Veiled Shadows

Chapter 9 Pt. 2

As I watch, my leg twists and bends, snapping back into place. The unbearable pain of the shattered bone eases and I find I'm able to wiggle my toes again. I stare at it in wonder. Even the gash on my arm has knitted itself back together.

"Run!" Eko screams and I look up to see Kravimik leaping from the window towards him.

It's easily a twenty foot gap but Kravimik closes the distance with ease. He swings his fist at the spot where Eko was just standing but Eko is too fast. He hops over the railing and plummets to the factory floor. His landing is as graceful as a panther and he barely makes a sound. He rushes to my side and pulls me to my feet.

I'm shaky and nauseated and I wonder fleetingly if I might be concussed. Would my magic be able to heal a concussion? I don't know but apparently there's no time like the present to find out. 

Eko drags me to the closest door, weaving through the heavy machinery that dots the factory floor. There's a crash behind us that lets me know Kravimik is close behind but I don't look back. The door leads to a hallway and I can't tell if it's the one we took earlier. They all look the same with their peeling white paint and concrete floors. I lost my flashlight in the fall and now our only source of light is Eko's which bounces around as he runs.

He takes us through doors and around corners at random, trying to put as much distance between us and Kravimik as possible. I can hear him crashing after us, following us through this labyrinth of a factory. We push through a worn wooden door and almost tumble as we barrel down a set of stairs leading to a basement.

Rows and rows of shelves hold abandoned boxes filled with parts. Dusty labels announce their contents; screws, nuts, blades, paint. Eko pulls me into a small alcove under the stairs where a gap in the boxes leaves a space small enough for one.

"You must remain here," he whispers urgently.

I shake my head. It still feels foggy from the fall. "You can hide here together. We just need to move one of the boxes and you'll be able to fit."

He takes my hands. "No, my lady. I should not have brought you here. Ogres are creatures of murder and rage. I had not realizes the extent to which the magic of the seal had soothed this nature. Our only hope is for me to distract the beast while you escape. He will not likely be able to kill me but you are much more fragile.

His magic makes us afraid and he will follow the scent of our fear to us. When he does, I will lure him away from the door so you may sneak away. Prepare the car and I will follow when I can. You will know I have perished by the burn of the blood bond."

He traces the scar on my palm. He brings my hand to his lips and kisses the raised white line. I open my mouth to protest, to tell him he should stay and we can figure out a better plan, but before I can he darts off.

The silence that follows is suffocating. The ache in my head has eased slightly but I've burned through so much of my magic reserves to accomplish this much healing and my stomach is aching again. I miss the old days where my problems were things like choosing which bar to eat at and avoiding The Arc instead of death and Ogres.

The door to the basement cracks open and a shaft of dull light spills in.

"Tasty morsels love to hide," growls Kravimik from the top of the stairs. "Meat is tastiest when flavored with fear."

My heart leaps into my throat and I think I might choke on it. The terror of his presence washes over me and tears well up in my eyes.

Kravimik sniffs the air. "You may choose how to die. Like a rabbit in a hole or a warrior on the battlefield. Either way, make peace with your death."