Below the Peak (Sola)(58)
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“Fog!” Finn shouted after going very still and so did everyone upon hearing his words.
What fog? Nara was confused as she glanced around, she didn’t see any.
“Everyone stay clear from the fog and follow me” Calemir ordered as he swung on top of the stallion carrying water bags made of some tough animal hide.
What’s going on? Nara watched the elves move with urgency. Panic strung her. She picked up her dagger and stood in a defense position.
“What are you waiting for, do you want to die?” Finn’s snarl had her spinning on her feet. He was seated on his horse. Something wet splattered on her forehead, and then it began to pour nonstop. Thick fat raindrops fell, drenching her.
“Get on now!” He needed not to tell her twice, his tense features were enough to prompt her and obey. “Stay close.” Finn was already moving, maneuvering through the compact pathway with precision like the others. Nara tried to keep up although it was getting harder with the rain and trying not to be hit by a branch. She glanced back. There, Nara saw it, spreading quickly behind them, and in all directions. Her eyes widened when she saw the dark shadow amidst the grey blanket that seemed to trail them. The shadow resembled some sort of creature she had never seen before. With a form of a human but with wings instead of hands.
Nara focused forward, and spurred, everything moving past her in an almost complete blur. In the middle of crossing a creek, the horse abruptly reared up with a loud shrill of agony, and she almost fell. Nara turned and slashed at the shadow hovering over and clawing at Lucky’s back. The dark shadow dissipated back into the fog. The horse was wounded although not too seriously, blood trickled from its thighs were, it had been clawed. Another dark shadow caught her eyes as she kept on forward. It charged on the sidelines and looked like it was readying itself to launch. And it did. Nara ducked as the creature leaped, it’s winged claws missing her head an inch. The creature landed on the ground in a noiseless tumble. She pulled the reins and galloped the opposite direction. Her sixth sense fired, she knew the shadow was unto her. She took a turn and dashed, forcing her to break from the formation entirely. Her heart pumped with both energy and fear as she stayed clear from the fog, knowing there were more of them lurking inside the greyness.
The beating rain sent a cold shiver through her wet clothes to her bones. Big pools of puddle had already formed from the unceasing rain, and the water splashed under the plunge of Lucky’s hooves. Nara had no idea where she was heading, but she knew death wasn’t an option. A sudden, other two same looking ghostly creatures materialized each side and teamed with the other and chased her. She was surrounded from each corner. Her eyes searched frantically for an escape, and as she took a second too long to lose them, they charged at her.
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Chapter Twenty-one
Barely escaping from their clutches, Nara dived front into the air, her legs restricted by fabrics of her heavy wet dress to land gracefully. Her back had hit a trunk of a tree before she fell under an archway of old mossy trees. The bad landing tore a painful grunt from her lungs. Pain speared her skull and her whole back. She blinked a few times. Her left hand throbbed. Her smallest finger was dislocated, it was the one sending the intense pulse through her entire hand. Biting her lower lip, teeth digging on the lip painful, Nara straightened her crooked finger. A painful moan rose in her chest, causing her to blink rapidly again. Lucky’s tormented cries had her lifting her mudded face from the ground and stare under the archway in horror as the wretched ghost creatures clawed and tore at Lucky ruthlessly. One of the shadow creature’s face widened to smoky jagged teeth and sank its boorish mouth on Lucky’s neck. Black wisps enclosed the head of the horse and rot its flesh. A soundless scream escaped her mouth at the savagery. Pain tore through her as unbearable sadness constricted her chest. Nara crawled and picked up the dagger lying in a puddle across her. She had to get going because soon the beasts would turn to her. She eyed the creatures once more to make certain they still haven’t seen her.
Crap!
One of them paused its feasting and sniffed the air for a moment. Nara stilled, noting its white wisps socket eyes searching the opposite direction then turned her way. It rose from its crouch.
She knew when to run. And she did, ignoring the pain shooting up her legs. The fog was now everywhere save for the rain which was letting up to a drizzle. Not caring where she was running, she just ran. Surviving was all that mattered.
Nara slammed into something solid, or perhaps it slammed into her. Either way, she was thankful it wasn’t one of the creatures, recalling when she had slashed one, her dagger passed through it as if she was jabbing air. Her relief was replaced by sharp panic when strong hands held arms and steadied her. She lifted her head and met smoldering features and familiar gray eyes peering at her intensely. “Did I not tell you to stay close to me?” Finn muttered.
She was about to say something when a flapping cloak caught her attention. Nara turned, squinted and watched the prince leap from his ride into the air and landed with elegance and balance atop one of the mossy bent thick branch form the archway. He drew one arrow after the other from the quiver on his back and used a bow to shoot with precision at the creatures. A minute lapsed before the prince leapt down, mounted his horses and headed toward the creatures, the fog swallowing his form.
“Climb on,” Finn told her, motioning for her to sit behind him on his royal horse. Nara hoisted herself up, and without another word, they followed the prince.