teams with the veteran hunters as Syl had expected. That only meant one thing: they weren¡¯t really going to be involved in the hunt.


    ¡°I want you to comb every inch of this road and treeline back to the village,¡± Lorac instructed.


    ¡°No, we can help,¡± Rogar stated. He saw it the same way Syl did; Lorac was simply getting them out of the way.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Lorac didn¡¯t lose his patience with the younger man. ¡°This is you helping,¡± he explained. ¡°If the Lake-Wolf followed the road back to the village, what do you think would happen? With us out here, and all the other hunters spread out around the village, it would be defenseless.


    ¡°For us to do what we need to out there,¡± Lorac pointed to himself and the other hunters, ¡°we need to know the people we care about are safe. You make sure we have a secure path back home. And that we have a home to come back to.¡±


    Syl¡¯s fist clenched at the dismissal. She could help. They all could. But they wouldn¡¯t be able to change Lorac¡¯s mind, that much was clear on his face. What¡¯s more, he was probably right. ¡°We¡¯ll do what we have to,¡± she pushed aside her pride and told the lead hunter. A hand on Rogar¡¯s shoulder, and the young man grudgingly nodded he¡¯d follow her lead.


    ¡°Thank you, Syl,¡± Lorac said. To the rest of the hunters, he said loudly, ¡°You all know what to do. If you find the creature, and you aren¡¯t positive you can safely bring it down, send for help. I don¡¯t want to see another pyre tonight.¡±


    No other words needed, the hunters dispersed into the woods to follow their assigned trails. When only Syl and her friends remained, Rogar finally turned to look her in the eye.


    ¡°Why¡¯d you let it go so easily?¡± he demanded.


    ¡°You know Lorac as well as I do,¡± Syl answered simply.


    ¡°You wanted to be part of the hunt as much as anybody here. As much as any of the adults,¡± he went on. He wasn¡¯t going to let it drop.


    ¡°That¡¯s not true,¡± she explained, and had to hold up her hands to get him to wait until she finished. ¡°I want to protect the village. If Lorac tells me my part in that is to follow the road back, then that¡¯s what I¡¯ll do.¡±


    ¡°I agree with Syl,¡± Leeze said.


    ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re a coward,¡± Rogar said harshly. His face said he regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth, but he didn¡¯t take them back. Instead, he stormed past Syl and stomped down the road. ¡°We should get to it then,¡± he called without turning back.


    ¡°You¡¯re not a coward,¡± Kule said, surprisingly gently to Leeze.


    ¡°No,¡± Leeze shook her head. She was fighting to hold back tears and her knuckles were white around her pendant. ¡°He¡¯s right. I am.¡±


    Kule turned an angry look in Rogar¡¯s direction. ¡°Somebody should really teach Rogar how to speak to a lady.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯d kick your ass, Kule,¡± Leeze said, but her lips turned into a soft smile.


    ¡°I said, somebody. Namely Syl. Rogar scares me,¡± Kule replied.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get going,¡± Leeze said as she thumbed away an errant tear. ¡°As much as it pains me to say it, Rogar¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t happen often,¡± Kule admitted. ¡°Almost cause for another feast!¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you eat enough candied boar last night?¡± Reylo asked in astonishment. ¡°One minute I saw you with a whole leg of it, the next all I saw were bones!¡±


    ¡°I shared,¡± Kule shrugged.


    Syl just shook her head. Some people never changed. And that¡¯s why she loved them.


    ¡°Leeze,¡± she said seriously, and everybody turned to look at her. ¡°You¡¯re in the middle. Reylo, Edar, and Kule, take that side of the road. Don¡¯t spread out more than five or six feet from each other. Dena, we¡¯ll take this side with Rogar. Same deal.


    ¡°Any objections?¡± Syl specifically looked at Rogar when she asked the question. He shook his head. Thankfully. ¡°Good.¡±


    Syl hooked her short bow on the quiver on her back and took her Sho-Val in both hands. ¡°Be careful and watch out for each other,¡± she said, and then ducked into the woods.

 Chapter 8 – On Edge

    ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve got most of the candied boar to yourself,¡± Dena told Kule that evening.


    ¡°I¡¯m not even sure I¡¯m hungry,¡± he said despondently.


    ¡°You? Not hungry?¡± Dena asked, shocked.


    ¡°Look at the mood!¡± Kule said, gesturing at the few people who¡¯d come out for the feast. ¡°This isn¡¯t a festival atmosphere. Hardly anybody¡¯s talking. Nobody¡¯s eating. Even the ahbay is getting warm.¡±


    Syl couldn¡¯t argue with him. They¡¯d come back after a full day of looking for any sign of the Lake-Wolf. A full day, without finding a single thing. And neither had any of the other hunting parties that returned. Only two parties were yet to come back and anxiety charged the air in anticipation of their news.


    ¡°Everybody¡¯s on edge,¡± Kule went on. ¡°Doesn¡¯t really make a guy hungry.¡±


    ¡°And yet you¡¯ve been gnawing on your second boar leg for the past hour,¡± Edar said dryly and pointed towards the aforementioned leg in Kule¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Nervous eating,¡± Kule objected. ¡°Not doing it because I¡¯m hungry. Just need to keep my hands occupied.¡±


    ¡°What happens if none of the hunting groups found the Lake-Wolf?¡± Reylo asked the question on everybody¡¯s minds.


    ¡°Depends what they did find,¡± Edar reasoned. ¡°If there were tracks, I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll all be heading out again at first light. Same if they found animal remains. That¡¯ll be our next starting point.¡±


    ¡°And if they didn¡¯t find anything at all?¡± Dena asked.


    ¡°Then we warn the other villages,¡± Syl answered. ¡°If the hunters didn¡¯t find anything, then it means the Lake-Wolf has left our territory and gone towards one of the other villages. We¡¯ll need to work together with them, or at the least let them know about the danger.


    ¡°The Ka-Sho-Dan will stay on hold until the Lake-Wolf is killed,¡± Syl went on, ¡°because it¡¯s too risky to have people travelling the roads in small groups.¡±


    ¡°Which means we need to find it before the rains start,¡± Rogar added. ¡°The farmers tend to work in small groups. Or alone. They¡¯d be vulnerable.¡±


    ¡°Are they going to send us out again?¡± Leeze asked nervously. Her hand had hardly left the pendant at her neck since they¡¯d found Kilik¡¯s body.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±  Syl started, but a commotion near the village¡¯s entrance stole her attention. ¡°What¡¯s going on over there?¡± she asked the others.


    When nobody had a quick answer, they did what everybody else seemed to be doing; they got up and walked over.


    Vacksin and his hunting party had just returned.


    ¡°¡­ like there¡¯s nothing out there,¡± he was saying to Velena. ¡°No tracks, no scat, no dead animals. Barely even as much as a branch out of place. Either we were looking in completely the wrong place, or this Lake-Wolf learned to fly.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Lorac anyway?¡± Vacksin asked, looking around.


    ¡°He hasn¡¯t returned yet,¡± Velena said. ¡°I expect he should be back shortly.¡±


    ¡°Did anybody else find anything?¡±


    ¡°All of the hunting parties reported the same thing you did,¡± Velena answered, not keeping any secrets from the villagers gathered around her. The older woman did not believe in secrets.


    ¡°Maybe the kids¡­¡±  Vacksin started, then finally noticed Syl and the others. ¡°Hey!¡± he said and shouldered his way through the crowd to tower in front of her. ¡°You take us to the wrong spot?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Syl crossed her arms at the accusation.


    ¡°We were looking in the wrong spot. We had to be. There¡¯s no way a Lake-Wolf lumbers around these woods without leaving tracks. And there¡¯s no way we miss those tracks. Which means you took us to the wrong place. Was this all some kind of game for you?


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Did you get a good laugh?¡± he asked, his voice rising.


    ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous,¡± Syl answered evenly, struggling to keep her temper in check. The nerve of him, accusing her of something like that. In front of the whole village no less. ¡°Why would I do that?¡±


    ¡°You like the attention. Got a taste of it in the Ka-Sho-Dan, and you didn¡¯t want it to go away after your next birthday,¡± Vacksin elaborated on his ridiculous theory.


    He brought his finger up to poke her, and Syl¡¯s hand twitched in anticipation. If he touched her¡­


    But it wasn¡¯t her hand that snatched the extended digit. Enna, with an expression like a thunderstorm, put herself between Vacksin and her daughter.


    With his finger firmly in hand, Enna met the taller man¡¯s eyes. ¡°Accuse my daughter of that again and this finger won¡¯t be the smallest part of you I cut off,¡± Enna said as she pointedly looked below the hunter¡¯s belt before lifting her eyes to meet his again. ¡°Am I clear?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough. Both of you,¡± Velena said calmly as she gently put her hand on top of Enna¡¯s. ¡°Vacksin didn¡¯t mean what he said. Emotions are running hot and we all need to take a moment to cool down and think rationally. There shouldn¡¯t be any need for¡­ cutting. Right Vacksin?¡±


    Vacksin gulped before answering, his voice softer than before, ¡°You¡¯re right, of course, Velena. I don¡¯t know what I was thinking. My apologies,¡± he said to Enna.


    ¡°Not me you should be apologizing to,¡± Enna pointed out, but released his finger.


    Vacksin ground his teeth before speaking again and the words came out forced. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± was all he said.


    ¡°Thank you, Vacksin,¡± Velena soothed, trying to salvage at least some of the hunter¡¯s pride.


    Enna turned around to face her daughter as Vacksin went back to his hunting party with Velena beside him. ¡°Are you okay?¡± she asked Syl.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Mom. You didn¡¯t need to step in,¡± Syl said, her cheeks heating over her mother coming to her rescue.


    ¡°If I didn¡¯t, I imagine Vacksin would be on the ground and needing my services as a doctor right about now,¡± Enna said with a crooked smile.


    ¡°Don¡¯t deny it, Syl!¡± Dena added, taking Enna¡¯s side. ¡°I saw that look in your eye. The same one you get right before you trounce Rogar¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Rogar objected.


    ¡°You were about to hurt Vacksin,¡± Dena finished without missing a beat.


    ¡°I was considering it,¡± Syl admitted.


    ¡°Don¡¯t take him seriously. Vacksin¡¯s brain isn¡¯t connected to his mouth,¡± Enna soothed her. ¡°Saying stupid things is just as natural as breathing.¡±


    ¡°Kind of like Kule,¡± Leeze pointed out.


    Kule almost choked on the mouthful of candied boar, but otherwise kept quiet.


    ¡°I know. I didn¡¯t,¡± Syl said. ¡°Mom, I¡¯m worried about Dad,¡± she finally admitted what was really bothering her. What had her on edge.


    ¡°I am too,¡± Enna admitted. ¡°But he¡¯ll be at Teb¡¯s farm tomorrow if he isn¡¯t already there now. You know how quickly your father walks.¡±


    Syl leaned into her mother so nobody other than those closest to her would hear what she said next. ¡°But we don¡¯t know if Kilik was the first one the Lake-Wolf killed. It could have already been to Teb¡¯s farm. And if the hunters didn¡¯t find it, that means it moved away from the village again. What if it headed in that direction?¡±


    ¡°There are a thousand ¡®what ifs¡¯ we could talk about Syl,¡± Enna said calmly. ¡°And not a single one of them will make a difference. We need to focus on what we know. Just like your father and I taught you.¡±


    Syl nodded at her mother and tried to put a stop to her out-of-control thinking. It was just like treating a patient: deal with the immediate problem first and worry about the ¡®what ifs¡¯ after that¡¯s taken care of.


    ¡°When Lorac gets back, I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll have news about the Lake-Wolf,¡± Enna continued. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t be gone this long if he wasn¡¯t on to something.¡±


    ¡°Oh, maybe that¡¯s him now,¡± Dena interrupted. ¡°I think something¡¯s going on over there.¡±


    Syl didn¡¯t waste any time before heading towards the village entrance, though she was just one in a large crowd. It was difficult for her to see over the heads of the mass of people, and she didn¡¯t have the patience to gently try to wade through them. A table laden with food gave her an idea.


    Carefully placing one foot between a cask of ahbay and a plate full of candied boar, Syl hopped up on the table, and from there pulled herself onto the house¡¯s slanted roof. While the buildings weren¡¯t exactly designed to be walked on, they were more than strong enough to support her weight. She jogged from grassy rooftop to grassy rooftop, skipping the crowd.


    ¡°Your mother¡¯s eyes almost fell out of her head when she saw you climbing up here,¡± Dena said and circled a small bush growing out of the roof. ¡°And Kule thought for sure the candied boar was a goner. I¡¯m not sure who was more relieved to see you make it up here safely.¡±


    ¡°And yet she let you come up here after me?¡± Syl stopped to wait for her friend.


    ¡°I told her somebody had to keep tabs on you,¡± Dena quipped. ¡°What¡¯s going on anyway?¡±


    ¡°Somebody else came back,¡± Syl answered.


    ¡°Lorac?¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like it,¡± Syl said, and her eyes widened as the man collapsed. She immediately jumped to the next roof for a better look.


    ¡°Enna! Where are you? We need you up here!¡± Velena shouted over the hum of the crowd.


    ¡°Is it Lorac?¡± Dena asked again as she and Syl got to a roof overlooking the scene. Velena and the hunters formed a ring around the man on the ground to keep the push of the crowd at bay, but they didn¡¯t block Syl¡¯s line of sight.


    ¡°No, not Lorac,¡± Syl answered. ¡°That¡¯s Galli. He was in Lorac¡¯s party. And he¡¯s hurt. Badly.¡± There was a nasty gash across his shoulder and collarbone. His left arm was stained red from the blood, and his chest heaved as he gulped in air.


    ¡°Where are Lorac and the others?¡± Velena asked Galli while they waited for Enna to push her way through the crowd.


    Galli looked up at Velena, and even from the distance, the terror in the man¡¯s eyes chilled Syl to the bone. She knew the answer before the words ever left his mouth.


    ¡°Dead. They¡¯re all dead.¡±

 Chapter 9 – Darkness

    The hair on the back of Syl¡¯s neck stood on end as those words rippled through the crowd. Enna, at last, broke through the circle and immediately crouched beside Galli to examine the man¡¯s injuries.


    ¡°Wait,¡± he gasped. ¡°It¡­ followed¡­ me¡­ back. Running¡­ the whole¡­ way¡­¡±


    ¡°Hunters!¡± Vacksin roared, and the crowd fell back. ¡°Arm yourselves!¡±


    Syl and Dena still had their weapons strapped to their backs and their bows came out in a smooth motion.


    ¡°I want lookouts around the village,¡± Velena said to Vacksin, who passed the orders on.


    ¡°We¡¯ll watch from up here,¡± Syl called down, holding up her bow. The muscles in Vacksin¡¯s neck bulged, but he reluctantly nodded.


    ¡°What are we looking for? It¡¯s pitch black out there,¡± Dena said, an arrow already nocked.


    Dena was right. Even the silhouette of the trees in the moonlight was barely visible. The abundance of torches in the village ruined her night-sight.


    And yet¡­ and yet one particular area of darkness drew her eyes.


    Even though she couldn¡¯t see anything, her gut told her there was something straight ahead of her. Waiting. Watching.


    Watching her.


    ¡°Do you see it?¡± Syl asked Dena in a whisper.


    ¡°What did I just say?¡± Dena asked back, her voice lowered to a whisper at Syl¡¯s tone. ¡°I can¡¯t see a thing. Wait¡­ what do you mean ¡®it¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Right there, fifty feet in,¡± Syl explained. She squinted at the darkness, but her eyes were useless.


    Nothing moved out there. There wasn¡¯t even a breeze.


    She focused on that spot as if the darkness would part simply through force of will.


    It didn¡¯t.


    But it did focus back on her. And with it came a malice so strong she could almost taste it on the air. It rolled over her tongue and stuck in her throat like it had a mind of its own. As she fought to keep from retching, whispers on the non-existent breeze skittered into her ears.


    Hate.


    Burn.


    Destroy.


    ¡°Did you hear that?¡± Syl asked. Did she really hear that? Was it her imagination?


    ¡°Hear what?¡± Dena asked nervously. ¡°What¡¯s going on Syl?¡±


    ¡°It wants us all dead,¡± Syl said. Imagination or not, she had to put her feelings into words. ¡°It¡¯s not hunting us for food. It¡¯s hunting us¡­ just to kill us.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Dena asked, concern in her voice. Not concern about the thing out there in the darkness. Concern for Syl.


    Syl was about to try to explain it, but a hint of movement silenced her. She¡¯d definitely seen something that time. She took a tentative step forward on the roof. She stopped cold when her gaze met the hate-filled eyes of the Lake-Wolf, practically glowing in the darkness. How could the others not see them? Why weren¡¯t arrows raining down on the beast?


    Her hands trembled under the intensity of that gaze. She couldn¡¯t move. She couldn¡¯t breathe. The hunter had found its next prey.


    Her.


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, Syl. But if you know where it is,¡± Dena said, pulling her bowstring taut, ¡°I think you should shoot it.¡±


    The sound of Dena¡¯s voice snapped Syl out of the spiralling terror freezing her. Opting to stop thinking about what she was feeling, Syl forced her body to act. The memory of the pounding drums filled her mind while the strength of the Ka-Sho filled her arms.


