like a predator seeking a vulnerable place to attack. “And how will you offer me safety?” she whispered as every muscle tensed.
He gave her an amused look, a rattling laughter bubbling up in his throat. “By allowing you to pass through it without any harm coming from me or those under my influence. The oath is observed by the gods. You have been gifted with an opportunity to flee, my prey. Run home. You have no further bribes to give to other beings you may encounter. I do wonder how long you will survive… Such an amusing game.”
Diana paled. “It is not a game,” she choked out. “I’m lost.”
“I disagree,” he murmured as he circled her, his eyes glowing brighter in the shadows.
Swallowing thickly, she gripped her bow nervously as she peered about. “Do you know which way to go to return home?”
A jagged smile stretched his lips. “I know not such information. I recommend that you leave and make haste before something decides that you make a good meal.”
She stumbled back, her heart pounding in her ears a staccato beat, making the faun’s lip curl with undisguised glee. His nostrils flared and he licked his lips as if relishing the flavor of her fear. She struggled against it, not wishing to bolt mindlessly once again. She was already lost in a nightmare. Everything familiar was gone, replaced by another world with creatures that would terrorize and eat her. Her legs shook with restraint, and her breath slammed out of her lungs in a frightened moan.
The faun’s glowing eyes narrowed on her. He nodded, his gray face suddenly appearing darker as the sun moved, casting much of it into shadows. “As a kindness, I will tell you only this. Most beings will toy with you, give chase to sate their appetites for terror, and they may go as far as to take a bite of you to see how you taste before they let you escape. Some few might kill you and leave you dead to fertilize the ground if you truly offend them. But none dare to offend the will of Silvani Lucomo, King of the Eternal Forest who loathes senseless dances of blood and death. Beware the ancient being deep within the woods, beyond even the deep halls of the lucomo. In the darkest depths, in the caverns below the very heart of the woods, Cacus wakens.”
“And this ancient being… eats people.”
The faun’s lips pulled back from his teeth in a horrible snarl. “He consumes everything. Humans who trespass into our world are easy prey. You are slow with no defenses. The wiles of your race will do you no good here. You are weak. If you stay, you will feed his appetite.” A rattle echoed from his throat as he spun around to crash back into the brush, leaving Diana staring after him.
Drawing in a shaky breath, Diana glanced around once more. Cacus. Why did the name sound familiar? Damn, she should have paid better attention to the mythology unit in high school English. Never in a million years would she have guessed that her survival in a world gone to shit was going to depend on dredging up knowledge she had barely paid attention to. Her life depended on the random facts her teacher took pleasure in quizzing them on. The kind of information that was likely going to kill her. She could practically taste the irony.
A shiver of dread raced over her body as Diana picked a direction and plodded forward. One way was just as good as another when she couldn’t recall how she entered this part of the forest. Everywhere she looked was nothing but the endless, threatening expanse of the deep woods. Nothing recognizable or inviting.
The Eternal Forest was thick with ancient trees, reaching to the skies with twisted limbs as leaves quaked and rustled, each sound setting her nerves on edge. The foliage was so thick that in some places it blotted out the sun, leaving shadows where anything could lurk and wait. Squinting ahead, she wondered about the fate of the men in the jeep. Recalling their screams made bile crawl up her throat.
Shivering, Diana tugged the hoodie under her vest tighter around her. Never had she been truly frightened to be alone in the forest, until now.
Chapter 3
Sunlight filtered into the room from the numerous small windows cut into the rock’s upper walls. It fell upon the jewel-laden ropes of gold strung between the tall antlers of the massive