The Medusa Deception

Chapter 5

MANDY AWOKE ON a carpet of lichen and moss, a rich tapestry of green, gray and brown. The air was warm and fragrant, laden with the smell of moist peat. Tall, loosely-spaced deciduous trees dotted the landscape as far as she could see in every direction. A shrill noise she'd never heard before sent a shiver up her spine.

She approached it cautiously, stepping on patches of moss until the trees opened to a clearing. Something was there. She hunkered down behind a thick copse of trees.

Steeling her nerves, Mandy crept to the edge and craned her neck to catch a glimpse. Strewn about the clearing were marble statues of men, some poised for battle, others broken in defeat. A tangled heap of body parts lay to the side, a jumble of limbs, torsos and heads.

A cave entrance was visible at the back; tendrils of vines hung sparsely over the opening like a beaded curtain. In the center of the clearing, with its back toward Mandy, a winged creature crouched. Whatever it was doing, it was the source of the noise Mandy had heard.

Mandy leaned in for a better look. The snap of a twig resonated through the air, punctuating a moment of utter silence.

The menacing creature whirled to glare; a squirming knot of snakes atop its head froze.

"Oh shit!" Mandy scrambled to her feet.

Into the forest she fled. Her instincts urged her to run. Weaving and ducking over logs and under branches, she traversed the uneven terrain, using the trees as cover.

Mandy stopped with a lurch, her foot wedged deep between two fallen logs, practically ripping her leg off. The bark painfully scraped her calf. Frantically, she struggled to free herself. Loud screeches pierced the air, like birds of prey, closing in.

"Damn it!" she cursed under her breath. Yanking and twisting, it finally broke free. She clambered to get up.

The downdraft from the thunderous flap of giant wings forced her to her hands and knees. She turned to look; she wasn't alone.

The creature hissed.

Her blood ran cold.

Like a sprinter out of the starting blocks, Mandy bolted, running directly into the grasp of a second creature. Pack hunters.

She screamed, wheeling around to escape. Strong leathery hands gripped her from behind; icy talons pierced her arms, pinning them to her sides.

"Let me go!"

The creature tightened its hold and hissed. A powerful jolt skyward accompanied the flap of gigantic wings. They were airborne, soaring above the trees. She ceased struggling. Her mind raced. What the hell IS that?

They alit on the ground back at the clearing, the second creature landing in front. Its intense yellow eyes glowed brightly; its consuming gaze bored into her.

Mandy studied the astonishing creature: an eclectic mix of humanoid, reptile, bird and bat. Iridescent scales covered much of its torso and neck. From its wide, bony shoulders sprung muscular arms with pebbled skin, like bird feet, leading to powerful claw-like fingers with sharp talons — ideal for grasping and holding prey. Large leathery wings with hooked barbs furled at its back. It loomed over her on lean, sinewy legs with knees that bent backward like an ostrich. Its narrow, humanoid face was taut with marbled white, paper-thin skin showing tracks of blue veins. In place of hair, a hive of writhing black snakes crowned its skull. At first glance, it was terrifying, yet somehow compelling.

The creature looked beyond Mandy to the one holding her. A hissing sound escaped its throat. "What is it, sister? Why does it not turn to stone?"

"I do not know what it is, Stheno," hissed the other. "Perhaps it is a spy, sent to discover our lair."