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    She dropped into the ready form for En-Da as the drums played. With the first beat, she drew back her bowstring. The second beat released the arrow, and a third beat had another arrow nocked and ready to go as Syl changed the angle for the next shot.


    Dena¡¯s arrows trailed after Syl¡¯s less than a second later, her eyes focused only on the angle of Syl¡¯s bow. Dena didn¡¯t know what they were shooting at, but that didn¡¯t stop her from following Syl¡¯s lead. Six arrows pierced the night with uncanny precision before another hunter noticed the commotion.


    Despite that accuracy, none of their arrows scored a hit on the Lake-Wolf. It streaked unseen through the woods, moving unbelievably fast, with each arrow was always a heartbeat behind it, the feeling of hate the only way Syl could track it.


    By the time Syl¡¯s fifth arrow was away, it was out of range, and she relaxed her grip on her bow.


    ¡°Did we get it?¡± Dena asked.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so,¡± Syl answered.


    ¡°How were you even able to track it? I just followed you¡­ but I have no idea what I was shooting at.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±  Syl started, but didn¡¯t get to finish as Vacksin clambered onto the roof.


    ¡°What were you shooting at? Did you hit it?¡± he demanded.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Syl answered both questions at once, and Vacksin didn¡¯t like that.


    Surprisingly, the man kept his comments to himself. ¡°You four,¡± he shouted down to four hunters who ran over. ¡°Grab torches, we¡¯re heading out to check on what our little dancer was shooting at.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to show us where it was. And this better not be another of your games,¡± he said quietly so only the two girls could hear his words.


    Syl and Dena waited for him to climb down before Syl started to move.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind him. I believe you,¡± Dena added.


    Syl shook her head. But do I even believe myself? She went over the hate and bloodlust she¡¯d felt coming from the woods, and the more she did, the more she had to wonder if it wasn¡¯t all just her imagination. How could she hear or feel what a Lake-Wolf was thinking? And, was a Lake-Wolf even capable of that kind of thought?


    The questions bounced around her head as she climbed down from the house and met the group of hunters. One of them handed her a torch and offered a slight nod. At least they weren¡¯t all following Vacksin¡¯s lead when it came to opinions of her.


    ¡°You okay?¡± Reylo asked as he approached with his bow.


    ¡°Yeah, thanks for asking,¡± she said.


    ¡°Enough chatting,¡± Vacksin bellowed. He had a torch in one hand, and his one-bladed Sho-Val in the other. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t as inspiring as Lorac was, but he was the next in line for the role of lead hunter. If what Galli said was true, the whole village would have to get used to him barking orders.


    Syl didn¡¯t wait for Vacksin. She jogged out to where she thought she¡¯d seen the Lake-Wolf. It was disorienting in the darkness, but by using the house she¡¯d been standing on as reference, she found her first arrow firmly lodged in the side of a tree, with Dena¡¯s only a foot below it.


    ¡°You missed,¡± Vacksin pointed out.


    ¡°Two more arrows over here,¡± one of the other hunters said, and gestured to another tree.


    ¡°And here,¡± said a second hunter.


    The trail of arrows followed exactly where Syl and Dena shot at the Lake-Wolf. They were in the right spot.


    ¡°Any tracks?¡± Vacksin asked.


    The hunters with the torches crouched to inspect the ground while the others kept their bows drawn.


    ¡°Anything?¡± Vacksin asked when he didn¡¯t get a reply as quickly as he would have liked.


    ¡°Nothing over here,¡± the hunter who¡¯d found the second set of arrows said quietly. He gave Syl an apologetic look, and she nodded her understanding and her thanks. He was just telling it like it was.


    ¡°More arrows over here,¡± a female hunter¡¯s voice called from a bit further off. ¡°No tracks, but there are some wet leaves¡­¡±


    ¡°What do wet leaves matter?¡± Vacksin shouted. ¡°We¡¯re looking for tracks! Something we can follow this beast with. Or,¡± he turned to Syl, ¡°at least prove it was here.¡±


    ¡°I know what the wet leaves mean,¡± Kule said seriously beside Syl.


    Every hunter nearby looked at him. As the silence stretched on, Vacksin finally asked the question. ¡°And what would that be?¡±


    ¡°Syl scared the piss out of the Lake-Wolf,¡± Kule said with confidence. ¡°Happens to Rogar all the time.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Rogar said, again ignored, as Vacksin stormed up to Kule and grabbed him by the tunic.


    The muscles in Vacksin¡¯s arm bulged as he lifted the younger¡ªand smaller¡ªman to his tiptoes. ¡°Do you think this is a joke?¡± he yelled in Kule¡¯s face. Spittle flew from his lips and a vein on his forehead throbbed to the point of bursting.


    For his part, Kule looked surprisingly calm. ¡°Syl said she saw it. Which means it was here. It¡¯s not here now, so it ran away. It ran away because it was scared.¡± The explanation seemed perfectly logical in Kule¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Vack,¡± one of the hunters from his party broke in. ¡°Put the kid down. The Lake-Wolf is the enemy here.¡±


    Kule¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t leave Vacksin¡¯s until the older man finally gave him one last scowl and unceremoniously dropped him. Without another word, Vacksin turned and stormed toward the hunter with the wet leaves.


    ¡°Thought I was going to going to be the one pissing myself there,¡± Kule admitted when Vacksin and his hunting party were out of earshot.


    ¡°Thanks for sticking up for me, Kule,¡± Syl said, and gave him a quick hug.


    ¡°I¡­ just¡­ yeah, you know,¡± Kule stammered, at a loss for words.


    ¡°Dena, are these your arrows?¡± Edar asked and pointed to each of the arrows less than a foot below Syl¡¯s.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± she answered.


    ¡°So you saw it too?¡±


    Dena looked to Syl before she answered. ¡°No, I just followed Syl¡¯s lead, like we practiced.¡±


    Leeze gave a soft whistle. ¡°That¡¯s amazing. You didn¡¯t even know what she was shooting at, and you were this accurate?¡±


    ¡°Not like it helped,¡± Dena shrugged. ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like we even grazed the Lake-Wolf.¡±


    ¡°If one was even here,¡± Edar said so quietly that only Syl heard him. When she gave him a questioning look, he just shook his head and looked through the canopy to the clear sky high above them.

 Chapter 10 – Shooting at Shadows

    The crowd around the front gate didn¡¯t thin with the return of the hunters. If anything, it grew more restless as it fed off Vacksin¡¯s agitation.


    ¡°What did you find?¡± Velena asked Vacksin as soon as the man got to her.


    ¡°Nothing. Little dancer was shooting at shadows. Wasted our time,¡± he responded in a hiss.


    Syl held her tongue but didn¡¯t miss Velena¡¯s glance in her direction. Should she object? Say it wasn¡¯t just shadows she was shooting at? Was it, though? Could Vacksin be right?


    ¡°No matter,¡± Velena dismissed it. ¡°We¡¯ll check again when the sun comes up. It¡¯s easy enough to mistake one thing for another in the dark.¡± Voice bereft of accusation, was the comment meant for Syl or for Vacksin?


    ¡°Once we get more information from Galli,¡± she went on, ¡°we can send hunters out for Lorac and the others. We should be able to find tracks there.¡±


    ¡°If Lorac really is gone¡­¡± Vacksin started.


    ¡°Now¡¯s not the time,¡± Velena stopped him.


    ¡°Now is exactly the time,¡± Vacksin countered, his chest puffing out. ¡°If Lorac is gone, we need a strong leader to avenge him.¡±


    Velena turned on Vacksin so suddenly the man took a full step back. ¡°This is not about vengeance,¡± she said as she took an aggressive step forward. ¡°This is about protecting the village. Protecting our people. Lorac understood that.¡±


    ¡°Lorac is dead,¡± Vacksin shot back. ¡°Which is why we need¡­¡±


    ¡°Velena,¡± Enna interrupted. ¡°I¡¯ve got Galli stabilized. He wants to speak to you.¡±


    Vacksin¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t leave Velena. That conversation wasn¡¯t over, but the look on Velena¡¯s face clearly stated it was postponed. Vacksin gave the slightest nod of acceptance and respect. Velena mirrored the gesture, then turned and headed to where Enna was treating Galli.


    The crowd shifted to listen as Velena knelt beside the injured man.


    Syl, like everybody else, got as close as she could to hear what he had to say.


    ¡°Galli,¡± Velena said softly. ¡°You¡¯ve been very brave. Can you tell me what happened?¡±


    Galli reached out and clasped Velena¡¯s forearm like he needed her to ground him. ¡°The other groups? Did they make it b-back? The k-kids?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re all safe, Galli. You don¡¯t have to worry about them,¡± Velena reassured him.


    ¡°That¡¯s g-good,¡± he stumbled, but seemed to breathe a bit easier.


    ¡°What happened to Lorac and the rest of your group?¡± she prompted.


    ¡°We were on our way b-back,¡± Galli started. ¡°It was already d-dark, so we stuck to the road. Lorac was in the f-front. We didn¡¯t want to find the Lake-Wolf in the woods in the d-dark¡­¡± he trailed off.


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°And¡­?¡± Velena urged when Galli didn¡¯t continue on his own.


    Even from where Syl stood, the fear in Galli¡¯s eyes was clear. He was reliving it all in his head. And it was terrifying.


    ¡°It f-found us¡­¡± Galli said weakly, his quiet words carrying over the still crowd. Other than the popping fires, nothing made a sound.


    ¡°We were on the road, five-point spread with Lorac in the f-front, watching for it. Lorac was in the f-front, I was behind him with Baluc, and Kinu and Jella were in the b-back. Lorac told us to watch out for each other, he was in the f-front,¡± Galli repeated, and had to stifle a sniffle, ¡°but it didn¡¯t matter.


    ¡°I heard Kinu scream f-first. He hit the ground as I turned. B-blood in the air. B-but the Lake-Wolf was gone. Lorac tried to tell us to hold position. He was in the f-front. Kinu was on the ground. Everybody was moving. Confused. Jella was next. It snatched her into the b-bushes.


    ¡°Her screams¡­¡± Galli closed his eyes as if that would block out the memory. ¡°They were terrible¡­¡±


    ¡°Galli,¡± Velena said, gently squeezing the man¡¯s shoulder. ¡°What happened next? What did Lorac do?¡±


    Galli opened his eyes, but it took him a moment to come back to the present. ¡°Lorac¡­ Lorac told¡­ he was in the f-front. He told us to f-form up. B-back to b-back. As soon as he said that, Jella¡¯s screaming stopped. Then it came at us.¡±


    ¡°Did you get a good look at it?¡± Vacksin asked.


    ¡°No. Too f-fast. Just a b-blur,¡± Galli admitted. Guilt and shame covered his face. ¡°It leaped over me. Clipped me on the way b-by,¡± he weakly gestured to his bloody shoulder. ¡°B-Baluc wasn¡¯t so lucky.


    ¡°It ripped his throat out.¡±


    ¡°What did Lorac do?¡± Vacksin asked, impatient.


    ¡°He was in the f-front. Only one left,¡± Galli said, a mix of pride and grief in his voice. ¡°Torches on the ground. And b-bodies. And b-blood. So much b-blood,¡± he had to pause and take a deep breath before continuing. ¡°My torch was by my f-face. It was hot. I couldn¡¯t see past it. B-but I heard him charge. I heard his Sho-Val swing.¡±


    ¡°He fought it,¡± Vacksin said proudly.


    ¡°He lost,¡± Galli said bluntly. ¡°In an instant. His b-battle cry cut off. And then his head. Just his head. It was in f-front of me. His eyes could still see me¡­¡± Galli started sobbing. ¡°Lorac, I¡¯m sorry Lorac,¡± Galli said and drifted back into memory.


    ¡°How did you escape?¡± Velena asked as she forced his attention back on her.


    Galli blinked several times before he had the strength to continue. ¡°Kinu¡­¡±


    ¡°You said Kinu was dead,¡± Vacksin accused. The sharp look from Velena shut his mouth with an audible clap.


    ¡°No¡­ not dead. Not yet,¡± Galli clarified. ¡°He got up. He ran. It chased him.¡±


    ¡°He was running away?¡± Vacksin asked. ¡°Coward.¡±


    The glare Velena gave him was withering.


    ¡°He wasn¡¯t a coward,¡± she said to Galli. ¡°He thought you were all dead. There was nothing to gain from staying there.¡±


    Galli struggled to hold back the tears. He failed. ¡°No. I¡¯m the coward,¡± he sobbed. ¡°The Lake-Wolf chased Kinu. I got up. I ran as f-fast as I could. I didn¡¯t look b-back. Kinu started screaming. I kept running.¡± His voice cracked as he spoke, his spirit breaking at the same time.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough. We should take him back to my clinic,¡± Enna said. ¡°He needs rest, and I need to properly treat this.¡±


    Velena held up a hand. ¡°Galli, you said it followed you back?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ yes¡­¡± he said, trying to find his voice. ¡°I didn¡¯t look. B-but I could feel it behind me. So close.¡±


    ¡°But it didn¡¯t kill you,¡± Velena pointed out. ¡°Maybe it wasn¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°No!¡± he cut her off, finding strength in his terror. ¡°It was b-behind me. The whole way. I know it was.¡±


    ¡°How far?¡± Velena asked.


    ¡°I think¡­ I think¡­ B-Black Creek. Yes, B-Black Creek when it attacked. Yes¡­ yes, that¡¯s it. Lorac was in f-front,¡± he went on. ¡°I remember the b-bridge. I ran over the b-bridge.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s more than an hour from here,¡± Vacksin said to nobody in particular.


    ¡°Which is why he¡¯s very tired and needs his rest,¡± Enna pointed out sternly. She looked to Velena to see if the chief would object again. When nothing came, Enna began calling out instructions to get Galli back to the clinic.


    ¡°Why would it let him go?¡± Dena leaned over and whispered to Syl.


    The words came out of Syl¡¯s mouth before she could censor them. ¡°It wanted him afraid. It wanted us afraid,¡± she said in a low whisper. ¡°It worked.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Dena asked. ¡°I didn¡¯t hear all that.¡±


    But Syl was already heading back towards her house.


    ¡°Hey, Syl, wait!¡± Dena said as she caught up. ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°To get my father.¡±

 Chapter 11 – Poached

    Dena convinced her to at least wait until the sun came up, but that didn¡¯t stop Syl from pacing.


    ¡°Would you sit down? Just for a minute?¡± Dena asked for the fifth time. ¡°You¡¯ll have blisters on your feet before we even take our first step outside the village.¡±


    ¡°I should have left already,¡± Syl echoed what she¡¯d said at least four times. The conversation was getting old.


    Dena sighed dramatically. ¡°And, just like I said before, going out when the Lake-Wolf could see you, but you couldn¡¯t see it, wouldn¡¯t have done your father any good. Unless you want to finally explain to me what you thought you saw from that roof?¡±


    Syl was purposely avoiding that subject. What had she seen? How could she possibly try to explain it? ¡°Saw¡± wasn¡¯t even the right word.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t think so,¡± Dena said flatly. ¡°Well, while you¡¯ve been pacing, I¡¯ve been packing.¡±


    ¡°Packing?¡± Syl asked. Her eyes had barely left the window facing where the sun would rise.


    ¡°Food and water, a blanket for each of us. An extra quiver of arrows each,¡± Dena said, pointing to the small piles beside her.


    Syl¡¯s eyes narrowed at a fourth small bundle. ¡°And that?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Dena hesitated. Guilt plastered her face.


    ¡°You poached a cherry pie while my mom is out treating Galli, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not exactly true¡­¡± Dena said, but didn¡¯t meet Syl¡¯s eyes. ¡°It wasn¡¯t a pie¡­¡±


    ¡°How many?¡± Syl asked.


    ¡°Just a couple¡­ for us to share!¡± Dena emphasized.


    Syl just shook her head. People were dying. Her father was in trouble. But Dena focused on pie.


    And yet, as Syl took a breath, it was the first time she didn¡¯t feel like something was sitting on her chest. Even if for only a moment, her friend had taken her mind off all the things rattling around inside her head.


    When she looked at Dena, she saw that her friend understood. She understood how important it was to Syl. So she took care of the things that needed doing. The things Syl couldn¡¯t do, because she was too busy worrying.


    Syl walked over and wrapped her arms around Dena. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said.


    Dena hugged her back. ¡°We¡¯ll find him. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°We will,¡± Syl agreed, finally able to think clearly. She gave Dena one last squeeze before letting go and stood up straight. Her muscles were tense from the nervousness and pacing, so she began her Ka-Sho stretching routine.


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ not going to want to spar¡­ are you?¡± Dena asked nervously.


    ¡°Helps me focus,¡± Syl answered with a smile. Her Sho-Val sat comfortably in the harness over her shoulders, and her bow was beside the arrows Dena had prepared. She wasn¡¯t sure if either would work against the Lake-Wolf.


    ¡°Do you think Galli was telling the truth?¡± Dena asked, as if reading Syl¡¯s mind.


