The Witching Hour (#Wattys2016)

Chapter 3

I woke up with a major headache. I clutched my head with one hand and struggled to stand up. Marak was contentedly tearing apart a carcass of a Troglodyte. "Couldn't you have done that before?" I asked. He made a movement similar to a shrug and continued to eat. I shuddered before looking up at the sun. It was early evening

"We came out at in the afternoon," Shadow meowed from behind me. "Dusk is out scouting."

My hair was a wreck, and I had even more scrapes, but I was all in one piece. At least I thought I was. My durable cloak was fine except where Dusk had been earlier. My boots were incredibly muddy as well, but they could still be cleaned.

I glanced around at our surroundings. The Haunted Woods bordered plains. The land was flat for miles, so it was easy to see anything. On the horizon, I was able to see a small village. We were near a dusty trail most likely used by wagons and postmen. In the distance, there was a wagon. I paled.

"What will happen if regular mortals saw us in the state that we are near the Haunted Woods?"

Shadow sat and narrowed his eyes. "I'd rather not know."

Marak got up and stood next to me. Meanwhile, Shadow backed away slowly. "I know that face, Faeryn. Calm down before anyone gets hurt."

His words were in vain. I was already about to burst. If anything else happened....

Dusk just had to show up and settle himself on top of my head. He just had to.

"That's it," I growled through clenched teeth. "I've had enough of today."

Marak wisely stepped back, but Dusk was still on me. I roughly pushed him off of me, and he flapped and croaked in irritation while he flew to Marak. I began to stomp around, but I got even angrier since that caused me greater pain. I fell to my bottom, my scowl deepening. I stood up once again and paced around in a circle. "The only thing that could possibly get worse," I exclaimed, "is the sky falling down!" I stopped for a second to beg to the sky with my hands clasped. "Please don't fall down! With my luck, I know you will."

Marak used his own magic (that lucky goose) and turned invisible. Dusk, alarmed by the fact that it looked like he was standing on nothing, hopped off. I began to jump up and down while screaming. Shadow pawed at his ears, deciding that it was best to let me vent. The wagon was getting closer, and I was still throwing a fit.

The wagon slowed down as it neared us. Even when it stopped, I was still acting like a maniac. A boy almost at adulthood was at the reins. "Are you okay?" he asked hesitantly.

I calmed down and smoothed down my hair, but it did nothing to the rat nest. With my sweetest smile, I replied, "I'm quite fine, thank you. Continue on your way."

The boy studied me closely, looking at the state I was in and my clothes. "You know, we have plenty of room in the back. We're on our way to the village."

I lost the smile and bit my lower lip. We. "I'm fine," I replied sourly, hoping he would get the hint.

He shook his head. "You are most definitely not fine. We won't hurt you if that's what you're afraid of."

I would've snorted. I had half a dozen daggers on me, and I was in a position where I could fight if I had to. They should've been afraid of me, but someone wasn't. How do I know this?

Earlier, I glimpsed a girl with a nice sized stone. It wasn't too heavy to throw, but it was heavy enough to knock a person out. Well, I was knocked out because somebody hit me in the head with that perfect stone.