In the Arms of Stone Angels - By Jordan Dane Page 0,85

screen. But with the serene world of white gone, I knew there had been a barrier for a reason. On this side of White Bird’s vision, there was evil. And it lurked beyond where I could see. I don’t know how I knew this, but I did. I tasted danger and it seeped through my pores.

When I sensed it coming, I stopped to listen really hard. I should have run, but I was rooted where I stood, waiting. It didn’t take long for the danger to find me. A low menacing growl came from behind and it sounded like the deep throaty growl of a lion about to pounce. I didn’t want to turn around, but I had to. My instinct for survival took over.

I forced myself to run and when I gaped over my shoulder to see what had made the noise, I saw the huge grizzly bear from White Bird’s nightmare. My feet got tangled and I fell to the ground. And when I turned over, I stared up at the monster that towered over me. The twelve-foot beast reared up on its haunches and swiped its front claws at me. It bellowed a roar and gnashed its teeth. And I knew I wouldn’t stand a chance if it got hold of me.

I scrambled to my feet and looked for someplace to hide, watching the predator over my shoulder. I expected the bear to follow, but it didn’t. It plopped its butt down and watched me run with its head cocked. Guess I looked goofy.

I stopped where I was and turned to face it. We glared at each other for what felt like forever. Maybe it was, but eventually the beast tossed its head and turned to leave. And when it trudged back the way it had come, I got the distinct impression that it wanted me to follow.

“Hey, something I said?” I yelled. With a fresh shot of adrenaline in my veins, I gave the grizzly bear attitude. And it felt damned good.

All my instincts should have told me to run the opposite way, but since none of this was normal and I wasn’t at some whack petting zoo, I did as Joe had said and trusted my gut. I took a risk and trailed the animal from a safe distance. After all, White Bird’s adopted Euchee tribe was the Dala, the bear clan.

With my new traveling companion, I drifted through a dense monochromatic forest awash in shades of lime-green. It was as if I saw everything through polarized sunglasses. Trees towered over me with light flickering through their trunks. And a thick green fog swirled at my feet and clung to tree bark before it drifted into the branches. The mist brought a muggy stillness to the forest.

And even though I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing, I kept walking with the grunting bear, searching for any sign of White Bird. The farther I trekked, the stronger the sense I got that he was very close. And when the bear eventually broke free of the dense vegetation, it took me into a vast field of charred trees rooted in a sea of blood-red flowers. And the fog followed me. It spread its billowing clouds and the intense humidity made it hard for me to breathe. It was an annoyance I couldn’t shake.

“Get a life.” I swatted at the trailing mist. My swipe didn’t do any good, except to make me feel better.

Ahead of me, the burned field stretched over rolling hills. And beyond that, a steep rock face lurked in the shadows with its peak shrouded in a dense haze. And although the blood-red flowers made me flash back to the violence of Heather’s death, I trusted my instincts to stay with the slow plodding bear as it lumbered across the open field. But the minute I stepped on the flowers, they gave off a foul odor.

“Oh, God. What the hell is that?” I checked the bottom of my shoes until I realized the stink was coming from the flowers.

What I smelled was the coppery stench of blood. It was so toxic that I had to hold my breath. I pressed my arm over my nose and kept the bear in sight. The animal was headed for a trail into the dark mountains. As we climbed, the fog snaked down to meet us, making it hard to see ahead. And when visibility got tough, the bear slowed even more. Eventually, it strayed off the