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Why would he lie?¡± Syl asked back.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t mean I think he was lying. But, do you think it happened like he said? Four of our best hunters killed in the blink of an eye? I just can¡¯t believe it, you know?¡±


    ¡°It is hard to believe,¡± Syl admitted as she slowly went through each of the twelve Ka-Sho-ready stances. With each stance, her head became clearer. More alert. Less stressed. ¡°It was a surprise attack. They weren¡¯t expecting an ambush on the road. Probably tired from the long day. Not at their best.¡±


    ¡°I guess,¡± Dena said. ¡°Vacksin is going to lead the other hunters out just after first light to where Galli said the attack was. Despite what Velena said, he¡¯s got vengeance on his mind.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not vengeance,¡± Syl corrected as she flowed into Pal-Bok. ¡°It¡¯s ambition. You saw him last night. He respected Lorac, but he¡¯s always wanted the position. If he can kill the thing that killed Lorac, he believes that will earn him the respect of the other hunters. Of the village. It would secure his position as Lorac¡¯s replacement, no matter what Velena says.¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t like you,¡± Dena pointed out. ¡°Might make it tough for you if he¡¯s on top.¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t like my dad,¡± Syl corrected. ¡°He was courting my mother before she met dad.¡±


    ¡°Ugh,¡± Dena said. ¡°Can you imagine Vacksin being your father?¡±


    Syl almost lost Pal-Bok as she shuddered at the thought. ¡°I¡¯m glad he isn¡¯t, but it won¡¯t matter to me if he¡¯s the lead hunter or not. I¡¯m going to follow in my parent¡¯s footsteps and he¡¯d be wise to stay on my good side.¡±


    ¡°Most people think it¡¯s wise to stay on your good side, though admittedly for different reasons.¡±


    ¡°Why does everybody assume I¡¯m violent?¡± Syl asked with a scowl.


    ¡°Because anybody who enters the Ka-Sho ring with you ends up bloody, bruised, embarrassed, in a river, limping, upside down, or any combination of the above,¡± Dena said as she counted off the possibilities on her fingers. ¡°I think you actually did that all to Rogar in one match¡­¡±


    ¡°He made a comment about my hips,¡± Syl said and grimaced at the memory. She¡¯d been in a particularly foul mood that time.


    Dena chuckled. ¡°So, you see what I¡¯m saying?¡±


    ¡°No idea,¡± Syl lied, and finished the final stance. When she let her breath out, her body was light. Prepared. Not as good as if she¡¯d gotten a good night¡¯s sleep, admittedly, but it would do.


    ¡°Are you ready?¡± Dena asked and nodded towards the window.


    A crack of light peeked over the eastern mountaintops and through the window. ¡°You don¡¯t have to come with me Dena,¡± Syl said. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous¡­¡± she trailed off as Dena shook her head.


    ¡°Somebody needs to be the rational one, and to watch your back,¡± Dena finished more seriously. ¡°If the Lake-Wolf was able to sneak up on Lorac¡¯s group, we need to make sure we¡¯re extra careful.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t change your mind about going, can I?¡± Syl asked. Was it fair of her to risk Dena¡¯s life?


    ¡°No more than I can change yours,¡± Dena confirmed. ¡°We¡¯re in this together.¡±


    They gathered up their things and threw the small sacks over their shoulders. Dena hadn¡¯t packed much, just enough for two or three days at most. They¡¯d be all the way to Teb¡¯s farm if they didn¡¯t find Syl¡¯s father by then. And if that was the case¡­


    Syl shook her head to stop that line of thinking. She wouldn¡¯t go down the ¡®what if¡¯ path. Not now.


    She opened the door a crack and checked for anybody outside. ¡°All clear,¡± she whispered, and slipped out.


    Her mother was still in the clinic, making sure Galli survived the night, but Syl didn¡¯t want her to see them leaving. Enna would most certainly try to stop them.


    Syl and Dena jogged quietly down the street, then angled towards the outskirts of town, the reverse of how they¡¯d brought Kilik¡¯s body to the clinic. The lingering scent of the festival hung in the air, but the village was deathly quiet. Where there should have been singing and dancing until the sun came up, nothing stirred.


    People were at home with their families, their doors locked tight, and their weapons at the ready. Syl and Dena were little more than shadows as they ducked under shuttered windows and darted past closed doors.


    As the tip of the sun finally crested the mountains, the edge of the village came into sight. They¡¯d made it without anybody seeing them. Or, more importantly, trying to stop them.


    Syl¡¯s eyes were on the woods. Where the Lake-Wolf would be if it was still nearby. She didn¡¯t have that same ominous feeling she¡¯d had on the roof, but she was still on edge. Her nerves were taught and her fingers twitched in anticipation of something happening. Of anything happening.


    When movement came around the corner of a building, instead of from the woods, Syl¡¯s tension exploded into action without thought. Out came her masterpiece, bladed Sho-Val to arc down in one fluid, lightning-quick motion.


    Straight towards Kule¡¯s wide eyes.

 Chapter 12 – Blood

    The muscles of Syl¡¯s arm strained against gravity. Against the momentum of her plummeting blade.


    At the top of her Ka-Sho class, there was nobody with faster or sharper movements. Her body was limber and strong from the recent warm-up and her reflexes demanded she end the fight quickly.


    Except it wasn¡¯t a fight. It was her friend. And it took every ounce of her training to halt the blade before it split his head like a melon.


    Even then, it was a monumental effort that left the Sho-Val¡¯s razor-edge resting against the skin of Kule¡¯s forehead.


    ¡°Syl!¡± Dena whispered harshly as she caught up. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Syl in turn whispered to Kule, withdrawing her Sho-Val. Carefully. A small line of crimson ran down Kule¡¯s forehead in the light of the rising sun. She wavered between anger at Kule for suddenly appearing like that, and guilt for very nearly splitting his head in two.


    Seeing the paleness of her friend¡¯s face, her heart settled on the latter. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she said quietly.


    Kule dropped straight down to a seated position on the ground. ¡°I¡¯m done. I¡¯m going home,¡± he said, his voice shaking.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that,¡± Leeze said as she stepped around the corner of the house.


    ¡°She almost killed me!¡± Kule pointed at the blood slowly oozing between his eyes and down the side of his nose.


    He wasn¡¯t surprised to see Leeze; they¡¯d come together.


    ¡°Not the first time she¡¯s almost killed one of us,¡± Rogar added, and joined them.


    ¡°But you usually deserved it,¡± Edar piped in from behind Rogar.


    When Reylo quietly followed, Syl turned an accusatory glare on Dena, who just smiled.


    ¡°What are you all doing here?¡± Syl asked rhetorically. Dena.


    ¡°Getting ready to go home,¡± Kule said, and started to stand.


    Leeze, not so gently, put a hand on his shoulder and pushed him back down. ¡°Dena told us what you were going to do,¡± Leeze said. ¡°We couldn¡¯t let you go out there alone.¡±


    Syl couldn¡¯t hide her surprise. ¡°But earlier, you didn¡¯t want to leave the village¡­¡± She stumbled and regretted her words when Leeze¡¯s face coloured.


    ¡°You can say it,¡± Leeze said, but kept her chin up. ¡°I was scared. I was really scared. I don¡¯t want to die like Kilik did. Or Lorac. But¡­¡± Leeze gulped and forced herself to continue, one hand on her pendant. ¡°You would do it for me. And you¡¯re right. There are things I want to protect too.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be dangerous, you don¡¯t have to¡­¡± Syl started, but Rogar interrupted her.


    ¡°Which is why we¡¯re going. We may be rivals on the Ka-Sho field, but we¡¯re friends everywhere else. And friends watch out for each other.¡±


    Syl just looked at him, shocked at the bluntness of the statement.


    ¡°Who are you and what have you done with the real Rogar?¡± Dena asked as she walked up beside Syl.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we be going before somebody sees us?¡± Edar pointed out to the group.


    ¡°Yes, you should be going,¡± Kule said, trying to get back up. ¡°I¡¯m going to find breakfast.¡±


    Leeze pushed him right back down. ¡°You already had breakfast. And you¡¯re coming too,¡± she said.


    Kule¡¯s eyes went from Leeze to Syl. ¡°Promise you aren¡¯t going to try to kill me again?¡±


    ¡°I thought you were the Lake-Wolf,¡± Syl mumbled in her own defense. ¡°I won¡¯t try to kill you,¡± she added more loudly.


    ¡°He does kind of look like a Lake-Wolf,¡± Dena said helpfully.


    Kule just scowled at her, but that meant he was back on board. Leeze released her grip on his shoulder and he rubbed the spot as he stood.


    ¡°Strong grip you¡¯ve got there,¡± he said. ¡°Anyway, can we leave before I go back to thinking this is a terrible idea?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re all sure?¡± Syl asked the group. She took a moment to look each of them in the eyes.


    ¡°We¡¯re all sure,¡± Dena said. ¡°Just go with it.¡±


    Syl¡¯s chest threatened to burst with appreciation for her friends. They were willing to risk their lives for her.


    She wouldn¡¯t let anything happen to them.


    ¡°Okay,¡± she said. ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡±


    Syl led them through the woods, just like she and Dena had planned. They spread out as they went, careful to keep an eye on one another and on the surrounding forest. If the Lake-Wolf could sneak up on Lorac and his party, they couldn¡¯t afford to let their attention lapse for even a moment.


    They all breathed a small sigh of relief when they retook the road a mile or so from town.


    ¡°Rogar, you and I will take the lead. Dena, Leeze, and Edar, I want you in the middle of the road behind us. Kule and Reylo, bring up the rear. Those of you in the middle, keep an eye on the rest of us while we watch the woods.


    Stolen story; please report.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want a repeat of what happened to Lorac¡¯s group. Hopefully, the size of our group will make the Lake-Wolf think twice about attacking if we come across it.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you mean if it comes across us?¡± Kule corrected.


    ¡°That too,¡± Syl said, but didn¡¯t look back as she took her position in the group.


    The three in the middle had bows out and arrows at the ready. Everybody else drew their Sho-Vals.


    ¡°Lorac¡¯s group was attacked around Black Creek, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Leeze asked. ¡°Isn¡¯t that down this road?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Edar answered. ¡°But the turn-off to Teb¡¯s farm is a couple of miles before that. Don¡¯t worry. We won¡¯t be anywhere near where the Lake-Wolf attacked.¡±


    ¡°Unless Syl was right, and the Lake-Wolf was actually at the village last night,¡± Reylo chimed in.


    ¡°Vacksin didn¡¯t seem to think so, and we didn¡¯t find any tracks,¡± Rogar said.


    ¡°I believe Syl,¡± Dena piped up. ¡°She said she saw something, so something was there.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if I saw something or not,¡± Syl didn¡¯t want to get into that again. ¡°The Lake-Wolf could be anywhere along this road, or anywhere else in the valley. We need to stay alert.¡±


    Nobody argued that point and Syl let the topic lie.


    ¡°There are a couple of waystations along the road to Teb¡¯s farm,¡± Edar said after almost an hour of silence. ¡°We should make sure we¡¯re in one when night falls.¡±


    ¡°No fog to worry about,¡± Rogar pointed out. ¡°And at least a couple of days until the rain starts. We can travel at night if we need to.


    ¡°Why do you even believe that superstitious nonsense anyway?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not nonsense,¡± Edar said defensively. ¡°We need to hide when our Ancestors can¡¯t protect us.¡±


    ¡°How can you think the Anihazi are actually real? Have you ever seen one?¡± Rogar asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Edar admitted.


    ¡°There you have it. Superstitious nonsense,¡± Rogar said, shoulders back like the matter was settled.


    ¡°But my grandma has,¡± Edar added.


    ¡°The Anavilla saw one?¡± Leeze asked. ¡°She actually saw one? Not just a story about one?¡±


    ¡°When she was very, very young. When her grandmother was still Anavilla,¡± Edar explained. ¡°She was seven years old when it found us.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®found us¡¯?¡± Dena asked. ¡°Don¡¯t they know where we are?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and no, ¡°Edar answered. ¡°They know we¡¯re in the valley, but our Ancestors¡¯ sight wards them away. While our Ancestors can see us, we¡¯re safe. But, for the month when the rains come, or at night when the fog rolls in and the Ancestors can¡¯t see us, we have to protect ourselves.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t any of you pay attention when my grandmother spoke to our classes?¡±


    ¡°Nah,¡± Kule said. ¡°Had other things on my mind.¡±


    ¡°Like Leeze¡¯s legs?¡± Reylo asked.


    Kule let out a soft whistle. ¡°Thanks for reminding me. And thanks for putting me in the back, Syl!¡± Kule called up to her.


    ¡°If your eyes stray for even a moment from the wood line,¡± Leeze threatened. ¡°That nick on your forehead will be a whole lot deeper.¡±


    ¡°Whatever. I¡¯m watching¡­ No Lake-Wolves over here,¡± Kule grumbled.


    ¡°How do we protect ourselves?¡± Reylo asked, going back to the topic of the Anihazi.


    ¡°We stay inside, or under cover, so the Anihazi can¡¯t see us from above.¡±


    ¡°From above?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Edar sighed. He obviously wasn¡¯t happy his friends hadn¡¯t paid attention to his grandmother. ¡°That¡¯s why our homes are camouflaged. Why we have grass and shrubs on the roof, and on the walkways between the farms. So that the Anihazi can¡¯t find our villages.


    ¡°And why we can only have the Ka-Sho-Dan in the week before the rains come. It¡¯s the only time of year when there isn¡¯t any fog. Or clouds.¡±


    ¡°What did it look like?¡± Leeze asked. ¡°The Anihazi I mean.¡±


    ¡°My grandmother doesn¡¯t remember it perfectly,¡± Edar said.


    ¡°Of course she doesn¡¯t,¡± Rogar said dryly. ¡°How convenient.¡±


    ¡°But she said its wings blocked out the sun, and it had a voice like thunder crashing,¡± Edar went on, ignoring Rogar. ¡°Its claws rent the ground, and there was nothing our weapons could do against it.¡±


    ¡°Its claws rent the ground?¡± Rogar asked dismissively. ¡°You¡¯d think we¡¯d know about something like that.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s where Redrun River came from,¡± Edar said confidently.


    ¡°Redrun River? Isn¡¯t that over by Bok?¡± Dena asked, referencing one of the other villages.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Edar said. ¡°And Bok was almost completely destroyed when the Anihazi found it. That¡¯s why all the buildings there are newer than ours.¡±


    ¡°If the Anihazi was so powerful, and our weapons couldn¡¯t hurt it, how did any of us survive? How were they able to rebuild Bok?¡± Rogar asked, not satisfied with Edar¡¯s story.


    ¡°There were no clouds to hide it from our Ancestors. With each rising sun, the Anihazi was exposed to their power, and it withered and died while it attacked Bok.¡±


    ¡°Guess the Anihazi aren¡¯t very smart,¡± Rogar chuckled.


    ¡°They¡¯re just as intelligent as we are,¡± Edar said darkly. ¡°But their hate for us overrides their common sense. They want nothing more than to see us burn. To destroy us.¡±


    Hate. Burn. Destroy.


    Edar¡¯s words echoed in Syl¡¯s head. The same words she¡¯d heard from the thing outside the village.


    ¡°Must just be a coincidence,¡± she muttered quietly to herself.


    ¡°Well, as long as our Ancestors can see us, we should be fine,¡± Rogar went on. Nobody heard Syl mumbling.


    ¡°There¡¯s another reason we should stay in one of the waystations,¡± Edar said.


    ¡°And what would that be?¡± Rogar asked.


    ¡°Do you want to be camping on the open road with a Lake-Wolf on the prowl?¡± Edar asked flatly.


    Rogar didn¡¯t have an immediate reply to that.


    ¡°My father should get to Teb¡¯s farm today, if he isn¡¯t already on his way back,¡± Syl changed the subject. ¡°Either we¡¯ll meet him on the road, or at the farm, and then head straight back.¡±


    Nobody said anything to that, but Syl knew what they were all thinking.


    What if he isn¡¯t?


    As the sun began to set and they found their second empty waystation, Edar pushed for them to stay the night.


    ¡°We won¡¯t make it to the next waystation for several hours,¡± he said. ¡°This is our last chance to have a roof over our heads for the night.¡±


    The pressure in Syl¡¯s chest had built again. The need to find her father and make sure he was safe. She couldn¡¯t just sit around while he was out there alone on the road.


    ¡°What if we¡­¡± she started.


    ¡°Syl,¡± Dena said quietly, and pulled her aside. ¡°We¡¯ve been going all day. None of us got much sleep last night. We¡¯re out here because we want to make sure you¡¯re safe, but it won¡¯t do you or us any good if we can barely keep our eyes open.


    ¡°Edar¡¯s right. We should camp here for the night.¡±


    Syl¡¯s jaw clenched, but Dena had a point.


    ¡°Besides,¡± Edar added. ¡°Lake Cashin is a few hours ahead of us. We¡¯ll get there before noon tomorrow, and we can check with them to see when your father passed through. He might even be staying with them now.¡±


    ¡°We should have found him by now,¡± Syl said, her frustration and worry boiling over.


    ¡°He got a good head-start on us. Like you said, we¡¯ll catch up to him tomorrow,¡± Dena said. ¡°The only thing we really need to worry about is how needy Teb is. He¡¯ll probably want your dad to examine everybody on the farm.¡±


    ¡°Dena¡¯s right. He always keeps me and grandma a day longer than we plan.¡±


    ¡°You come out here often?¡± Rogar asked.


    ¡°At least once or twice a year,¡± Edar said. ¡°The Anavilla has a lot of responsibility. Listen Syl,¡± Edar turned his attention back to her. ¡°I know these roads. We should stay here.¡±


    ¡°Please, Syl,¡± Dena whispered while the others watched.


