Poseidon's Academy

Chapter 15. An Unwelcome Visitor

Aleta's body un-tensed. 'It's all right,' she told Hailey. 'A friend is approaching.'

A white horse galloped into the small clearing. Well, Hailey thought it was a horse, but quickly realised half a man was sticking out of where the horse's head should have been, a bow and arrow strapped to his back.

A centaur!

Aleta glided towards him. 'Galdor, what brings you here?'

He opened his mouth to speak, but froze as a breeze whipped towards him. He sniffed the air and stiffened, his eyes shooting in Hailey's direction. 'Humans! Why are you harbouring humans?'

'They're children who lost their way,' Aleta replied. 'I promised to guard them until the sun is reborn.'

Hailey could just make out Galdor's features in the glow of the moon, and he didn't look happy. She braced herself, thinking he might yell at them to get out. But he merely shook his head. His features softened when he turned back to Aleta. 'Your compassion is why you own my heart.' He stroked her cheek.

Gross. Hailey averted her eyes and prayed they weren't about to make out-if nymphs even did that kind of thing.

'Hailey, you're talking in your sleep,' Demi grumbled, rolling over.

The sound of hooves galloping away distracted Hailey from telling Demi it wasn't her. She looked up and saw Galdor was gone, and that Aleta had disappeared back into the trees.

Hailey was considering lying back down and attempting to sleep when her fingertips began tingling. At the same moment, Aleta reappeared in front of her. 'Galdor came to warn me that there is a knoxen heading this way,' she said, voice calm. 'I'll do my best to dissuade it from here should it approach. You must lie down and remain quiet until it leaves.'

Hailey gulped. 'What's a knoxen?'

Aleta's head jerked up, just like it had when Galdor had come, but this time her concerned features didn't relax. 'Remember not to move,' she told Hailey before darting into the clearing's centre.

Lying down was easy. Staying still wasn't.

The tingling in Hailey's fingertips intensified with every beat of her racing heart. Her powers urged her to use them, to be ready for the approaching monster. She fought against her instincts and tried not to move. Aleta knows what she's doing, she assured herself. She probably deals with monsters every night.

She clutched her necklace, the heart pendant's touch easing some of her panic as she stared unblinkingly towards Aleta and waited to find out what a knoxen was.

She saw its eyes first. Great big glowing orbs the colour of a blood moon. Their hunger stiffened her body, but it was nothing compared to the fear that stole her breath when its body came into view.

It was gigantic-double the size of a grizzly bear. Its skin was black and leathery, and its long claws looked as if they could slice through metal. Its teeth were the most terrifying thing of all, being the size of baby elephant tusks, with blood dripping from their points.

Aleta stepped in front of it, speaking in a language Hailey didn't recognise; the knoxen apparently did, though, keeping its bloodthirsty eyes on her.

Hailey didn't dare breathe, afraid the monster might hear. All she could think about was how excruciating it would be to have those teeth rip into her flesh.

Aleta gestured for the monster to leave back the way it had come. Hailey relaxed slightly-very slightly-when it turned to go.

That was the moment Demi chose to sit up. 'Hailey, I said be quiet.'