The Elementalist

Chapter 3

Despite the urgency we packed, we didn't move much faster than before. Understandably, we were tired from hours of travel already—no point in exhausting ourselves so much that we can't do anything once we reach the forest.

That doesn't mean it wasn't highly nerve-racking watching the sun slowly fall beyond the horizon, the thought of not making it to the trees creeping deeper and deeper into my thoughts.

But make it we did, the final vestiges of the light disappearing as we met and then passed into the tree line.

The forest was more like a copse of maybe twenty or thirty trees than an actual forest. The trees were roughly 10ft tall and had thick wide branches.

As soon as we stopped, I immediately fell to my knees and started dry heaving, spit, tears, and snot flowing freely from my face onto the grass. Waiting to make sure nothing comes up before rolling onto my back. Wiping the sweat from my eyes as I struggle to regain control of my breathing.

Looking over, Lantos leaned against a tree trunk, breathing heavily, eyes constantly scanning his surrounding area. "Boy," he starts between breaths," you think you can drag yourself and Anna into a tree?"

Daniel was doing the best of us only breathing slightly harder than normal, and his hair and clothes were not even matted with sweat. And that's with him carrying by far the most weight. Ridiculous.

He turns to look at one of the trees before saying unsurely, "Maybe?"

Lantos pushes off the trunk. "That will have to do. Get moving. We have precious little time." Moving quickly to a medium-size tree and begins to climb it slowly. Daniel places his staff against the tree and does the same on a nearby tree.

After he gets up into the branches, Daniel digs through his pack and pulls out a rope. It took a moment for me to catch on to what he was trying to do. Wobbly standing up, my legs burned as my chest began to tighten.

By now, the sun had fully set. The moonlight lit the copse casting long soft shadows across the ground.

Daniel says, lowering the rope, "Make sure the knot's tight."

Pushing down the bile rising in my throat, I nod and tie the rope around myself. Doing my best to make it secure. Gods, I hope this works.

Signaling to Daniel to pull me up, I hear what sounds like a mix between a hyena laugh, the scratching of glass, and the low rumble of a landslide coming from where we came.

Did the Beast follow us? But then, how did it gain so quickly, it was miles away?

No, if that were the case, we would have noticed. It was simply too large for us to have missed it barreling after us. This has to be a second Beast.

Looking up, Daniel is struggling, the long day making him weaker than usual. But slowly, he managed to lift the tree—inch by inch.

Once up, I hold on to the branch and lie flat and hold on as hard as possible.

The second Beast roars again, closer this time.

"Remain calm. I'm blocking our scent. It shouldn't know we're here." Lantos' voice seemed to come from between Daniel and me despite being in a different tree.

Before we can question how he is projecting his voice, a large form enters through the trees.

Revealed by the moonlight, the Beast moved on all fours. Nearly seven feet at the shoulder, it was covered in dark shaggy fur, walking on human-like hands and its back legs ending in hooves. Its head was hairless, with tight, thick skin covering its skull. Its mouth was in a permanent feral grin revealing the creature's sharp teeth.