    Why were they looking to her for the decision? Would they actually push on if she said she was going to? Probably. And it was for exactly that reason she couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll camp here for the night,¡± she said finally, letting out an anxious breath. ¡°Two-person watch at all times, and we leave with first light.¡±


    ¡°First watch!¡± Kule called, giving a little fist pump.


    ¡°Reylo, you¡¯re with him,¡± Syl said. ¡°Everybody else, let¡¯s get some sleep.¡±


    Syl let the others file into the waystation ahead of her, but she lingered outside, her eyes on the road ahead.


    ¡°Where are you, dad?¡± she asked quietly into the night.

 Chapter 13 – Prey

    Syl crouched in the bushes, the forest quiet around her. Damp leaves brushed against her skin, the smell of the earth at her feet tickled her nose, and excitement kissed her lips.


    Her prey was close. Just through the trees ahead. Unaware she was so close, or that she¡¯d stalked it for hours. Now was the time to strike.


    She prowled forward, silent, barely disturbing the branches any more than a shadow would. Her ears were alert for any sign she¡¯d been noticed, but nothing stirred. Her prey was sleeping. And it would never wake.


    Within fifty feet, there were barely more than a few bushes between her and her target. She stopped and waited, again listening for any sign of movement. There was a shift, perhaps a shuffle, as her prey rolled over in its sleep. Syl kept low to the ground and slinked forward again.


    At thirty feet, there was a break in the forest enough for her to see where her prey had laired for the night. Flickers of orange danced through cracks in the square building, but Syl didn¡¯t fear fire.


    Wait, fire? Why would a Lake-Wolf have fire? And¡­ that building looks like a waystation.


    Syl¡¯s mind reeled as she tried to make sense of what she saw.


    Where are the others? How¡­ how did I get out here? The last thing I remember¡­


    Her body inched forward and interrupted her thoughts. Her eyes locked on the back of the waystation as she approached it.


    She tried to call out but had no voice. Her body moved of its own volition despite her screaming at it in her head to back away. She had no control over her actions.


    What¡¯s going on?


    Sharp tree bristles poked at her paws and the lingering smell of cooked meat wafted from the waystation. It was disgusting.


    Paws?!


    Syl willed herself to stop stalking towards the waystation she suddenly recognized. Towards the smell that was so familiar. The smell of Leeze¡¯s cooking.


    She took another step forward, and she was only fifteen feet away. Almost within striking distance. Her body tensed for the attack. But an unexpected sound, a click and then a squeak, had her crouching down and her eyes scanning for movement.


    There, around the front of the waystation, light poured out from the open door. One of her prey said something she didn¡¯t bother trying to understand, then walked out and down the road.


    Syl¡¯s eyes went from the building to the lone man walking into the bushes, and a morbid smile creased her face. And then she was loping silently through the woods parallel to the man. He would be her next victim.


    NO! Stop!


    She screamed and railed against the limbs carrying her, but nothing she did made a difference. Her body slowed as she got closer, a hint of movement visible through the leaves. Her muscles tensed, and she prepared to¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Syl screamed and sat bolt upright. The thin blanket threatened to restrain her, and her foggy mind could do little to help untangle her. ¡°Don¡¯t. Stop,¡± she repeated as the light from the fire in the waystation blinded her. It was so much brighter than the woods outside.


    ¡°Whoa, Syl, you damn near scared me to death,¡± Kule said from beside the fire. ¡°Maybe you don¡¯t want to announce to the whole world, or the Lake-Wolf, where we¡¯re sleeping tonight?¡±


    Syl put a hand to her head as she struggled to order her thoughts. Was that just a dream? It was so real.


    ¡°I, I¡¯m sorry Kule¡­ I think I had¡­¡±  she stopped and looked around. ¡°Where¡¯s Reylo?¡± Her eyes widened when she saw the open waystation door.


    ¡°Went out to take a leak,¡± Kule answered.


    Syl threw her blanket off and jumped to her feet. ¡°And you let him go alone?!¡± she accused. Her body was lethargic from the sleep, but she pushed past it to pick up her bow and quiver.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°Figured he didn¡¯t need help holding it,¡± Kule said dryly.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Dena asked drowsily.


    ¡°Syl had a nightmare¡­ or something,¡± Kule said, but didn¡¯t move.


    ¡°It¡¯s out there,¡± Syl said, ignoring Kule¡¯s comment.


    ¡°What is?¡± Dena asked, but Syl was already moving for the door.


    ¡°The Lake-Wolf,¡± Syl said as she stepped outside.


    Which way did I see Reylo go?


    ¡°What?!¡± Kule asked from inside the waystation. ¡°What do you mean the Lake-Wolf is out there? How do you know? And¡­ why are you going outside¡­?¡±


    Syl ignored the questions and decided to risk calling out. ¡°Reylo!¡± she shouted. ¡°Reylo, where are you?¡±


    ¡°You sure you need to yell so loudly?¡± Rogar asked her as he filed out of the waystation with the others.


    Syl¡¯s night sight was better now that she was away from the fire, but she still couldn¡¯t see Reylo. The moon and stars above provided barely enough light to outline the edges of the road and the tops of the trees.


    ¡°Reylo!¡± Syl called out again.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯s fine, Syl,¡± Rogar said.


    ¡°Then why isn¡¯t he answering?¡± Dena asked, and nocked an arrow.


    The others shuffled behind her, realizing the truth of Dena¡¯s words.


    ¡°Reylo?! You out here?¡± Kule called out. ¡°I mean, I know you¡¯re out here, I saw you go¡­ but are you out here and not dead?¡±


    ¡°What kind of question is that?¡± Leeze hissed at him.


    ¡°I thought it was a fair one¡­¡±  he answered back.


    ¡°Shut up, and find him,¡± Rogar ordered.


    Syl walked down the middle of the road as she continued to call out for Reylo. The lack of a reply terrified her, but she kept her head.


    Which side was it on? I saw the back of the waystation first¡­ so it was on the left side of the road. It probably still is.


    Syl didn¡¯t nock an arrow but kept one at the ready as her eyes raked across the treeline to her left. ¡°Reylo!¡± she yelled again.


    Movement further down the road in the bushes to the right had her spinning and pulling her bow taut.


    ¡°Whaaaaaat?¡± Reylo asked, and stepped out onto the road. One hand was still holding his pants up as he raised the other to wave. ¡°Can¡¯t a guy take a¡­?¡±


    Reylo¡¯s sentence cut short as a massive blur streaked across the road and snatched him into the bushes in a flash.


    ¡°Reylo!¡± Syl shouted, and dashed after him. She plowed straight into the woods without stopping to see if the others were following her.


    Breaking branches and Reylo¡¯s pained screaming guided Syl as the Lake-Wolf carried him deeper into the woods.


    Syl slapped branches aside as she gave chase, relying on her ears to keep her heading in the right direction. She couldn¡¯t see more than a foot or two in front of her, but she could clearly hear Reylo being dragged along.


    And then just like that, the night hushed.


    Syl stopped dead in her tracks and crouched down. Her arrow nocked on instinct, and her ears perked for any sign of Reylo.


    Nothing.


    ¡°Hey, see anything?¡± Rogar whispered from somewhere behind her.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Kule whispered back. ¡°Leeze?¡±


    ¡°Shhh,¡± Leeze answered. ¡°Do you want it to find us?¡±


    The others had followed Syl and spread out in the woods behind her. She knew she was the closest to where the Lake-Wolf had carried Reylo, which meant she had the best chance of seeing it.


    Except she couldn¡¯t see anything. The canopy of trees blocked out what little light there was from the moon above. Her eyes were practically useless.


    ¡°Stop moving,¡± she whispered to the people behind her.


    The sound of movement behind her immediately ceased. They may not have been full-fledged hunters yet, but the others were quick to follow instructions. With them silent, Syl strained her ears for any sign of movement. Any sign of anything.


    Still nothing.


    Did it stop moving? Why can¡¯t I even hear Reylo anymore? Does that mean he¡¯s¡­? No, stop. Don¡¯t think like that. Focus.


    Syl took a breath and concentrated again on listening to the woods around her. It was deathly silent.


    Either the Lake-Wolf was still, or it was moving so quietly she had no chance of hearing it. Given what she remembered of her dream, it was probably the latter. Which meant it was getting ready to strike again.


    There was one other thing Syl could try, but she hesitated. She¡¯d been able to feel the Lake-Wolf back at the village. She couldn¡¯t see or hear it, but she¡¯d been sure it was there. Maybe she could do that again?


    But what does it mean if I can?


    Syl forced her eyes shut to dismiss the thought. That was a problem for later. Surviving, and keeping her friends alive, were the important things. With her eyes still closed, Syl focused on the memory of what it felt like back on the roof. What was it that made her so sure the Lake-Wolf had been looking at her?


    The sense of malice. The hate. It was palpable, and she reached out to feel that again.


    At first, there was nothing, but she didn¡¯t give up. She visualized the woods around her. The trees, the knotty roots, and the uneven ground, she let her imagination build it all in a net centered on her. And like a spider¡¯s web, she felt each strand of that net for the same sense of hate from the village.


    From the first strand¡­ nothing. The second, also nothing. The third, still nothing. Is there any point to this? Was she really crazy? Was it all just her imagination?


    No, it wasn¡¯t. She couldn¡¯t place it, yet, but that same ball of hate from the night before was definitely there somewhere. Like a miasma hanging between the trees and along the forest floor. All around her, but not.


    It¡¯s like an echo of where the Lake-Wolf was. Understanding hit her like a slap. She dismissed the strands of her net where the echo was weakest and fixated her concentration on those that remained. Plucking them one by one, she finally found the source of the malice.


    A bundle of hate so concentrated Syl found her stomach turning and she had to fight back the urge to vomit. Worse though, as she pushed past the sensation, was the location of the Lake-Wolf.


    It was behind them.

 Chapter 14 – Fight Back

    Syl didn¡¯t hesitate.


    ¡°Behind us!¡± she shouted and spun with her bow drawn. Even with her eyes still closed, she knew exactly where it was. A split-second of doubt went through her mind; if it was all her in her head, she¡¯d look the fool.


    But if it wasn¡¯t her imagination¡ªif the Lake-Wolf really was behind them¡ªthen it would kill them all if she didn¡¯t act. Her first arrow was away before she even finished the thought.


    She heard the others rise and draw their bows. As her first arrow buried itself in a tree near where she felt the Lake-Wolf, her second arrow was already streaking right for it. Five other arrows followed it almost perfectly.


    The Lake-Wolf¡¯s hate turned to surprise, to concern, as it leapt to the side to avoid the barrage. Six arrows struck where it had been only a second before.


    Syl didn¡¯t need to vocalize as she shifted the angle of her bow and the trajectory of her third arrow. With her eyes closed, she wasn¡¯t sure how the others managed to follow her lead, but follow they did. Another volley of six arrows cut through the foliage to unerringly strike. Yet the Lake-Wolf somehow managed to dodge to the side again, and the only victim of the volley was a thick tree.


    The Lake-Wolf¡¯s concern further turned to confusion. It didn¡¯t know how they were suddenly able to track it. How its prey was able to fight back.


    ¡°Spread!¡± Syl shouted as she nocked and released her fourth arrow.


    Unlike the previous volleys, this wasn¡¯t a pinpoint strike. Upon her command, the others instinctively aimed around Syl¡¯s target.


    The spread shot was almost random, but Syl was somehow able to track the flight of each individual arrow through her connection with the Lake-Wolf. Whatever was letting her detect its presence was also tying her to its senses, and she instinctively flinched as the arrows shot towards ¡®her¡¯.


    But the Lake-Wolf was unnaturally fast. Faster than anything should be, and the arrows seemed to be floating rather than rocketing. It dodged the first arrow by ducking its shoulder, the second by lifting a paw, and the third by leaping to the side. By then it was out of the danger zone.


    ¡°Again,¡± Syl shouted, her fifth arrow aimed and ready.


    Just stay still for one second! she screamed in her head at it. As her arrow left her bow, and five others followed, she felt the Lake-Wolf freeze. A moment of panic washed through it¡ªand over her¡ªas its body ceased to obey it. It was the same sensation from her dream.


    It wasn¡¯t for long, barely more than a heartbeat, but it was long enough. Two of the arrows struck true, and Syl felt outrage entwine with the fear.


    Syl¡¯s pulled back on her sixth arrow, but she didn¡¯t loose it. The Lake-Wolf had already turned and dashed away through the forest the moment it had its freedom back.


    So fast¡­


    ¡°Hold!¡± she shouted.  The Lake-Wolf was outside the range she could sense it within seconds, and she didn¡¯t want the group to waste the arrows.


    ¡°Did we get it?¡± Rogar asked.


    ¡°With that last one. I think so,¡± Syl answered.


    ¡°Is it dead?¡± Leeze asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Syl said.


    ¡°Are your eyes closed?¡± Dena asked, from very close.


    It wasn¡¯t until that question Syl realized she¡¯d kept them closed the entire time.


    ¡°Just closed them to calm myself down,¡± she lied, and opened them. The look on her friend¡¯s face, even in the darkness of the woods, told her Dena didn¡¯t believe her.


    ¡°We¡¯ll talk about this later,¡± Dena mouthed, so nobody else would hear.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Reylo?¡± Edar asked. ¡°Does anybody see him?¡±


    ¡°If the Lake-Wolf was behind us, maybe Reylo¡¯s in that direction?¡± Rogar suggested.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Syl said slowly. ¡°I think Reylo was bait, he¡¯s probably still ahead of us.¡±


    ¡°Bait?¡± Edar asked incredulously. ¡°It¡¯s a beast. Why would it use bait?¡±


    ¡°We chased it out here, didn¡¯t we?¡± Syl asked, but didn¡¯t turn to look at Edar. ¡°Then it circled around behind to ambush us. What would you call it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d call it scary,¡± Kule answered for everybody.


    ¡°Let¡¯s worry about this after we find Reylo,¡± Dena told the group. ¡°And after we¡¯re not in the middle of the woods with the Lake-Wolf still out there somewhere.¡±


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°Dena¡¯s right,¡± Syl agreed, and turned towards where she last heard the Lake-Wolf. It wasn¡¯t much further ahead of them. ¡°This way,¡± she said.


    ¡°Did you see that shot?¡± Kule asked behind her as they walked. ¡°I¡¯m sure it was my arrow that hit the Lake-Wolf.¡±


    ¡°How could you see anything in this darkness?¡± Leeze asked.


    ¡°Same way Syl knew the Lake-Wolf was behind us,¡± Kule answered, and Syl¡¯s ears perked up. Could somebody else sense it too? Maybe it wasn¡¯t just her imagination after all¡­


    ¡°Pure hunter instinct,¡± Kule said, and Syl¡¯s hopes fell.


    ¡°Kule,¡± Leeze said flatly. ¡°You¡¯re an idiot.¡±


    ¡°Reylo?¡± Syl called for her friend.


    ¡°He better not be taking another leak,¡± Kule grumbled. ¡°That¡¯s gotten us into enough trouble for one night.¡±


    ¡°Keep it down, Kule. And keep an eye out for him. The Lake-Wolf could¡¯ve dropped him under a bush or something,¡± Syl instructed.


    The group fanned out behind her as they moved forward, but they didn¡¯t have to go far.


    ¡°Got him,¡± Edar called from Syl¡¯s right, and the whole group converged on his voice. ¡°I think he¡¯s hurt Syl, going to need you on this.¡±


    ¡°How bad?¡± Syl asked as she found Edar leaning over a prone Reylo.


    ¡°You tell me. Arm looks chewed on¡­ I can¡¯t tell you much more than that.¡±


    Syl crouched down beside Reylo, but the lack of light in the woods made an accurate diagnosis impossible. ¡°We need to get him back to the waystation,¡± she said. ¡°I can¡¯t see a thing out here. Rogar, think you can piggyback him?¡± she turned to the biggest member of their group.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Rogar said, unstrapping his Sho-Val and handing it to Leeze. She reluctantly let go of her pendant to take it from him.


    ¡°Edar, Kule, help me with him. Careful, we don¡¯t know if he hit his head. Dena, hold his neck steady while we¡­¡±  Syl instructed as the group worked together to get Reylo up on Rogar¡¯s back. When he was firmly in place, they retraced their steps back to the waystation.


    Everybody was on alert for the Lake-Wolf¡¯s return, but Syl didn¡¯t sense it anywhere nearby.


    Is it really gone? Did we injure it enough to chase it off?


    ¡°Gently. Gently!¡± Syl said as they got back into the building beside the fire and lay Reylo down. Syl rolled up an extra blanket it and put it beneath his head, but he didn¡¯t wake up. That likely meant some kind of head injury. The only question was how serious it was.


    Syl started her inspection with the arm; it was the most obviously injured. The Lake-Wolf had clamped its jaws down on the limb and used it to drag him through the woods. There were deep lacerations from where the teeth had punctured the skin, but miraculously, the bones didn¡¯t seem broken.


    ¡°Those are some¡­ very large¡­ teeth marks,¡± Kule noted. ¡°How big is this thing?¡±


    Kule was right. By the spacing of the bite marks in Reylo¡¯s arm, the Lake-Wolf¡¯s head was at least as wide as Reylo¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡°I thought Lake-Wolves had long, narrow mouths,¡± Syl whispered to herself. If this was considered narrow, the beast was a monster.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Dena asked.


    ¡°Just talking to myself while I work. Helps me think,¡± Syl said as she stitched up the worst of the puncture wounds. Would she have enough thread?


