The Gathering: Race For Immortality

Chapter Twenty Five: Gut Feelings (Mhercee)

Drawing myself up onto the island feeling the chill of water trailing my back raising goosebumps on bare skin. The air howled in my ears and a tightening ran through my muscles. something didnt feel right here. Glancing bakc towards Nina and Nona, my twin guns, a sense of bareness reached me.

"Cee?" I nearly jumped at Requims soft tone, he watched me fearfuly.

Embarrassment cascaded around me. He could still see how much what ever the hell had just happened, obviously I wasnt doing such a great job of hiding my growing fear. The thick forest madey blood chill.

Looking at the others as they crawled up on lade shivering, shaking, and soaking wet. It seemed to be endless, this hunt. Each clue we gained led us all farther and farther from home, and carried us closer and closer to what felt like death.

"Anybody see wherw Aierah went?" I asked looking around at the frozen forest before me.

Nat stepped up to my side her teeth chittering together, her human arms hughed herself so tight I thought she mighr rip herself apart.

"I saw her head off that way" She spoke firmly holding back the chatter of her teeth.

She pointed off at a sharp angle on my right. I turned facing the direction feeling a wind buffwt me, If I narrowed my eyes I could almost make something out on the horrizon of trees. Most likely though I was making my eyes see something.

"We should follow her while we have the chance to" Jaeson said moving past Nat and I.

"Does anybody else feel uneasy?" I asked glancing back at Paz pulling my eyes forward to meet Nats.

"Hell no! Why you scared?" Paz snickered as if this was just some sad joke.

But I could see in Nats eyes she felt it to, it didnt feel bad but it sure as hell was not good. The air felt stale when I took a breath in, like it had been stuck in an air tight box. Nat gave a shivering sigh and followed after Jaeson and Aierah. Nodding my head to Requim signaling him to follow me as I stomped after the princcess.

Stepping into the forest for me at least felt like pushing against the current, Nat didnt slow as she practically ran through the trees racing after Jaeson and our only lead Aierah. Looking back I could see Paz was feeling the same resistence.

There was a nearly solid blanket of magic in the air, not a good air like in Mors-Mundi. It felt thick in my throat, it was frightening but I couldn't allow my guard down the little.

"Hey Kiddo, Don't get to far ahead!" I called out forcing myself to run through the thickness.

She paused and looked back at us then off in the direction that Aierah and Jaeson had gone in. She rolled her lips shifting her weight from side to side. She was waiting for us, when we got within a foot of her she turned and took off into the tree's again. Who would have thought that I would end up chasing after a couple of humans...

"You'd think after we all just got back together that they wouldn't want to split up again" Paz huffed running up on my left.

"Humans, they suffer from such rabid emotions" I sighed.

Paz glanced at me rolling her sharp grey eyes, "Yeah and your one to talk about rabid emotions"

My jaw clenched and I had a sudden urge to just reach over and punch her in the side of the face. The image rolled through my mind several times of watching her roll to the side and then slam into a tree. But I resisted it, that action would only serve to prove her point.

"How much farther until we get through this damn forest?" Requim asked breaking the stubborn silence.

Glance tot he right at him then forward to where I could see Nat shivering as she stood between two large what looked to be star-leafed trees. She waved towards us then turned her back.