The Witching Hour (#Wattys2016)

Chapter 6

I woke up a little before dawn. I sat up and rubbed my eyes. I completely forgot that Marak was with us, and I noticed him a few yards away. Dusk was settled near Marak. Allen was on his back, fast asleep. I climbed to my feet and yawned. We need to get going if we are to get to his house before sunset. I smiled at Dusk. "Do what you do best."

Dusk flew up into the air and croaked. He landed on Allen's chest. Allen, still half asleep, tried to swat him away, but to no avail. Dusk hooked his claws into his shirt and cawed in his face. Allen finally woke up. He grabbed Dusk, tore him off his shirt, and threw him into the air. "What did you do that for?" he groaned groggily.

I walked over to him and pulled him to get him to stand up. "I want us to leave now so that we can get to our destination before sunset."

Allen yawned and asked, "Where is our destination?"

I grabbed my bag and flung it over my shoulder. "You'll see when we get there," I answered with a smile. "I have a feeling that you're going to like who you're going to meet."

Allen frowned and followed me as all of us started our trek into the Haunted Woods. It was rather quiet, but the chitter of Troglodytes was still common. Allen looked uncomfortable, but Marak looked hungry. "Go get two Troglodytes," I told Marak. He grunted in obedience and trotted away.

We continued on until Marak came back dragging two dead Troglodytes. Allen stared at the dead Troglodytes with his jaw hanging. "Those are big," he gasped.

Marak dropped them onto the ground. "They're lunch." I squatted low to the ground and took out one of my daggers. "Go ahead and take one, Marak," I said. Marak bent his neck to hook his teeth into the carcass and carried it away. I cracked open a leg, cut off a hunk of meat, and handed it to Allen.

Allen stared at me as if I was a maniac. "What do you want me to do with this?"

I tore off a piece of meat for myself and took a bite out of it. "Eat it," I replied, my voice muffled since my mouth was full. "It's not bad."

Allen sniffed it and nibbled on it. He chewed slowly before saying, "I'm not sure what it tastes like, but the texture reminds me of a crab."

I ripped more meat off and ate it. "It tastes like a spider. There is no way to describe a spider since their diet is so unique, and almost no one ever dares to best this creature."

Allen smiled and took another bite. "I can see why."

We continued to eat the spider. Marak came several minutes later, smacking his lips. Allen and I were still eating the spider, so he sat and groomed himself while he waited. Once we finished up, I gave him a dagger.

"My mother gave it to me when I was five, but you can use it until we can find you something else," I said. I bit my lip and looked away. "Don't lose it unless you want to die."

Allen grabbed the dagger and thanked me. We continued through the forest for a few more hours until I stopped again.

"Wards," I whispered, feeling the ground. "We're getting close." I stood and looked forward. A white house cat was staring at me. I nodded to it. The cat narrowed its eyes and hurried away.

"What are wards?" Allen stood beside me. "You keep using strange words."

I frowned and kept walking the way the cast was going. "Wards are magical barriers and have different purposes. Some can be used to keep certain things out. Other wards can harm whatever goes through them. I use strange words because they are common to those who use magic. Humans who don't use magic never use these terms."