    ¡°While I sew up the arm,¡± Syl said without turning. ¡°Dena, Leeze, I want to you run your hands along his chest. Gently, but not too gently. Look for any obvious breaks or a feeling of pressure. If something feels like it¡¯s bulging, tell me right away. It might be a sign he¡¯s bleeding inside.¡±


    When neither of them moved immediately, Syl spared a moment for the best Enna-glare she could muster. ¡°Now¡¯s not the time to be timid, girls,¡± she said. The responding looks on their faces told Syl her mother would be proud.


    ¡°Rogar, Edar,¡± she continued. ¡°Keep an eye out. We don¡¯t want the Lake-Wolf sneaking up on us again.¡±


    The two boys took up position without a word, one by the door and the other by the only window.


    After an exhausting hour of stitching, Syl finally finished. The other girls managed to check the rest of Reylo¡¯s body for breaks or injuries, with a little too much giggling, but they didn¡¯t find anything life-threatening. There were minor scrapes and bruises, but the boy was in surprisingly good shape.


    ¡°It¡¯s almost a miracle,¡± Syl said as she sat back and wiped the sweat from her forehead. ¡°The teeth didn¡¯t hit anything major in the arm, so the blood loss was minimal, and nothing else is serious.


    ¡°As long as he wakes up soon, I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll have to worry too much.¡±


    Syl turned to look at Reylo, but his eyes were still closed, and he hadn¡¯t moved. ¡°You sure?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah,¡± Kule said. ¡°As soon as Dena¡¯s hand found the inside of his thigh, I saw him smile. He¡¯s awake.¡±


    ¡°Whaaaaat?¡± Dena said and jumped back. She looked at her hand like it belonged to somebody else.


    ¡°Reylo,¡± Syl said very evenly. ¡°If you can hear me, I suggest you open your eyes this instant.¡± When Reylo didn¡¯t immediately respond, Syl reached over and drew her Sho-Val. The unmistakable sound of the blade leaving its sheath filled the waystation.


    ¡°Wh¡­ what happened¡­?¡± Reylo predictably said as his eyes fluttered open. ¡°I¡­ I¡­ must have been knocked out,¡± he wheezed. When he tried to bring his right hand up to his head, his eyes bulged open, and he groaned in pain. ¡°That hurts!¡±


    ¡°I see you¡¯re awake,¡± Syl said, the Sho-Val still in her hand. ¡°Besides your arm, does anything else hurt?¡±


    ¡°Everything hurts,¡± he groaned softly.


    Syl nodded. That was to be expected. He¡¯d been dragged through the forest at breakneck speeds. It really was a miracle he wasn¡¯t dead.


    ¡°We should get him back to the village,¡± Leeze said from behind her.


    Syl didn¡¯t answer immediately. Leeze was right. Reylo needed to be monitored to make sure Syl hadn¡¯t missed something important. On the other hand, that would be a full two days lost looking for her father. And as soon as the villagers realized how Reylo was hurt, they¡¯d never let Syl leave a second time.


    Reylo must have seen the internal battle on Syl¡¯s face because he was the one who spoke up. ¡°No, I can keep going,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s just my arm that hurts. The rest, well, I¡¯ve felt worse after Ka-Sho matches. I¡¯m fine. Let¡¯s keep going.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s just saying that because he has a thing for Syl,¡± Kule pointed out what everybody knew.


    Syl met Reylo¡¯s eyes as she considered it. Everybody was waiting for her to give her decision. Would she be selfish and continue on, or go back? Could she compromise?


    ¡°There might be another way,¡± Edar said from beside the window. ¡°Lake Cashin has several homes around it, and it¡¯s on our road to Teb¡¯s farm. All of them have wagons. We might be able to borrow one for Reylo if he needs it.¡±


    ¡°No, really, I¡¯m fine guys,¡± Reylo said, and tried to sit up. The tip of Syl¡¯s Sho-Val, which magically appeared right in front of his face, kept him lying down.


    ¡°Did I say you could get up?¡± she asked him.


    ¡°No¡­¡±  Reylo gulped.


    ¡°Right. Stay there,¡± she told him in no uncertain terms. ¡°We¡¯ll continue on to Lake Cashin tomorrow. If Reylo¡¯s condition worsens, we¡¯ll ask for one of those wagons to bring him back to the village. If he seems fine by the time we get there, we¡¯ll consider continuing on.


    ¡°Any concerns or questions?¡± she asked the group.


    Kule raised his hand. ¡°Can I have Leeze and Dena check me for injuries too?¡±

 Chapter 15 – Resolve

    They left the waystation with first light and Reylo did his best not to slow the group. Syl held her breath every time he stumbled.


    Which misstep would finally break her resolve to keep going?


    Purple bruises blossomed across his skin. Syl could scarcely imagine his pain, but Reylo wouldn¡¯t let anybody help him.


    He walked by himself, arm in a sling and his head held high.


    Emotions warred in her chest as she watched her friend. The guilt of putting Reylo through the pain of continuing versus her need to find her father. Her need was winning¡ªjust barely¡ªbut she knew it wouldn¡¯t last if Reylo even hinted he couldn¡¯t go on. He was pushing through the pain for her and that only made the guilt worse.


    ¡°The lake should be a mile or so ahead of us,¡± Edar said. ¡°I recognize the area.¡±


    ¡°Do you need a break?¡± Dena asked Reylo. ¡°We can stop for a minute.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m okay,¡± he answered predictably. ¡°I may want to sit for a few minutes when we get to the lake though.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Dena said. ¡°I think we¡¯ll all want a break by then.¡±


    Syl held her tongue. She didn¡¯t trust herself to say the ¡®right¡¯ thing.


    ¡°What¡¯s on your mind?¡± Dena asked, sensing her friend¡¯s internal struggle and joining her at the back of the group.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Syl said. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be watching the woods?¡±


    ¡°I can walk, watch, and talk all at the same time,¡± Dena said, ignoring Syl¡¯s snippiness.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Syl said. ¡°Guess I¡¯m grumpy.¡±


    ¡°You going to tell me what happened last night?¡± Dena asked quietly so the others wouldn¡¯t hear.


    ¡°What¡¯s to tell?¡±


    ¡°Kule said you woke up in a fit and then stormed straight out, saying something about the Lake-Wolf being out there. And then you were right. I think there¡¯s something to tell.¡±


    ¡°Just a bad dream,¡± Syl said. Why was she keeping secrets from her best friend? Oh, right, because it was practically unbelievable. And the dream wasn¡¯t even the really crazy part.


    ¡°Okay. A bad dream.¡± Dena sounded skeptical. Rightfully. ¡°Then how about the part where you knew the Lake-Wolf was behind us? Just like at the village,¡± Dena said, extra quiet.


    Syl took a breath but didn¡¯t answer immediately. ¡°I guess I heard it,¡± she finally answered.


    ¡°You guess? Syl, what¡¯s going on with you? You can tell me anything, you know that, right?¡±


    ¡°I know, but I don¡¯t know,¡± Syl said, stumbling over her words.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Syl sighed and put her arm around Dena¡¯s waist. ¡°I just heard it. I don¡¯t know how I did, but that¡¯s all it was. Thanks for worrying about me.¡±


    Dena looked like she was going to say something else, but she held her tongue and simply nodded.


    ¡°How big is this community around the lake?¡± Syl called ahead to Edar as Dena fell back into her position in the group.


    ¡°Half a dozen buildings,¡± Edar answered. ¡°Haven¡¯t you ever come out to Teb¡¯s farm?¡±


    ¡°Not since I was a kid. I don¡¯t remember it very well. And I prefer Lake Tulium to Cashin for swimming,¡± Syl went on, trying to keep the topic lighter. ¡°Cashin gives me the creeps. Always felt like something was watching me from the bottom of the lake.¡±


    ¡°Tulium¡¯s warmer,¡± Dena agreed. ¡°Cashin always seems so cold. I think because it¡¯s deeper.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s what makes the fish delicious,¡± Leeze said. ¡°Bet it was those fish plotting their revenge for eating their friends that creeped you out, Syl.¡± Leeze widened her eyes and made little claw gestures at Syl, then chuckled. ¡°Do you think we¡¯ll have time to stop and eat?¡±


    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    Syl looked at Reylo. He was definitely moving slower. ¡°Yeah,¡± she said. ¡°I think stopping to get a meal is a good idea.¡±


    The nod from Dena told her she¡¯d managed to say the ¡®right¡¯ thing after all, even if it did twist her gut in a knot.


    ¡°If they don¡¯t know about the Lake-Wolf,¡± Rogar wondered out loud, ¡°should we tell them to head to the village?¡±


    ¡°The road isn¡¯t safe,¡± Edar pointed out, and gestured at Reylo.


    ¡°Is staying at the lake any safer?¡± Rogar asked right back.


    ¡°It didn¡¯t attack us in the waystation. Maybe it doesn¡¯t like fire,¡± Edar suggested.


    It was going to attack us, Syl thought. It¡¯s not afraid of fire. Reylo was just an easier target.


    ¡°What do you think Syl?¡± Rogar asked. ¡°Should we tell them to hunker down until somebody kills the Lake-Wolf, or head to the village?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s figure that out when we get to the lake,¡± Syl answered. ¡°We don¡¯t know how many people already went to the village for the festival. All the houses might already be empty.¡±


    ¡°Maybe they can take Reylo back with them?¡± Kule said what everybody was thinking.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, guys. Really,¡± Reylo said, exhaustion thick in his voice.


    But he¡¯s actually keeping up. We haven¡¯t slowed because of him.


    Syl was impressed, and that caused all kinds of other confusing emotions to stir in her chest. Emotions she quickly stamped out. It wasn¡¯t the time for that kind of thinking.


    ¡°It¡¯s your decision, Reylo,¡± Syl said, but turned away quickly when she felt her cheeks warming.


    ¡°Hate to interrupt your moment,¡± Rogar said flatly. ¡°But I think I can see a house down the road there.¡±


    True enough, the first house had come into view, and within a few minutes they were walking past its front porch.


    ¡°Kind of quiet,¡± Kule said as nobody stirred within the building.


    ¡°Maybe like Syl said?¡± Leeze suggested. ¡°They¡¯re already at the village for the Ka-Sho-Dan?¡±


    ¡°Not everybody,¡± Edar said, and pointed. ¡°There¡¯s somebody out on the lake. Fishing I think.¡±


    Syl followed Edar¡¯s gesture and found a man sitting in his boat, waving at them with both hands.


    Kule mimicked the wave. ¡°Wow, he¡¯s really happy to see us. Guess they don¡¯t get a lot of visitors.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s he saying? I can¡¯t hear him,¡± Dena said.


    ¡°He¡¯s too far away,¡± Kule said, but kept waving at the man as the group headed towards the house closest to the water.


    ¡°What do you want to do, Syl?¡± Dena asked.


    ¡°Let me take a look at your arm,¡± Syl said to Reylo, and led him to an old stump in front of the house. ¡°We¡¯ll give it a few minutes for somebody to come to us,¡± Syl responded to Dena and began to gently undo the bandages around Reylo¡¯s arm.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like anybody noticed us,¡± Edar said as the group spread out and looked around.


    Most of the homes were nestled on the edge of the water and everybody was understandably leery about getting too close to the denser treeline.


    ¡°Stay in sight,¡± Rogar instructed. ¡°Don¡¯t go anywhere we can¡¯t see each other.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like it started bleeding again,¡± Syl told Reylo, mostly ignoring the others. ¡°You¡¯ve done a good job keeping it steady. How are you feeling?¡±


    ¡°Really, not that bad,¡± Reylo answered. ¡°Little hungry, and sore, but I could be so much worse if you didn¡¯t come after me. ¡°Syl,¡± Reylo said seriously, and met her eyes without blushing. ¡°Thank you. I know you were the first one in the woods after me. You could have just as easily let it take me. But you didn¡¯t. You risked your life to come in after me.


    ¡°Then you stitched this up,¡± Reylo said and lifted his arm. ¡°I¡¯m alive because of you.¡±


    It was Syl¡¯s turn to blush. Again. ¡°You¡¯d do the same thing for me,¡± she managed to say without her voice breaking. Why did her emotions pick now of all times to get complicated?


    ¡°Of course, I would,¡± Reylo said, but hesitated before he went on. ¡°But¡­ we all know why. Everyone knows I¡¯d do anything for you.


    ¡°You don¡¯t feel the same way about me,¡± he said bluntly.


    Syl opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came out. Was he right?


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to say anything,¡± Reylo said, holding up his good hand. ¡°And you don¡¯t have to feel bad about it. It is what it is. But you still came when I needed you. And I appreciate that. So, I¡¯m staying with you until you find your father. It¡¯s the least I can do.¡±


    ¡°Reylo, you¡­¡±  Syl started, but the look in his eyes told her she wouldn¡¯t be able to convince him otherwise. ¡°I could knock you out and make Rogar drag you back to the village,¡± she said instead.


    ¡°But you won¡¯t,¡± Reylo said with a soft smile, and Syl¡¯s stomach fluttered. ¡°Will you let me help? I may not be much good with a bow, but my eyes are still some of the best in the village.¡±


    Syl took a breath and finished rewrapping Reylo¡¯s arm. ¡°How can I argue with that?¡± she asked him rhetorically. ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll let you help. On one condition,¡± she held up a finger.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°You listen to me if I tell you to rest. And you let me take care of your injuries.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s two conditions. Pick one,¡± he said, and smiled again.


    Syl scowled.


    ¡°Kidding. Kidding!¡± he said with wide eyes. ¡°Have you been practicing that look? It¡¯s almost as scary as Enna. It¡¯s a deal.¡±


    ¡°Good. Then let¡¯s see if the others found anything,¡± she said and stood up.


    When she turned, they were all in a group right behind her.


    ¡°Oh, we found something alright,¡± Kule said with an exaggerated wink.


    ¡°How long were you¡­?¡± Syl started to ask, but couldn¡¯t finish as her face heated again.


    Dena and Leeze giggled. Rogar crossed his arms. Kule made a kissy-face. Edar just stared out at the lake.


    Syl¡¯s expression darkened and everybody wisely turned more serious. Everybody except Edar, who was still looking at the lake.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t find anybody,¡± Rogar said. ¡°One of the front doors is open, so they couldn¡¯t have gone far.¡±


    ¡°At least we still have the guy in the boat to tell us where everybody is,¡± Kule offered.


    ¡°About that,¡± Edar said evenly.


    ¡°What is it, Edar?¡± Syl asked as she walked over to where he stood.


    Edar pointed. ¡°Where¡¯s the fisherman?¡±


    The boat sat calmly out in the middle of the lake, barely rocking in the still water.


    The empty boat.

 Chapter 16 – Anihazi

    ¡°Oh, that can¡¯t be good,¡± Leeze said softly, one hand holding her bow, the other wrapped around her pendant.


    ¡°Kule,¡± Rogar hissed.


    ¡°Hey, not my fault,¡± Kule said defensively.


    ¡°Both of you, shut up,¡± Syl said. Her eyes scanned the surface of the water, looking for a ripple that would signify the Lake-Wolf¡¯s presence.


    ¡°Lake-Wolf. Of course, it would feel at home in a lake,¡± Dena said, and quietly slapped herself on the forehead.


    ¡°What if we¡¯re wrong,¡± Edar said, fear in his voice. ¡°What if it¡¯s not a Lake-Wolf?¡±


    ¡°What else could it be?¡± Reylo asked, standing up.


    ¡°Anihazi,¡± Edar whispered.


    ¡°What? Not that again?¡± Rogar said.


    ¡°Why would you suddenly think that Edar?¡± Syl asked. ¡°The skies are clear. Our Ancestors can see us.¡±


    ¡°My grandmother spoke of this. People vanishing without a trace. One minute, there. The next¡­ gone.¡±


    ¡°But you said they need the clouds,¡± Syl pointed out.


    ¡°Do you think we could have this discussion somewhere a little less¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ in the open?¡± Leeze asked nervously.


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Syl agreed. ¡°You said one of the doors was open? Let¡¯s get inside.¡± Would a building even stop the Lake-Wolf, or the Anihazi, or whatever it was? Maybe not, but at least it would buy her time to figure out what to do next. ¡°Which one?¡±


    ¡°This one,¡± Rogar thumbed over his shoulder to the building right behind them. ¡°Door¡¯s around front.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Syl said, but Leeze led the way. The girl was eager to get inside.


    Leeze was already pushing open the front door and slipping inside as the others rounded the corner. She came back outside almost as quickly, her face drained of blood, and emptied the contents of her stomach on the grass.


    The suddenness of her actions stopped the group in its tracks.


    ¡°What is it Leeze?¡± Dena asked.


    Syl rushed through the open door with her Sho-Val in hand, not waiting for Leeze¡¯s answer.


    ¡°Syl, what is¡­?¡± Dena¡¯s words choked off as she followed her friend in. ¡°Oh my¡­¡±  she said, before turning and staggering back out.


    Syl¡¯s stomach threatened to push its way up her throat, but she forced it right back down. She¡¯d seen some terrible things while helping her parents. But none of that compared to the scene in front of her now.


    The room looked like a tornado had hit it. A tornado of blades. Blood was everywhere, carpeting the floor, painting the walls, and even coating the ceiling. Five bodies lay in pieces around the room in various states of dismemberment, and Syl could almost taste the hate and anger in the air.


