City of Mages

Chapter 18: Quenti

Quenti tried to signal to Alara, but the girl was turned, eyes fixed on the dark trees.

"Emaru?" Alara whispered.

Quenti's eyebrows furrowed. Emaru and her soldiers would be half a day's walk from them still. She crouched, reaching into her bag for the bow she had stolen, and snatched a handful of arrows without taking her eyes off the shadows. There was another rustle of leaves.

She worried Alara might call out again, but instead, Alara stood up, taking a step back. She looked at Quenti, recognizing the situation for what it was. The girl's eyes scanned the surrounding area, no doubt looking for the weapon she no longer had. Quenti groaned to herself. Now would be a good time for the magite to have her trusty spear.

Her hands shook as she tried to notch an arrow. She wasn't a good shot. A fisher and trapper, yes, but no archer. She only hoped she was decent enough to spook whatever was lurking out there.

"Get behind the fire," she ordered.

Alara listened without hesitation. "What do you think it is?" she asked, voice hoarse and quiet.

"Nothing good."

A second later, an enormous cat the size of a l'lama stepped out from the shadows and into the circle of light their fire gave off. Its fur, a deep rich green, shimmered in the firelight, and the ground beneath its paws undulated in its wake.

Quenti felt her stomach drop. She had never seen a pumisi before, but her mother had told her stories as a child, the kind of stories that kept children from running too deep into the forest alone.

"Shoo! Go away!" Quenti shouted instinctively. Was she actually telling a near-legendary beast to shoo? "Go! Get out of here!"

"By all means, say please while you're at it." Alara was pale in the dancing firelight, but somehow spat out the biting response.

Quenti didn't reply, but gave her an annoyed look. "Leave us alone." Her voice was firm and loud, but her entire body trembled as the giant cat took another step. The ground shuddered, and a log fell over in the fire, emitting a wave of sparks.

"I don't think it's listening to you," Alara said.

Quenti didn't look over, but raised her bow and pointed it at the wide body of the feline.

"Do you know what you're doing with that thing?"

"Enough."

"Perfect, we're betting our lives on, enough."

"No, I'm telling you to shut up."

Quenti let an arrow fly. It flew fast and true—straight over the pumisi's head.

"For the love of...give me your bow," Alara hissed.

Quenti ignored her, letting another arrow fly. This one struck the beast, but glanced off its thick hide. Intelligent feline eyes flickered to Quenti, looking more annoyed than anything, before resting on their day's catch roasting on the stone in the fire.

"Give. Me. The bow." Alara whispered. "Give me anything."

Quenti clenched her teeth. "I've got this." And I don't trust you with a weapon.

Quenti notched another arrow, aiming for the pumisi's head. This time, the arrow grazed the feline's ear as it sailed above it.

"No you don't, and I don't feel like dying," Alara's voice was loud, any pretense of keeping quiet gone.

The pumisi shook the ground as it moved again. Yellow eyes turned on the two girls. The dirt around its paws swirled and rose into the air, caught up in the animal's own magia. Mouth open, long fangs sparkling in the firelight, the green feline let out a silent roar, and the entire forest seemed to creak, the ground around them jerking and shuddering. Quenti fell backward, bow falling to the side. Beside her, Alara rode out the quake, knees bent and fists clenched.