Persie Merlin and the Witch Hunters - Bella Forrest Page 0,41

found out, and he definitely wouldn’t have let something like that fly. Whoever these Veritas people were, they’d brainwashed their followers good and well.

“Shallow doctrine? That’s rich, comin’ from a witch. The whole lot of ye keep yerselves secret from the rest of the world, and ye mess with us when we get too close te the truth. Ye think we’re lesser—that we don’t deserve te know what’s right under our noses.” His eyes flared bright as a smoky red mist began to ooze off him like a visible stench, rolling over his body like scarlet dry ice. As the crimson tendrils crept toward me, I felt that unusual heat again. And, with it, a bad vibe that hit me like a punch to the gut.

Then the fuse of my Purge caught. My spine creaked and hunched as though it was going to break through the skin, my ribs straining under the pressure, my entire torso convulsing forward as black mist cascaded out of my mouth. Something huge was on its way.

My abductor staggered back in alarm as the dark smoke began to solidify into hulking scaly legs of golden-green, up to a long, reptilian body with a lashing tail. Dagger-like spikes protruded from the end like a mace, giving way to sharp spinal blades that ran the length of the monster. Bulging muscles tensed under shining scales, and mountainous shoulders provided the base for a thick neck that led to a snub, wolfish face. There, instead of scales, it had leafy green fur cut with tufts of pure black hair, which stuck up between its pointed ears and carried on down to its shoulder blades. Dripping fangs, a lipless mouth, and talons that put raptors to shame completed the picture.

A Grendel.

I had read about them, but I’d never seen one in my dreams. It was the beast that had tried to take down the fabled warrior, Beowulf. Could it be that this was the first Grendel since then? I didn’t know.

With a deafening bellow, my Grendel rose up onto his back legs, towering at twice the height of my abductor. If this beast got out into the open… Chaos, I didn’t even want to think about it.

As I saw it, I had three options: run, capture the creature, or try and get him to listen to me. I might not have known much about this particular beast, but I knew enough about my Purges to believe I had some sway over it. The first minute of his existence was crucial if I wanted to influence it. Plus, capturing was out, as I had no idea where my abductor had put the puzzle box that I always carried. And running… well, I’d have to get through my kidnapper, and possibly my purged monster, first.

“Grendel?” I wheezed, working hard for every breath. “Can you… help me? I need you to take me back… home. Can you… do that?”

It lumbered around to face me, vivid green eyes giving me a confused look. Slowly, he dipped his upper half in an ungainly bow. A gesture of respect for his creator. These were the valuable seconds, where I could turn a potential catastrophe into a near miss.

“Please, Grendel. Take me… home.”

He lifted his head and growled softly. He hadn’t understood. He sensed I wanted something from him, but he didn’t know what. Suddenly, he lunged for me. I yelped, thinking I was a goner. Those jaws would crunch me in one gulp. But he stopped just short of my face and gave me a gentle nudge with his flat nose, puffing air onto my hot cheeks. I didn’t know what that meant, but it felt as though he was trying to communicate something. That I was safe, maybe? I wasn’t sure, and my mind was too rattled to think about it more deeply.

After one more gentle nudge, the Grendel turned and gunned straight for my abductor, perhaps misinterpreting my cry for help. Instinctively, I reached out to try and grab his tail, realizing as I did so that my hands were free. The Atomic Cuffs lay in cracked pieces on the slimy ground.

My Purge had snapped them like twigs. I stared in disbelief, only for the sound of a fight to snap me out of my trance. My abductor had transformed into a seething mass of red and black mist, with two burning eyes that lit up the bleak fishery. He launched himself at the Grendel, sending sparks of red light flying as they