    A big part of her wanted to follow Dena and Leeze back out of the house, but somebody needed to figure out what happened to these people. So Syl kept her stomach down¡ªher emotions with it¡ªand brought the analytical mind her parents had trained to the forefront. She needed to look at this like any other case.


    Not like it was really difficult to figure out what had happened. There was no doubt in her mind it was the Lake-Wolf¡¯s work. But these kills were different. The previous attacks were all quick and clean. A single cut, or a torn-out throat. Nothing this messy.


    ¡°Was it mad we escaped?¡± Syl whispered to herself. It didn¡¯t seem like her imagination that she could feel an aura of anger in the room. Like a lingering smell. But that was the thing with imagination, wasn¡¯t it? The question she¡¯d been asking herself since she¡¯d sensed the Lake-Wolf back in the village. Would she really know it was just her imagination if she was crazy?


    A slight tap on her shoulder brought her mind back to the present. A small circle of crimson, as if¡­


    She looked up and barely stepped aside as another drop of blood fell and pattered on the floor. If the blood was still dripping, that meant the killings were recent. Possibly within a few minutes of the group arriving.


    The Lake-Wolf was still close.


    Syl scanned the room as something in the back of her mind wouldn¡¯t let her leave. Something she was missing. Something nagging at her, but she couldn¡¯t quite place it. It wasn¡¯t until she turned, frustrated, and looked at the door that it started to click.


    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    The door was open but undamaged. She leaned forward to inspect it, and there was nothing suggesting it was forced open. How did something as big as a Lake-Wolf get in without breaking down the door? The room was in tatters, but there was no sign of how the creature had gotten in.


    ¡°Unless somebody just left the door open?¡± she asked herself. That was the most likely answer, but it didn¡¯t sit right with her. ¡°There should be some kind of sign the Lake-Wolf¡­¡±  and that was it. What was nagging at her so badly? The same thing that made Vacksin so mad back at the village.


    Syl turned and looked at the room. At all the blood. And no tracks. Not a single one.


    Two people were in pieces at the far side of the room, and the floor between them and Syl was thick with crimson. It would be impossible for something to cross that space without leaving a mark.


    ¡°Unless it can fly?¡± she whispered. ¡°Or¡­ unless it¡¯s not a Lake-Wolf?¡±


    Syl immediately turned and left the building. Dena and Leeze were still recovering from the scene, and nobody else had dared follow her in.


    ¡°How bad?¡± Rogar asked her while the others kept watch.


    ¡°Bad,¡± Syl said. ¡°And recent. Probably just before we got here.¡±


    ¡°So, the Lake-Wolf is still close?¡± Rogar¡¯s hand tensed around his bow.


    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure about that,¡± Syl said cryptically. ¡°We need to check the other houses.¡±


    ¡°We need to leave,¡± Leeze said strongly, both hands around her pendant. ¡°Before the Lake-Wolf comes back and does the same thing to us.¡±


    ¡°No, Syl¡¯s right,¡± Reylo said.


    ¡°Of course, you¡¯d say that,¡± Leeze spat. ¡°Look, I¡¯m sorry,¡± she said more gently, ¡°but we obviously didn¡¯t hurt it badly enough last night to stop it from killing. We need to either find Syl¡¯s father or get back to the village.


    ¡°Whatever we do, we can¡¯t stay here,¡± she finished.


    ¡°No, Syl and Reylo are right,¡± Rogar added.


    ¡°How can you say that?¡± Leeze asked, aghast, her hands jerking on the pendant with each syllable.


    ¡°There could be survivors,¡± Syl said plainly. ¡°If it was you, hiding in a closet somewhere, wouldn¡¯t you want us to take a few minutes to check?¡±


    Leeze opened her mouth to reply, but she couldn¡¯t disagree. Beneath the fear was a good person. She just needed some encouragement to show herself.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t be long,¡± Dena said, and gently put a hand on Leeze¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Should we split up?¡± Rogar asked. ¡°We can cover all the houses at the same time.¡±


    ¡°Are you crazy? Now you¡¯re suggesting we separate?¡± Leeze asked, the fear bubbling back to the surface. She wasn¡¯t doing well with the bodies so fresh in her memory.


    ¡°No,¡± Syl said. ¡°We stay together this time. Let¡¯s check the houses one by one, quickly,¡± she added for Leeze¡¯s benefit, ¡°and then be on our way.¡±


    ¡°Forward or back?¡± Kule asked. When everybody gave him a confused look, he went on. ¡°Forward to Teb¡¯s farm? Or back to the village?¡±


    Syl hesitated.


    ¡°Forward,¡± Rogar answered for her. ¡°We¡¯ve come this far, and Teb¡¯s family needs to be warned too.¡± He looked at Leeze as he finished, but she didn¡¯t object. She¡¯d be happy just getting away from the bodies in the house.


    With one last look at the gently floating boat in the lake, the group headed for the next house.


    ¡°Door¡¯s closed,¡± Kule pointed out. ¡°Might be survivors.¡±


    That didn¡¯t turn out to be the case. The kills weren¡¯t as messy as the first house, but the people inside were just as dead.


    They checked the other three houses and found similar scenes. Twenty-three dead, if they included the missing fisherman, and no survivors. But Syl¡¯s father wasn¡¯t among them. There was no sign of his body. No evidence he¡¯d passed through the small community. Should she be happy about that? It meant he was still out there somewhere. But how could she be happy about anything with so many dead?


    ¡°Polite Lake-Wolf,¡± Kule said as they left the final house.


    ¡°How can you say that?¡± Leeze asked, disgusted.


    ¡°It closed the doors after it finished murdering them,¡± Kule shrugged.


    ¡°Why can you be so flippant after¡­ after what we just saw?¡± Leeze asked, fighting back tears. Her left hand hadn¡¯t left the pendant at all.


    ¡°It¡¯s how he deals with it,¡± Edar answered. ¡°You grab your necklace, he jokes. Let him be.¡±


    ¡°Kule has a point,¡± Syl said, her mind working furiously. It didn¡¯t add up. ¡°How or why would the Lake-Wolf close the door? And if it didn¡¯t close the door, how did it get in?¡±


    ¡°What are you getting at Syl?¡± Reylo asked.


    ¡°Did any of you see any tracks? In the blood? In the ground around the house? Anywhere?¡±


    The group members looked at each other and racked their brains, but nobody spoke up.


    ¡°What kind of Lake-Wolf closes doors and doesn¡¯t leave tracks?¡± Dena asked.


    Syl didn¡¯t answer the question. ¡°Teb¡¯s farm, how much further is it Edar?¡± she asked instead.


    ¡°We should get there before nightfall,¡± he answered, but tried not to glance in Reylo¡¯s direction. ¡°If we don¡¯t make it by then, there¡¯s a waystation we can stay at.¡±


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s get a move on then. We shouldn¡¯t stay any longer if it¡¯s still around,¡± Syl said and started down the road.


    ¡°It? The Lake-Wolf?¡± Dena asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s a Lake-Wolf,¡± Syl said slowly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you agree with Edar? You think it was the Anihazi?¡± Rogar asked, arms crossed.


    ¡°No tracks. No way into the house. How do you explain that?¡± Syl asked.


    ¡°Fisherman closed the doors after he found all of his friends murdered,¡± Kule offered. ¡°Then he got in his boat and rowed out to the middle of the lake. Probably thought that would keep him safe.¡±


    The group reached the edge of the small community as Syl reflected on Kule¡¯s answer. It could explain why the doors were closed. Maybe all of the doors were open and the Lake-Wolf just walked in? It didn¡¯t really explain the lack of tracks¡­ but¡­


    ¡°Is there anything else you can tell us about the Anihazi attack Edar? Anything else your grandmother said?¡± Syl asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Edar said. ¡°She didn¡¯t have a lot of details. She was still very young.¡±


    ¡°But she said its wings blocked out the sun,¡± Rogar pointed out. ¡°I think we¡¯d notice something like that.¡±


    Syl didn¡¯t disagree, but she also didn¡¯t miss Rogar glancing at the sky. Superstition or not, there was something strange going on.


    ¡°We need to make sure the bodies get burned,¡± Edar changed the topic. ¡°They need to be sent to join their ancestors.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll make sure the rites are observed,¡± Syl said. ¡°After we get back to the village, we¡¯ll arrange it.¡±


    ¡°If we make it back,¡± Leeze said quietly, but everybody heard.


    And nobody corrected her.

 Chapter 17 – Found Something

    ¡°We should have found him by now,¡± Syl said, two hours from the lake. ¡°Where is he?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Syl,¡± Dena said. ¡°We¡¯ll find your father.¡±


    ¡°He should have been on his way back from Teb¡¯s farm, at the least. We¡¯re almost all the way there now¡­ and no sign of him? It doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±


    ¡°A lot of things don¡¯t make sense,¡± Dena replied. The look she gave Syl clearly stated Syl¡¯s recent behaviour was one of those things.


    Syl sighed. Her best friend had questions, but she didn¡¯t have answers.


    ¡°And when you find him,¡± Dena went on, ¡°you can ask him yourself where he¡¯s been. You¡¯ve got Enna¡¯s look down, so he won¡¯t be able to not answer. Frankly, it¡¯s a little terrifying.¡±


    Syl scowled just thinking about the lecture she¡¯d give that man. After she hugged him.


    ¡°Hey guys,¡± Kule called from the front of the group. ¡°Think I found something.¡±


    The others rushed over to where he crouched at the side of the road. It didn¡¯t take any of them long to figure out what he was looking at.


    ¡°Blood,¡± Kule said, sounding very proud of himself. ¡°Maybe a couple of days old.¡±


    ¡°Is this a path?¡± Rogar asked. ¡°Where does it go?¡±


    It was overgrown, but Rogar was right; a small path leading off the road, and the trail of blood down it.


    ¡°Path or not, we need to check it out,¡± Syl said and started into the bushes.


    ¡°Wait, Syl,¡± Edar said urgently, and put his hand on her shoulder.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Syl asked, the patience in her voice wearing thin. That blood could be her father¡¯s.


    ¡°Look,¡± he said, and released her when he was sure she wouldn¡¯t run off. Then he pointed to a waist-high rock partially hidden by the bushes.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Reylo asked.


    ¡°We can¡¯t go down this path,¡± Edar said. He moved the bushes aside so they could all clearly see the rock, and the image of a pair of crossed Sho-Val¡¯s carved into it. ¡°It¡¯s forbidden.¡±


    Syl hesitated. She knew that symbol. They all did. It guarded her people¡¯s most sacred objects or places. Places her people weren¡¯t supposed to go.


    ¡°Forbidden or not,¡± Syl said, making up her mind. ¡°I¡¯m going. My father could be on the other side of these bushes, hurt, needing me. And tradition isn¡¯t going to stop me from saving him.¡±


    ¡°Syl, please,¡± Edar pleaded. ¡°There¡¯s a reason these places are forbidden. They¡¯re dangerous.¡±


    ¡°More dangerous than whatever¡¯s in these woods hunting us?¡± Rogar asked.


    Edar didn¡¯t answer immediately. ¡°Yes,¡± he said finally.


    ¡°What could be more dangerous than that?¡± Kule asked.


    ¡°These places, they¡¯re tied to the Anihazi somehow. My grandmother told me about this path, and the others like them in the valley. She said that if anybody were to trespass on them, they would call the Anihazi to us. And they would bring death to our valley. To our people.¡±


    ¡°Death¡¯s already here,¡± Syl said flatly, then started down the path before Edar could stop her.


    The others silently followed.


    Without the trail of blood, Syl would never have noticed the path. It was so overgrown with disuse it was barely a path at all. Small rocks on either side signalled its boundaries, and the trail of blood clearly followed them.


    More importantly, there was evidence of something passing there. Not just the blood, but also broken branches, scuffs in the dirt, and kicked-up rocks. After the ghost-like movements of the Lake-Wolf, or whatever it was, it was a relief to be able to follow something tangible.


    Except she might be following the trail of blood straight to her father¡¯s corpse.


    ¡°This blood doesn¡¯t line up with what we saw back at the lake,¡± Reylo told the group as they walked. ¡°That happened just before we got there. This looks like it happened days ago. Are they related?¡±


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Related or not, somebody¡¯s hurt¡ªmaybe dying¡ªsomewhere ahead of us,¡± Syl answered.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true,¡± Reylo said, but it was clear there was more to what he was thinking.


    ¡°Spit it out,¡± Rogar said before Syl had a chance.


    ¡°If the Lake-Wolf did do this, then why is it doubling back? If it¡¯s already been here¡­¡± Reylo trailed off when Syl slowed down.


    ¡°What are you saying?¡± Syl asked as she completely stopped and turned to look at him. Deep in her heart, she didn¡¯t need to ask the question.


    ¡°Uh,¡± Reylo said, and turned to the others for support.


    ¡°You opened your big mouth,¡± Kule said. ¡°You get to say it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying this¡­¡± Reylo gestured to the blood, ¡°is your father¡¯s, Syl¡­ but we all assumed the killings started at the village. That they all started with Kilik. What if we were wrong? What if the Lake-Wolf has been killing for days? Weeks?¡±


    ¡°We would have heard about it.¡± Syl shook her head immediately. ¡°With everybody coming to the Ka-Sho-Dan, somebody would have mentioned if people were going missing or dying.¡±


    ¡°But farms like Teb¡¯s?¡± Reylo finally said. ¡°We wouldn¡¯t know about those folks unless we went to check on them. Like we are now¡­¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s got a point, Syl,¡± Rogar said. ¡°And I think we all need to accept the possibility before we find whatever is waiting for us at the end of this trail.¡±


    Syl didn¡¯t like where the conversation was going, but that didn¡¯t mean she could just dismiss it. They had a point. They had all assumed it¡¯d started with Kilik. Her father could already be¡­


    She stopped that train of thought before it fully took hold.


    Focus on the current problem, not the ¡®what if,¡¯ she reminded herself.


    The blood was several days old; there was no disputing that. It could be the Lake-Wolf, or it could have been something else entirely. Maybe somebody fell and hit their head, and accidentally stumbled down the trail?


    ¡°What is at the end of the trail?¡± Syl asked Edar.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Edar answered.


    ¡°You never came down one of these paths with your grandmother?¡± Leeze asked him.


    ¡°Forbidden,¡± Edar said gravely. ¡°Even for her.¡±


    ¡°I know you¡¯re nervous about this,¡± Syl said.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t even begin to describe it.¡±


    ¡°But if you were right, back at the lake,¡± she went on, ¡°and this is an Anihazi hunting us, maybe there are answers down there?¡±


    Edar didn¡¯t respond immediately. ¡°There might be,¡± he finally admitted. ¡°Or we might call more of them.¡±


    ¡°What if this started the killings?¡± Leeze suddenly offered, her hand predictably going to her pendant. ¡°If it isn¡¯t a Lake-Wolf hunting us, if it is actually an Anihazi, maybe this,¡± she pointed at the blood, ¡°is what brought it here.


    ¡°I mean, that¡¯s what Edar said would happen. Right? If we go somewhere forbidden, we bring death to the valley.¡±


    ¡°Not you too,¡± Rogar sighed, but glanced to the sky again.


    ¡°If it is an Anihazi,¡± Dena said slowly, ¡°how do we kill it?¡± When Rogar rolled his eyes at her, she went on. ¡°I don¡¯t mean I think it is¡­ I¡¯m just thinking we should, you know, have an answer. Just in case.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t,¡± Edar said, and shrugged. ¡°It kills us. The power of our Ancestors is the one thing that can kill the Anihazi, or so my grandmother said.


    ¡°Our only hope is that it grows weak and dies from our Ancestors¡¯ gaze.¡±


    ¡°What happens if it¡¯s not dead by the time the rains get here?¡± Dena asked.


    ¡°Then we¡¯ve lost. It will have a whole month to hunt us down.¡±


    Nobody had a response to that chilling thought, and the group started off again without another word.


    ¡°This is a long path,¡± Kule said, several hours later. ¡°I mean, I think we¡¯re almost at the mountains.¡±


    Glancing up, the steep slopes were visible through breaks in the foliage above Syl.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never been this close,¡± Dena said. ¡°They really are¡­ tall,¡± she finished lamely.


    ¡°You don¡¯t say?¡± Kule quipped.


    ¡°Both of you, quiet,¡± Syl shot back at them. ¡°I think I see something ahead.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Rogar asked quietly from behind her. Even though he was taller than she was, or perhaps because of it, the foliage was blocking his view.


    Syl answered by nocking an arrow and dropping into a crouch. The shadows were long this close to the mountain, but she caught a hint of movement. She didn¡¯t need to instruct the others what to do and barely heard a rustle as they fanned out into the underbrush around her.


    A light tap on her shoulder told her one had stayed behind with her. Reylo most likely; he couldn¡¯t draw his bow.


    Syl nodded, for Reylo, then quick-stepped forward. She reached the edge of a semi-circular clearing a few seconds later and rushed out with her bow drawn. The others silently burst through the bushes on either side of her.


    All of them instinctively trained their bows on the only thing of note in the clearing; a stone archway carved into the side of the mountain. And the darkness of the tunnel beyond.


    The movement Syl had noticed was the dancing flames in the sconces on either side of the arch.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ not normal,¡± Kule said as he looked at the flames.


    The blue flames.


    ¡°You don¡¯t say?¡± Dena mimicked Kule¡¯s earlier tone.


