Cloud Piercer

Twenty Nine

A deep ache rocks my bones—that's the first sign that I'm not dead. Bright, white light blurs the edge or my vision, beckoning me from the darkness. My heart thumps in my chest as it rises and falls, breath escaping in short sharp gasps.

Wake up.

The voice in my head is not my own. It's deep and impatient. My eyelids weigh down, no matter how much I will them to open. Slowly, my hearing returns—gone are the growls and screams, replaced by the gentle rustling of trees, and the distant creaking of insects.

My head thumps.

Open your eyes.

The voice is so demanding my body obeys.

Four sets of eyes glow in the dark forest, standing over where I lie amongst the pine needles and dirt. My heart skips a beat, body jolting into motion as I scramble backwards across the ground until my back hits the trunk of a tree.

The world spins as I dig my nails into the bark, my breath picking up. The last thing I remember is lying beneath the shifter that now stands across from me, claws in my wrist, blood dripping from its teeth.

They didn't kill me.

The thought thrills me and terrifies me all at once. I saw the look in its eye, the murderous rage after I threw the junk from Myers. It was going to end my life right there in that street like they do to anyone else who gets in their way.

But it didn't.

Paralysis takes a hold of me, no matter my mind screaming at me to move, to bolt, to escape, even though the logic side of my brain knows there would be no use.

Get up.

I jump, swinging my head around, trying to locate where the voice came from. But there's only me in the clearing, me and four shifters shielded from the sky by the canopy of leaves.

Now.

It lets out an impatient growl, swiping its clawed hand against the ground. My stomach clenches in fear. There's so much about them that we don't know, so much mystery around their species I never could've expected that they could speak to my mind. How far does the ability stretch? Can they read my mind too? My heart skips a beat.

Up.

My legs move on their own accord, trembling as I push to my feet. Even at my full height, the shifters rival me in size, their presence taking all the energy in the surrounding area. The forest holds its breath as the shifter takes a calculated step closer.

Walk, it demands.

I hesitate, heart pumping as I glance over its shoulder. I have no idea where we are. We're not on any path, and I don't recognise our surroundings. I can't see through the darkness to tell how close we've gotten to the mountains, but there's a chill in the air as the temperature drops. All I know is that wherever we are, it isn't Veymaw.

I've never gone further than the forge before.

The shifter growls. I start to move forward, wrapping my arms around my body and wishing I had some sort of weapon, but even the metal I threw at the shifter is no longer in my pocket. All I have is the blade cushioned in the heel of my boot. The shifters prowl behind me, so silently that if it weren't for the occasional growl, I wouldn't know they're there—a threatening presence looming over my head, keeping me from turning around.

Thoughts of Cadence flood in. What will she think when they wake up and I'm not there? I force myself to think of Casimir as I walk. Of Samu. Of Killian.

Alarm bells ring in my head at the thought as I recall the plan. The blade. As planned, I start to hobble, leaning more weight onto my right foot with each step and twisting my ankle slightly. After several more steps, I risk a glance over my shoulder at the ground. In the muddied earth, the blade leaves a semi circled hoof-like mark, marking our path.