and leaves to the scent of disease and decaying bodies. I held my breath as I kept staring down. I feared something would creep out, and yet my curiosity wouldn't release her hold on me and kept me glued to the spot. I wanted to know what was down there. My heart hammered like a drum in my ears. In spite of the cold, beads of sweat covered my body and trickled down my back in thin rivulets that soaked my clothes.
Something was heading for me. I stared ahead but couldn't see a thing, and yet I could tell it rose from the depth of the earth with unnatural speed, heading straight for me.
Run! Run now! A voice yelled in my head. The flapping of wings grew louder and more ominous. A cold sensation hit my face. The wind had started to blow again, but it was coming from the wrong direction. It blew in from below me, carrying that scent of disease and decay, blood and—burned flesh. My stomach clenched in response. A yelp escaped my throat as I stumbled backward, my back hitting the tree trunk. Grazing my palms on the coarse bark, I steadied myself and then tore through the trees as fast as my muscles would let me.
The sinister presence followed close behind me. My head jerked back every few seconds, my gaze searching the night even though I knew I wouldn't be able to discern darkness from darkness. And dark they were, both the night and the creature. As I kept running through the bushes, twigs snapped under my feet and scratched my legs. I winced at the searing pain in my thighs and the burning sensation in my lungs.
Something touched my back. I screamed and turned, kicking and punching against the warm shield.
Strong arms enveloped me and drew me close, forcing my wrists to keep still. Through the haze in my mind and the fear gripping me, I made out Thrain's voice, "Shush. I'm here, sweetheart. Now, breathe." He began to rock me softly as he cradled my head against his chest. The steady beat of his heart calmed me a little.
I peered up into his green gaze, shining unnaturally bright in the night. "I saw it." My words sounded muffled and indiscernible.
"It's okay. Everything's all right. You're safe with me. Come on, breathe with me." His palms started to rub my back, up and down, soothing me. My body relaxed but the shaking didn't go away. "Come on, breathe with me. In and out."
My chest rose and fell as I tried to get a grip on my nerves. The heat from his body warmed me in the chilly breeze.
"Better now?" Thrain whispered. I nodded and looked over his shoulder. The strange, fog-like darkness was gone now.
"Thrain? Did you see it?" I searched his gaze.
He shook his head. "No. Tell me what you saw."
I could feel my body stiffening again as though fighting the memory in my head. "I tried to talk to the bird when the earth cracked and something rose from below."
"A demon?" His voice betrayed surprise, disbelief.
"Maybe," I said softly. Looking up, I noticed his smile was gone. I moistened my lips as I tried to make sense of the array of thoughts and pictures in my head.
"That doesn't make any sense. What would a demon want?"
Why was it so hard to believe? I didn't usually care what others made of me, but Thrain's opinion mattered, even though I knew it shouldn't. If he didn't believe me who would? "Maybe he wants the same thing as everyone else," I finally added, hoping Thrain would catch the drift.
He lifted me up in his arms in one fluent motion. I wrapped my arms around his neck, holding tight but keeping a bit of a distance between us. "Let's go back to the house and we'll talk there. If what you say is true, you're not safe out here." He didn't wait for my approval, just took off through the night, moving like a sprinter aiming for gold. I realized I must've been running for a long time because I couldn't see the house. We moved so fast the woods became a blur, yet he didn't even seem to break a sweat. Eventually we reached the house but he only put me down inside the kitchen, then went about pouring me a glass of water, instructing me to finish before recalling the event. I did as he said, still miffed at the idea he