    ¡°Where does it go? To the other side of the mountain?¡± Reylo asked.


    ¡°Edar?¡± Syl put the question to the most knowledgeable of the group.


    ¡°Maybe?¡± he said, without his usual confidence. ¡°My grandmother never said anything about this.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the crossed Sho-Val symbol under the sconces?¡± Reylo asked. ¡°This place must be sacred.¡±


    ¡°Or forbidden. Taboo,¡± Edar countered. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t go in there.¡±


    ¡°The trail of blood leads in,¡± Rogar pointed out. ¡°We won¡¯t be the first ones going in.¡±


    ¡°And maybe that¡¯s what brought the Anihazi down upon us,¡± Edar said, and physically took a step back. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t risk bringing more.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s sacred,¡± Syl said. ¡°And safe.¡±


    ¡°Why would you say that? How can you know?¡± Edar asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you feel it? From those flames? A sense of¡­ comfort. Like a welcome hearth after a long journey,¡± she said. The dancing flames were familiar and mesmerizing.


    Dena¡¯s hand on her shoulder snapped her attention back to reality. ¡°They are pretty,¡± Dena said. ¡°But the threat of looming Anihazi death kind of ruins the moment.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Syl said, and refocused on the trail of blood.


    ¡°Are we going in?¡± Dena asked her.


    ¡°Definitely,¡± she said, and walked into the darkness without a second thought.

 Chapter 18 – The Body

    Syl kept her bow at the ready as she crept down the tunnel. Flickering blue light danced on the hewn stone walls from around a corner ahead. She stopped to listen, but no sound other than the scuff of the group behind her reached her ears.


    Syl turned her head slightly and gave a nod to signal her intentions. Then, without a word, she quickstepped ahead and rounded the corner with her bow drawn.


    The collapsed room wasn¡¯t much of a threat.


    The collapsed body, on the other hand, got her attention. Syl dropped her bow and rushed over to the man lying face down in a pool of his own blood. Her hand shook in trepidation as she reached out and rolled the body.


    ¡°Is it¡­?¡± Dena asked from behind her.


    The lump in Syl¡¯s throat stopped her words. Her body forgot how to breathe as conflicting emotions battled for control.


    ¡°No,¡± she said when she finally found her voice. She didn¡¯t recognize the man¡¯s face. ¡°It¡¯s not my father.¡± The flood of relief left her drained, then the guilt followed.


    She was thrilled this dead man in front of her wasn¡¯t her father. But he might be somebody else¡¯s father. Syl knew she shouldn¡¯t be happy to find a different dead person, but somehow she was.


    ¡°Do you know him?¡± Dena asked her.


    ¡°No,¡± Syl admitted.


    ¡°Damn. That¡¯s Jurik,¡± Edar said. ¡°He works out at Teb¡¯s farm.¡±


    And just like that, Syl¡¯s worry returned. ¡°Teb¡¯s farm?¡± she repeated.


    ¡°Yeah, but he doesn¡¯t live out there,¡± Edar went on quickly when he saw the look on her face. ¡°He actually lives just a bit up the road from where we took the path leading to this cave. Probably would have reached his place within thirty minutes if we didn¡¯t turn off.¡±


    ¡°What killed him, Syl?¡± Rogar asked, turning her attention back to the matter at hand. Her mind had started wandering back down that ¡®what if¡¯ road. She really needed to stop doing that.


    ¡°Blood loss,¡± she said as she focused on the body in front of her. ¡°This wound, here,¡± she pointed at his leg. ¡°This is what killed him. Looks similar in size and depth to the injury Galli suffered.¡±


    ¡°So the Lake-Wolf did it?¡± Rogar asked.


    ¡°Can we stop calling it a Lake-Wolf?¡± Leeze asked. ¡°We all know it¡¯s an Anihazi.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know that at all,¡± Rogar shot right back and threw up his hands.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what we call it,¡± Dena cut in. ¡°Lake-Wolf or Anihazi. It¡¯s killing us either way.¡±


    ¡°You said his name was Jurik?¡± Syl asked Edar, ignoring the argument.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he answered.


    ¡°About thirty minutes up the road?¡± she went on. ¡°Well, at least we know his coming here didn¡¯t summon the Anihazi. The wound wasn¡¯t deep enough for him to bleed out quickly, but he didn¡¯t wrap it properly. See here?¡± She pointed to an amateur bandage on his leg. ¡°That plus the exertion kept the wound open. If he¡¯d just stayed still and wrapped it properly, he probably could have survived.¡±


    ¡°But he was running from whatever attacked him,¡± Dena filled in. ¡°Lake-Wolf or Anihazi,¡± she looked at Rogar and Leeze pointedly when she said those words.


    ¡°Correct. Given how long it took us to follow the path, that timeline makes sense for him to bleed out.¡±


    ¡°Why does that matter?¡± Edar asked.


    ¡°Because he was attacked long before he ever came to this¡­ whatever this is,¡± she gestured at the room she¡¯d ignored in her rush to check the body.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure about that,¡± Kule said from the far corner of the room.


    ¡°It always makes me nervous when Kule finds something,¡± Dena sighed, but the group went over to join him. Despite the cave-in, the room was almost as big as Syl¡¯s house, and the half-dozen sconces kept it well lit. Even if it was a little eerie the flames were all blue.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Reylo asked.


    Kule pointed to the corner of the room, and none of them could mistake the pile of blankets. ¡°He¡¯s known about this place for a while, I think,¡± Kule said.


    ¡°Ooooh,¡± Syl, Dena, Rogar, and Reylo all said at the same time.


    Edar wasn¡¯t paying any attention to them, and Leeze just looked confused.


    ¡°What?¡± Leeze asked. ¡°He came out here to sleep?¡±


    ¡°So young. So innocent,¡± Kule said, and gently touched Leeze¡¯s face. ¡°So na?ve.¡±


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    She slapped his hand away. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± she asked dangerously.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t come out here alone,¡± Dena said with a wink.


    Leeze¡¯s eyes widened as understanding hit. ¡°Ooooh,¡± she said.


    ¡°So, would coming out here to hook up make the Anihazi angry?¡± Kule asked nobody in particular.


    ¡°This place is sacred. Forbidden,¡± Edar said, obviously shocked by the realization. ¡°They wouldn¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Obviously they did,¡± Syl cut him off. ¡°But why would he run all this way? With that injury? And why would the Anihazi let him?¡±


    Rogar eyed her at her word choice, but didn¡¯t say anything.


    Syl couldn¡¯t keep calling it a Lake-Wolf. Not anymore. There were too many questions pointing towards something more than a simple beast. And that didn¡¯t even include her odd connection to it.


    ¡°Weapons,¡± Reylo said, crouching down near the body. ¡°There are some arrows here,¡± he said and held up a handful. ¡°I count maybe two dozen. Must be more buried under here,¡± he pointed towards the caved-in area.


    ¡°He came all this way for arrows? He didn¡¯t have any at his house?¡± Kule asked.


    ¡°Maybe he got attacked on the road?¡± Rogar suggested. ¡°Knew the arrows were here and thought he had a better chance of getting to them?¡±


    ¡°No bow,¡± Syl said. ¡°At least I don¡¯t see one. Anybody?¡±


    ¡°Nothing over here,¡± Kule said from near the blanket.


    The others shook their heads.


    ¡°If there are arrows, he must have figured there¡¯d be a bow too,¡± Reylo said. ¡°Syl, why don¡¯t you take some of these?¡± he said, and offered a fistful of arrows. ¡°To replace what you used saving me last night.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± she said and took the arrows. She put several of them in her quiver and then offered the rest to the others. ¡°Take a couple. Can¡¯t hurt to make sure we all have enough arrows if we run into it again.¡±


    ¡°They didn¡¯t work so well last night,¡± Leeze said.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t they?¡± Syl countered. ¡°It ran off. We chased it off. We can survive this.¡±


    ¡°Jurik didn¡¯t,¡± Leeze said, and nodded at the body behind Syl. She couldn¡¯t point with both hands on her necklace.


    ¡°No,¡± Syl admitted.  She could see the others faltering. Doubting. She felt it too, but she wouldn¡¯t let it stop her and she couldn¡¯t let them see it. She needed to make them understand they had a chance. They¡¯d gotten this far.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t. But he didn¡¯t have people looking out for him. That¡¯s the difference. As long as we stick together, we¡¯ll make it through.¡±


    ¡°How can you be so confident about that?¡± Leeze asked, teetering on the precipice between despair and hope.


    ¡°Because nothing is ever easy. If I want something, I know I need to work for it. And I¡¯m willing to,¡± Syl said. ¡°This isn¡¯t any different.¡±


    ¡°The Ka-Sho is easy for you,¡± Leeze countered.


    ¡°Because you don¡¯t know how hard she practices. I¡¯ve known Syl since I was three,¡± Dena interjected. ¡°And do you know what she was doing the first time I met her? Can you guess?


    ¡°Yeah, Ka-Sho. She works on it when she thinks nobody¡¯s watching. She pushes herself harder than anybody else here. She refuses to be anything other than the best at it.¡±


    ¡°But, you¡¯re already so talented, why would you go so far?¡± Leeze asked, but one hand had left her pendant.


    ¡°Because talent alone isn¡¯t enough. Being good at something won¡¯t get you very far. Not unless you¡¯re willing to put the work in to make yourself great. And that¡¯s no different than living.


    ¡°If we want to beat this Anihazi, if we want to live, then we need to work for it. I¡¯m willing to do that. That¡¯s why I¡¯m confident.


    ¡°Are you willing to work for it?¡± Syl asked the others.


    ¡°We¡¯re here, aren¡¯t we?¡± Dena said.


    ¡°And we know better than to bet against you,¡± Kule said. ¡°Especially Rogar.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s always going to be me, isn¡¯t it?¡± Rogar sighed.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who thought you could take her,¡± Kule said with a smile. ¡°Several times.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know she worked so hard at it,¡± Rogar mumbled. ¡°If I¡¯d known¡­¡±


    ¡°How about you, Leeze?¡± Syl interrupted the banter. It would never end if she didn¡¯t. ¡°Are you willing to live?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re being so dramatic,¡± Leeze answered flatly.


    Syl didn¡¯t let up. Leeze needed to say it. She needed to believe it, or she¡¯d break when they needed her most.


    ¡°Fine, fine. Yes, I¡¯m willing to live,¡± Leeze said. When Syl¡¯s expression still didn¡¯t change, Leeze sighed and answered more seriously. ¡°I can¡¯t believe in me like you can, Syl. I don¡¯t have that confidence in myself. But,¡± she held up both hands to stop Syl from saying anything. ¡°I can believe in you. I haven¡¯t known you as long as Dena, but I followed you out here because I trust you.


    ¡°Dena¡¯s right. You make things happen. That¡¯s what¡¯s different about us. Maybe I can learn to be more like you, but that¡¯s not for right now. For right now, I¡¯ll trust you. I¡¯ll follow you. I¡¯ll believe in you. And I won¡¯t disappoint you.¡±


    Silence followed Leeze¡¯s declaration, all eyes on her.


    ¡°Wow,¡± Kule finally said, and Leeze glared at him, daring him to make a snarky remark. ¡°No, really. Wow.¡±


    There weren¡¯t words for what she was feeling, so Syl stepped forward and wrapped Leeze in a hug. ¡°Thank you,¡± she whispered.


    Was that really how her friends looked at her?


    Better not let them down, she thought.


    When Syl finally let go of Leeze, Edar spoke up. ¡°We should leave, now that we know what happened here. The next rest station is just past Jurik¡¯s house. We can make it in a few hours.¡±


    Syl looked at Edar, and then the rest of the group. Her eyes lingered on Reylo, the only one sitting down. ¡°No,¡± Syl said. She wanted to be out there looking for her father, but he wasn¡¯t the only one counting on her. She was responsible for her friends too.


    Her next words were some of the most difficult of her life. ¡°We should stay here for the night. It would be well after dark by the time we found the rest station, and we don¡¯t want to make ourselves any more vulnerable than we have to.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t stay the night,¡± Edar said. ¡°This place is forbidden. Look what happened when Jurik stayed here,¡± he pointed first to the blanket, then to Jurik¡¯s dead body.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know that caused this,¡± Syl said.


    ¡°You said yourself it was the Anihazi killing people,¡± he shot back.


    ¡°Anihazi, maybe, yes,¡± Syl admitted. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean I think he, or any of us, were responsible for it. Maybe it just found us on its own.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to find your father?¡± Edar said, changing tactics.


    ¡°Of course, I do. More than you know,¡± Syl said evenly. ¡°But I also don¡¯t want a repeat of what happened to Reylo.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Reylo said and stiffly stood up.


    ¡°No, you¡¯re not. Sit down. Now,¡± Syl said in her best Enna-voice. Reylo dropped like a rock. ¡°Maybe you don¡¯t feel it, but the Anihazi didn¡¯t chase Jurik in here. There has to be a reason for that. Maybe it¡¯s these strange torches,¡± Syl pointed towards the blue flames. ¡°Or maybe it¡¯s something else. But whatever it is, I think we¡¯re much safer staying here for the night.


    ¡°We¡¯ll leave again with first light,¡± she said decisively, for everybody¡¯s benefit.


    ¡°What if I say I¡¯ll go by myself?¡± Edar asked, testing her resolve.


    Syl sighed. Time to keep her reputation up. ¡°Then I¡¯ll stop you. For your own good.¡±


    Edar ground his teeth, but he didn¡¯t try to leave. ¡°I don¡¯t like this. It¡¯s wrong,¡± he said.


    ¡°It¡¯s not the choice I would¡¯ve made in a different situation,¡± Syl offered. ¡°But it¡¯s the right choice now.¡±


    ¡°If this brings more Anihazi, it¡¯s on you,¡± Edar said, but sat down.


    Syl turned to the others. ¡°Any other objections?¡±

 Chapter 19 – Suffocating

    Syl was dreaming, the woods around her real but not real. She was connected to it again.


    Her muscles flexed as she sprinted between the trees, and not so much as a leaf stirred at her passing. How can something so big move with so much stealth? But she couldn¡¯t let herself focus on that question.


    It was wary, cautious. It moved in sudden bursts, only to stop and sniff the air. It was looking for something. Or somebody. The stones of the small path blurred past, and if she could feel it, it had to be close. Somewhere outside the cave she was sleeping in, it was prowling.


    Syl needed to wake up, to warn the others, but she couldn¡¯t. Her mind was too fully caught in the dream.


    But it didn¡¯t seem to know where they were. Its confusion assaulted her mind as it retraced its steps. What it smelled, Syl smelled. For a brief second, she caught a whiff of something it identified with her group. And just like that, it was gone again.


    Its frustration grew with each pass. It knew they were somewhere close, but it couldn¡¯t find them. A slight sound got its attention, and it dashed off in that direction. It didn¡¯t go more than a few powerful steps before all trace of the sound was gone. It stalked the woods as its anger intensified, on the verge of lashing out.


    Something primal, something powerful built in its chest. It wanted to kill. To destroy. Its hate for the people of the valley was beyond anything Syl could believe. A hate deep and ingrained in every fibre of its being. A hate that existed before it did. A hate older than the valley itself.


    Why do you hate us so much? No answer, but the emotion was so vast and consuming it threatened to swallow her whole. Her sense of self frayed around the edges as the sheer power of the hatred battered her from all sides. She needed to escape, to wake up, but it held her firm.


    The pressure was suffocating and Syl curled in on herself for protection. Fear wasn¡¯t an emotion she had a lot of experience with. She didn¡¯t know how to deal with it.


    And that made her angry. How dare it hunt her and her friends? How dare it kill people because of an inherited hatred? How dare it make her afraid!


    Syl¡¯s formless ¡®self¡¯ stood in defiance against the enveloping hatred. It wanted a fight? She¡¯d give it a fight!


    Something built inside her, just like in its chest. The same sense of power demanding release. Syl raised her ¡®hand¡¯ without knowing why, her ¡®body¡¯ acting on its own. The energy crackled around her ¡®fingertips.¡¯ She would destroy it before it had a chance to kill her.


    But the oppressing hate extinguished so abruptly Syl¡¯s mind stumbled and the power slipped away. She grasped and struggled to get it back, but it was ephemeral like a dream. And then it was simply gone.


    Should she try to reach for it again? No, she had more important things to worry about. Where had its hatred gone? Reaching out, she probed its mind, and where its hatred was, she found cunning.


    It was planning something.


    Syl focused her effort on piercing its mental defences. It didn¡¯t seem to know she was there inside its head, and she¡¯d use that to her advantage. If she could learn what it was thinking, then maybe they could finally kill it.


    But she couldn¡¯t get in. It was only the strong emotions or the bodily sensations she could feel. Somehow, it unknowingly shielded its innermost thoughts from her.


    And then it was moving. Racing through the woods, searching again, but not for Syl¡¯s group. No, it was looking for something else. Had it given up on finding them?


    Syl¡¯s connection to it faded as it sped away. She tried to hold on, to slow or stop it, to find the power again, but her mind fell behind, and then finally let go. She drifted there, briefly, between her connection with it and the security of her own body. In that limbo, she could feel the whole valley around her, the tall mountains reaching to the sky, and beyond their tips, something else. A power. No, it wasn¡¯t just one power. Or dozens. Or hundreds. It was thousands.


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Thousands of things just like it.


