The Sixth Life of Medusa

27. The Nest [2]

Medusa blindly swung her arm, banking on her scant understanding of dimensions to work. In a fraction of a second, the buzzing stopped. The ensuing silence was so sharp and sudden that her ears popped.

Relief washed through her when she cracked her eyes open and came upon an empty sky. Not a single bee in sight. It worked! When she sharpened her focus, she noticed a floating transparent mass about the size of a cartwheel. It rippled in and out of sight, and if she wasn't directly looking out for it, it vanished from her view.

Sighing, Medusa glanced around and flinched. The boulder bear was a mere fifteen feet from where she stood, but despite being within the beast's line of sight, it did not approach. Has its blindness worsened? She tentatively waved her arm. Zero reaction. So the bees helped its navigation. Interesting.

Even though she had gotten rid of the bees, she was still in a bad spot. The numbness had travelled past her knees, and the urge to freak out was overwhelming. If the paralysis was anything like her petrification curse, she was doomed. That thing easily killed powerful blood carriers.

Okay, breathe and think. There had to be a way. Now that the bear appeared disoriented, she could kill it. No. Instead of that, she could attempt holding it in a dimension. Yeah, trapping it in a dimension made more sense.

As Medusa did with the butterfly, she connected to the bear's movement line and got a sense of how air and aether moved around it. She frowned; something felt off with the way the elements acted around the beast's rocky back. Her fear was soon confirmed when her attempt to trap it was repelled.

Come on!

After five failed attempts, she gave up. But as soon as she stopped, the beast halted mid-pace, lifted its snout, and sniffed the air. Then, it turned and began lumbering in her direction.

You've got to be kidding me. Heart sinking, Medusa attempted to flee and whimpered when she recalled she was stuck. Desperate, she snatched an arrow, manipulated air around the bowstring to muffle its twang and aimed it at the bear. Making a last-minute decision, she shifted her target a foot away and fired. It reacted instantly, pouncing and attacking the arrow with a rabid ferocity.

As Medusa watched the rampaging beast, goosebumps raced across her skin. That speed. If anything would kill her, it would be the bear's insane reaction time. It raised its head and sniffed again; drool slid down its maws as it released a huff and resumed its approach.

Biting back a shout of frustration, Medusa reached for another arrow. That beast must never reach her. Despite the cool morning breeze, sweat poured down her brow; a line slid into her eye and forced her to blink hard. She'd have to take multiple shots to counter its speed, but her fingers wouldn't stop trembling and her breathing was ragged. It also didn't help that her thumb still throbbed with hot pain from the bee sting.

Medusa had just controlled her breathing and was about to release the arrow when she heard it. A drawn-out groan. Horrified, she chanced a backward glance and spotted Lonian struggling to sit up. Of all the times to come to, it had to be now.

From the corner of her eyes, she caught the bear's movement. It leapt in their direction, claws extended, jaws unhinged and cloudy enraged eyes fixed on her.

Medusa couldn't tell if some higher being reached into her mind and opened a door, but understanding suddenly dawned and she attempted something she would never have considered even with a million do-overs. Expanding the divide, she enveloped both her and Lonian in a dimension.

The bear jumped right through her.

Panting, Medusa noticed in shock that she was on her knees. The paralysis was gone and so was the feeling of the wind against her skin. She turned and spotted the bear. It bounded about, flattening the grass and swiping at nothing.