Taken by Magic (The Baine Chronicles #8)(21)

There’s no point in worrying about what ifs, I told myself firmly. For all I knew, I would only lose a week, not an entire century. It seemed increasingly unlikely that I would make it back from this ordeal in time for the wedding, but the important thing was to focus on actually making it out. I would deal with whatever came, when it came.

Fighting back the dread that seemed to have permanently settled in my guts, I cautiously made my way across the strange landscape. Spiders the size of my head wandered about the branches above, but to my relief, paid me no attention. Several times, I bumped into things that I couldn’t see, and from the snorts and shuffles that I heard, I gathered some of the invisible obstacles were animals. There was also an ominous buzzing sound, likely from some huge insect, that I retreated from quickly, though I never caught a glimpse of the source. I wondered if most of the local animals were making themselves invisible to hide from a predator. In that case, invisibility would be just as useful for the hunters among them. What if I accidentally ran head-long into something that could eat or trample me? Then again, perhaps these creatures might be perfectly visible to Tua eyes, and the deficiency was in my own senses. Neither alternative boded well for me.

That thought made me slow down even further. Using a walking stick, I tested the ground in front of me and sniffed constantly. Between my nose and my hearing, I was able to discern when a creature was in front of me, and I started bumping into them less and less. Thankfully not everything was invisible—I caught glimpses of strange rodents scampering through the brush and birds of strange shapes and colors flitting from tree to tree. Part of me wondered if it was worth hunting any of the animals, but I hesitated to try. For all I knew they would be poisonous to my system, and besides, I still had some provisions.

As the hours dragged on, I began to wonder if there was any end to this forest. The sun was hanging low in the sky, well on its way to dipping below the horizon, and painting the sky in brilliant shades of indigo and red. Coming upon a small clearing, I sat down beneath a tree and pulled out a bit of dried beef from my magical sleeve. Perhaps I’d camp here tonight and continue on in the morning.

But continue on to what? I wondered gloomily as the forest gradually began to darken around me. Soon, the only light would come from the pinkish moon and stars that were starting to appear in the sky. It wasn’t as if Ta’sradala had actually told me what I was supposed to do. I assumed the challenge was to get back to the human realm in one piece, but how the hell was I supposed to do that? Even if I had a working gulaya on me, I had no idea if it could actually transport me between worlds. And I had no way to charge it, so I couldn’t test the theory even if I wanted to. Neither Iannis’s lessons nor Fenris’s vast magical repertoire gave me the slightest clue how to move between different worlds. Unless I was merely expected to survive for a certain period before being yanked back again, I was screwed. And after my recent confrontation with Ta’sradala, she wasn’t likely to take pity on me.

I was just beginning to doze off when I heard something massive trampling through the trees. A low growl had the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end, and I slowly got to my feet, pulling a chakram from my sleeve. For a moment, I was afraid this was another one of those invisible creatures, but as it came closer, I caught a glimpse of a large animal with shaggy, neon-green fur and glowing orange eyes. It was about the size of a horse, but lower-slung and far more muscular.

“Whoa there,” I said, holding up my hands as it came closer. I caught a glimpse of sharp tusks, and drool dripped from a maw of razor-sharp teeth. “You can back off. I’m not here to hurt you.”

The animal let out a roar loud enough to wake the dead and charged. The ground shook beneath the pounding of its hooves, and I threw myself to the side an instant before it could slam into me. Cursing, I threw a chakram at it, but the beast was fast despite its size, and it ducked. I threw another chakram as the first one slammed into a tree, and this one sheared off a bit of its shaggy coat as it charged toward me again.

“For fuck’s sake,” I snarled, magic sizzling at my hands. I was tempted to light the great beast on fire, but I didn’t want to accidentally set the whole forest ablaze. Instead, I leapt high into the air as the beast charged again, and landed on its back. I held on for dear life as the animal bellowed, attempting to buck me off, and it took a supreme effort for me to draw one of my crescent knives. But I finally managed it, and I drove the long end straight through the base of its skull.

The creature let out a death scream that curdled my blood, then collapsed to the ground. As its lifeblood seeped out beneath me, I remained perfectly still, straining my ears to see if the ruckus had drawn the attention of any other predators. But the forest was deathly quiet, and I could feel a hum of fear in the air.

Not my fear, but their fear. Satisfied, I dismounted the carcass. Good. If the other animals saw me as a predator, they would stay out of my way.

With nothing better to do, I sliced through the beast’s shaggy hide, then cut away a steak-sized piece of meat. Using my magic, I made a fire, then roasted the meat. It gave off a strange smell, and had an even stranger taste, but one of Fenris’s useful magical tests established that it wasn’t poisonous, and soon I was settling back against the tree with a full stomach and heavy-lidded eyes.

With my magic replenished, I was able to set a ward around the clearing that would alert me if anyone tried to cross it. Under better circumstances I would have kept trekking on, but I hadn’t properly slept in days, and my mind was fogged with exhaustion. Shifting into panther form, I climbed up into a tree and laid my head down on one of the thick branches. I fell asleep instantly, my worries disappearing as I reveled in the simple pleasure of a moment’s peace.