    The shock sent her mind plummeting back to her body, where she fell back deep into real dreams.


    She chased after her father, though he always seemed to be just out of reach.


    She danced the Ka-Sho, but not to the sound of drums. Thunder guided her forms as rain poured around her.


    Reylo fought against something in the darkness, nothing more than a shadow. But it took him.


    ¡°Syyyyyyyyl,¡± he screamed as it dragged him away. As she ran after it. Foliage slapped her face and stung her cheeks, but she didn¡¯t let that slow her. He was calling her name. He needed her. And she couldn¡¯t let it take him.


    But as hard as she ran, she wasn¡¯t gaining.


    The ground heaved, croaking like some massive toad, and Syl was in the air. Branches clawed at her with unnatural life. They caught her wrists. Bound her ankles. Then she was hanging, suspended by thorny vines piercing her skin.


    She started to scream but movement stole her breath. Something stalked in the trees around her. The binding creepers held her fast and she tried to follow the motion with her eyes. It was too quick, always in the corner of her sight. She knew it was there but she couldn¡¯t get a good look at it.


    Her head whipped back and forth as she searched for it. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end.


    It was coming for her.


    ¡°Syl!¡± Reylo shouted again. But he sounded closer.


    ¡°Reylo, help me!¡± she pleaded, or tried to. Her voice was little more than a squeak.


    ¡°Syl,¡± Dena called, and the ground trembled a second time.


    Syl tried to shout for help. For anybody. Nothing came out.


    Movement on her right and her head snapped in that direction. But it was too late. Jaws with six-inch teeth opened wide to swallow her. Her eyes closed of their own accord and Syl finally found her voice.


    She screamed as she waited for the jaws to close around her throat. For the teeth to pierce her skin. When neither of those things occurred, Syl didn¡¯t stop screaming, but she did open her eyes.


    And found Dena sitting on her. Rogar held her right arm down, Edar held her left. Somebody was sitting on her legs, and Kule was standing off to the side, blood running freely from his nose.


    Syl¡¯s scream trailed off as she looked at each of them. ¡°What happened?¡± she asked Kule first.


    ¡°O reuws ri qljw tiy,¡± he mumbled through his hand.


    ¡°Huh?¡± she asked, and looked at Dena.


    ¡°He tried to wake you,¡± she translated.


    ¡°By himself,¡± Rogar said, but didn¡¯t let go of her arm.


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­¡± she started, confused. ¡°You can let go of me,¡± she told them.


    ¡°You sure?¡± Rogar asked. ¡°I don¡¯t want to end up like Kule.¡±


    ¡°Wait, I did that?¡± Syl asked.


    ¡°You weren¡¯t even awake and you literally flipped into Lo-Dal. Kule was on the ground faster than anything I¡¯ve ever seen,¡± Dena explained. ¡°Even faster than you usually beat Rogar.¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon,¡± Rogar groaned. ¡°Can¡¯t somebody stop using me as the example?¡±


    ¡°Last longer than twelve seconds against Syl and we¡¯ll consider it,¡± Dena responded flatly.


    ¡°I appreciate the banter,¡± Syl said. ¡°But, could you get off of me?¡±


    ¡°Oh, right,¡± Dena said and stood up. The others seemed a bit more reluctant to let her go, and Kule visibly took a step further back.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Kule. I didn¡¯t mean to. Let me look at that,¡± she said. She stood up and stepped towards him. When he took another step back, she leveled one of her mother¡¯s glares at him. That stopped him and she finally got a chance to look at the injury.


    ¡°Not broken,¡± she said, and gave his nose a bit of a tweak. ¡°That¡¯s for making me have to ask,¡± she said, then gave him a pat on the shoulder. ¡°You¡¯ll be fine. Why were you trying to wake me?¡±


    ¡°You must have been having a wild dream,¡± Leeze explained. ¡°You were screaming and thrashing like mad.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Syl said. She could remember being tied to the Anihazi so clearly. The rest of the dreams after they got separated were already growing fuzzy.


    ¡°That¡¯s not all,¡± Edar said. ¡°Reylo heard something from the cave entrance.¡±


    ¡°You were taking watch?¡± she asked Reylo, and she couldn¡¯t keep the accusation out of her voice. ¡°You were supposed to be resting.¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t sleep,¡± he said. ¡°And I have to do my part too.¡±


    ¡°Your part is getting better,¡± she said matter-of-factly. Now she understood how her mother¡¯s patience wore thin so quickly.


    ¡°That can wait,¡± Reylo said surprisingly strongly. ¡°You need to hear it.¡±


    ¡°Hear what?¡± she asked, but followed as he led her to the tunnel entrance.


    None of the others stepped outside the tunnel¡ªsomething about it felt safe¡ªand Syl followed suit.


    ¡°What am I¡­?¡± she started to ask, but then she heard it. The screaming.


    ¡°Somebody¡¯s out there?¡± she asked rhetorically.


    ¡°Somebody¡¯s calling for help,¡± Edar clarified.


    ¡°Started about ten minutes ago,¡± Reylo said. ¡°We¡¯ve been trying to wake you since.¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t want to leave you alone in the cave with the dreams you were having, but we couldn¡¯t wake you,¡± Rogar explained.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Syl said. Edar was right. It was definitely a woman calling for help.


    ¡°We need to go help her,¡± Rogar said and turned back into the cave. ¡°Grab your weapons,¡± he instructed the others, and they all followed. All of them except Syl.


    The dream of being tied to the Anihazi nagged at her. Those last seconds with it especially. It had a plan. It couldn¡¯t find them, so if she was it, what would she do?


    She¡¯d lure them out. She¡¯d use bait.


    Like a screaming woman¡­?


    Syl closed her eyes and reached out with her other sense. There it was, the Anihazi, out in the woods.


    Waiting.


    Just at the edge of her perception, further than she¡¯d been able to sense before, but there. And not directly beside where the woman was screaming.


    ¡°Just like with Reylo,¡± she whispered. It would wait for them to get to the woman. Then it would attack from behind. ¡°Just how smart are you?¡± she asked.


    ¡°You coming?¡± Dena called from further down the tunnel. ¡°Everybody else is ready.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t go,¡± Syl said, her voice barely a whisper.


    ¡°Did you say something?¡± Dena asked, walking up beside Syl.


    ¡°We can¡¯t go,¡± Syl repeated.


    ¡°What do you mean? Can¡¯t go where?¡±


    ¡°Out there. To help that woman,¡± Syl said. ¡°It¡¯s a trap.¡±

 Chapter 20 – For Your Own Good

    ¡°This is ridiculous,¡± Rogar said after Syl repeated what she told Dena. ¡°I thought you¡¯d be the first one out there to help her!¡±


    ¡°And I would be,¡± Syl said, trying to keep her cool. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t going to get us all killed.¡±


    Edar, the one who most wanted out of the cave, was the first one to really stop and consider it. ¡°Why would you think it¡¯s a trap?¡± he asked Syl.


    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t be talking about this,¡± Rogar interrupted before Syl could answer. ¡°Every second we waste talking about it is another second that woman suffers. That we risk the Anihazi finding her.¡±


    Everybody in the room turned their heads when Rogar didn¡¯t use ¡®Lake-Wolf¡¯.


    ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯re all calling it,¡± he muttered quickly. ¡°But that¡¯s not the point right now. We need to get out there and help her.¡±


    ¡°Syl is between you and the door,¡± Kule pointed out. ¡°You can go first.¡±


    Rogar looked Syl in the eye. ¡°Are you really going to stop me?¡± he asked.


    ¡°For your own good,¡± she said, and there was no mistaking it in her voice. She would stop anybody who tried to pass. All of them if she had to.


    ¡°Bah!¡± Rogar said, but took a step back. ¡°Fine, answer Edar¡¯s question. But, Syl, if I really don¡¯t like the answer, I am going out there to help her.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a trap,¡± Syl repeated what she said earlier. ¡°The Anihazi is out there waiting for us to go help the woman. She¡¯s bait.¡±


    ¡°How could it be smart enough to use bait?¡± Rogar asked.


    ¡°Because it¡¯s not a Lake-Wolf like we thought when we first came out. It¡¯s not just some beast out here killing for food. It¡¯s something from our legends, a creature, or a spirit, that we don¡¯t understand.


    ¡°It makes no sound when it moves. It doesn¡¯t leave tracks. It can dodge our arrows. And above all else, it hates us to the point it would do anything to see us dead.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t explain why you think it¡¯s a trap,¡± Rogar pointed out, but he seemed less eager to go out.


    ¡°Like when it took Reylo,¡± Syl said. ¡°It could have killed him there on the road. But it didn¡¯t. It dragged him into the woods.¡±


    ¡°And we followed,¡± Leeze whispered. ¡°Without even thinking about it. We followed.¡± Her hand shook as she took hold of the pendant, but it seemed to calm her just a little.


    ¡°Then it snuck around behind us,¡± Syl went on. ¡°It¡¯s doing it again. We¡¯d go to help the woman, and it¡®d strike from somewhere else. Maybe it¡¯d wait until we got to the woman, or maybe it would attack on the way. But either way, it¡¯s waiting for us.¡±


    ¡°So what do you suggest we do?¡± Rogar asked. ¡°Hide in this cave for the rest of our lives?¡±


    Syl sighed. She didn¡¯t have a good answer for that. She couldn¡¯t tell them about being able to sense it. Not until she understood why.


    At least it¡¯s probably not just my imagination.


    ¡°Wait until morning, at least. The Anihazi has been more active at night.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it sees better in the dark?¡± Reylo suggested. ¡°Edar?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± he said. ¡°The Anihazi in the lore is¡­ formless. I have no idea what a real one can do.¡±


    ¡°Wait. Your grandmother said its wings blotted out the sun,¡± Dena said. ¡°Maybe that¡¯s why it¡¯s more active at night? Because we¡¯d see it flying above the trees during the day.¡±


    ¡°That might be it,¡± Syl lied. She¡¯d always felt it running through the trees, not over them. But she couldn¡¯t say that.  ¡°Either way, we stand a better chance of seeing it during the day. It¡¯s already got so many advantages; let¡¯s not give it another one by going out there in the dark.¡±


    ¡°If it was your father out there calling, you¡¯d be out there in a heartbeat,¡± Rogar offered one last argument.


    ¡°I would,¡± Syl admitted. ¡°And then I¡¯d be dead.¡±


    ¡°I hate this,¡± Rogar said, but sat down.


    The others relaxed as the confrontation diffused, and Syl sighed in relief.


    ¡°How long till the sun rises?¡± Reylo asked.


    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Couple of hours,¡± Rogar said through gritted teeth. ¡°That¡¯s how long we get to sit here listening to that poor woman yell for help. Unless the Anihazi realizes we aren¡¯t taking the bait and just kills her sooner,¡± he added, leaning his head back against the wall, and closed his eyes.


    ¡°Rogar,¡± Syl started.


    ¡°I know,¡± he said. ¡°I do. I get it. You¡¯re right. Doesn¡¯t make it any easier. We¡¯ll wait until morning.¡±


    Syl nodded, despite him not being able to see it with his eyes closed.


    It would attack them if they went out there. But Rogar was right. It didn¡¯t make listening to the woman suffering any easier. None of them would get any more sleep that night.


    ¡°What¡¯s special about this cave?¡± Leeze asked. ¡°If it knows we¡¯re nearby, why doesn¡¯t it just come in here after us?¡±


    ¡°Maybe the bait isn¡¯t for us?¡± Dena suggested. ¡°There might be others somewhere out there.¡±


    ¡°That almost makes me feel better,¡± Leeze forced a chuckle. ¡°I was beginning to wonder why it was so stuck on killing us specifically. I thought that maybe it followed us all the way from the village. Guess it¡¯s just bad luck we keep running into it?¡±


    ¡°Really bad luck,¡± Reylo agreed, and held up his injured arm.


    ¡°But if it¡¯s out here with us, that means it¡¯s not killing people back in the village,¡± Dena said.


    ¡°That¡¯s something,¡± Edar agreed. ¡°Strange though.¡±


    ¡°What is?¡± Kule asked.


    ¡°There really aren¡¯t that many people up this way. Teb¡¯s farm, a few other houses. But barely a fraction of the people in the village. If it really wanted to do the most damage, it should have stayed down there.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry guys,¡± Kule said seriously. ¡°It¡¯s my fault. I didn¡¯t want to say anything¡­ but¡­¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Leeze asked him.


    ¡°It sees me as a threat,¡± Kule stated. ¡°My arrow. I hit it last night, and it recognizes my prowess as a hunter. It knows I¡¯ll be the one to kill it.¡±


    Rogar opened one eye in disbelief.


    ¡°You¡¯re an idiot,¡± Leeze said, shaking her head.


    The others continued poking fun at Kule for his declaration, but Syl wasn¡¯t listening. What if he was on to something? But what if it wasn¡¯t Kule the Anihazi was after? What if it was after her?


    Maybe it could sense her, just like she could sense it. But what was their connection? Why could they feel each other?


    Her questions, and the vague sense of where the Anihazi was, bounced around Syl¡¯s head until the sun rose several hours later, answers no closer.


    Despite how little sleep everybody got, there was a nervous energy in the cave.


    Syl stood at the entrance to the tunnel, watching as the morning light began to filter into the valley. But she wasn¡¯t really looking at it. Her senses stretched wide for any trace of the Anihazi. It had grown anxious with the rising sun and eventually prowled off.


    But how far did it go?


    She couldn¡¯t find it. Did that mean it had grown frustrated and left? Or was it sitting just outside her range? Waiting for them?


    As always, when it came to the Anihazi, she had too many questions and not enough answers. And she couldn¡¯t let it stop her from acting.


    ¡°Is everybody ready?¡± she turned her head to look at the others gathered behind her.


    ¡°We are,¡± Rogar spoke for the group. They all had bows ready, except for Reylo, who had a Sho-Val in his good hand.


    ¡°Stay on guard. The Anihazi could still be out there,¡± Syl instructed, but led them out of the cave.


    ¡°The shouting stopped,¡± Reylo observed.


    Syl listened but didn¡¯t slow. Reylo was right. No screaming. Did the Anihazi kill the woman? Did she escape?


    ¡°We¡¯re still going to look for her,¡± Syl said. ¡°I have a good idea where the shouting was coming from.¡± She didn¡¯t mention it was because she¡¯d been able to detect where the Anihazi was guarding.


    She kept her senses sharp for any sign of the Anihazi as they moved. ¡°Spread out, but not far,¡± she further instructed as they broke from the established path into the forest. ¡°I don¡¯t expect we¡¯ll find any sign the Anihazi passed, but speak up if you see anything out of place.¡±


    The sounds of the waking forest warbled around them as they silently stalked forward. Birds chirped above. A rabbit bolted, surprised at the sudden intrusion into its domain. A pair of squirrels watched them pass from a thick branch, indifferently nibbling on the bounty of their morning forage.


    The forest looked, sounded, and smelled exactly like it should. There was no sign of the bloodthirsty killer prowling between its trees. Whatever the Anihazi really was, it didn¡¯t disturb nature¡¯s order.


    Without the shouting, Syl wouldn¡¯t be able to find exactly where the woman was, so she led them towards where she¡¯d sensed the Anihazi. From there, they¡¯d be able to find the bait easily enough.


    Still no trace of the Anihazi in Syl¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Was it foggy last night?¡± Edar asked suddenly.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t have been,¡± Dena said. ¡°We have, what, another day or two before the rains start? I lost count with all this going on.¡±


    ¡°Why, Edar?¡± Syl asked.


    ¡°The bushes over here, they¡¯re wet,¡± he said. ¡°Like they¡¯ve been sitting in the fog all night.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t one of the hunters say something about wet leaves outside the village?¡± Reylo asked.


    ¡°Yeah, and Kule¡¯s response almost got him killed by Vacksin,¡± Rogar said.


    ¡°Think it¡¯s a coincidence?¡± Reylo asked.


    Probably not. The bush Edar found was very close to where Syl sensed the lingering presence of the Anihazi. ¡°I think it¡¯s a clue,¡± she said out loud. ¡°Keep your eyes peeled for anything else like that.¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± Leeze called from opposite Edar. ¡°I think I found our girl. There¡¯s a small clearing over here.¡±


    Syl still couldn¡¯t feel any sign of the Anihazi, but that didn¡¯t mean it wasn¡¯t nearby. ¡°Keep your eyes peeled. Let¡¯s go,¡± she said, and the group hurried over to join Leeze.


    Crouched within the bushes, nobody moved from within the cover of the foliage despite the woman slumped at the base of a tree in the centre of the clearing ahead. Instead, seven sets of eyes scanned every inch of the boundary for sign of their hunter.


    ¡°She looks dead,¡± Kule finally whispered.


    ¡°She does,¡± Dena agreed.


    ¡°We need to check,¡± Rogar said. ¡°Are you going to try to stop me again, Syl?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯re right. We need to check. It looks safe, but that doesn¡¯t mean it is.¡± With that, she led the way and cautiously approached the woman.


    ¡°Rogar, Kule, Leeze, keep watch,¡± Syl said, and put her bow away. The woman¡¯s leg was at an odd angle, obviously broken, but that was the only apparent wound. What killed her? Cause of death could give them more information on the Anihazi. She had to know.


    Burying her emotions beneath her clinical mind, Syl leaned forward to roll the woman onto her back.


    At the touch, the woman sat bolt upright with a scream.