The Year of the Tiger (Book 3 of The Almair Series) (Completed)

Chapter 49

I didn't find anything useful that would help me in the journal, but something that confused me with one part of the journal was the last line, which was in some code. I had no idea what it said or how to figure out its meaning, so I hoped that I could find Hermes and see if he would be able to help me.

That wasn't the only reason why I wanted to find Hermes again. I needed answers that only he could provide and a favor, which should give a male some freedom for a little while.

So, I went back to the spot where I had found Hermes the first time, not knowing if I would be able to find him again. I prayed that I would be able to quickly because I still needed to train as a Tiger and get the last bit done before whatever war I had to face.

The air around me grew silent, and I had a feeling that I was in the spot that I had been in before, so I stopped. I took in a deep breath and clutched my backpack strap tighter, nervous before I took a step forward.

Nothing. Nothing happened when I took that last step forward, and I pursed my lips in disgust. Why didn't anything happen? I was at the spot that I had found Hermes at first.

"Hermes?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. I took another step forward and looked to the left and right, trying to find some sign of the male that I needed. "I need to talk to you. I need your help."

Silence greeted me when I again stopped and looked around. There was no movement, and I was alone. There was nothing out there except for the feeling of magic and the strong sense of something different and unusual.

I huffed and moved a hand across my face, dread settling in the pit of my stomach. "Gods, I don't have time for this," I muttered and shook my head. Still, I walked forward, but I had a feeling that I wouldn't find anything.

The hair on my arms stood up, and again, I stopped and looked around. Someone was watching me, I could feel them, but I had no idea where. Someone was here with me, hidden by something that I couldn't see.

"Hello?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. My whole grew tense, and my heart pounded in my chest. Warning bells went off in my head, and the urge to leave was strong. Quickly, I turned in the direction that I had come from and started to walk that way, trying to make sure that the thing didn't know I had caught on.

Unfortunately, the thing caught onto what I was doing and followed me. "Turn around," a weird sounding voice hissed, not sounding human at all. "Find him. Bring us to him."

I gritted my teeth and pushed forward the direction that I wanted to go in. I had this urge to turn around and follow whatever this voice wanted me to do, but I didn't. I couldn't because if I did, then I had a feeling that they would kill him, whoever they were.

The thing chuckled, and it sent a shiver down my spine because it was dark and scary. "Don't think you can fight us, Young One," it said, tauntingly. "Go, follow the path that you wanted to take before you felt us. Take us to him."

I shook my head and closed my eyes. I had a hard time fighting off the voice, but I did, even though it was painful. "Never," I said, weakly, and grabbed my backpack straps. I gripped them tightly and trudged forward, each step away from the way I had wanted to go getting harder and harder.

Again, the thing chuckled. "You can't win for long. It will get too painful for you, and you will start walking in that direction. Why are you even fighting it? Go with the darkness. Let us kill him, and we will reward you."

I opened my eyes and set my jaw, and I kept going in the direction that I was headed, almost close to the edges of the woods. Tears blurred my vision, and my whole body was in pain, but I kept going. I had to keep going. I had to protect Hermes.

The thing tsked, and I had a feeling it shook its head at me. "Loyalty will get you killed, Little One. You are weak and spineless. Turn. Around. Now."

I didn't turn around, but I stopped walking because it had gotten too hard to keep moving forward. My whole body shook from the strain that I was under, and I had no idea how I had been able to hold off as long as I had. I had never felt anything like this before.

I couldn't think, couldn't breathe. My whole body wanted to listen to this voice and turn around to find Hermes, but I didn't. I couldn't let him die, and I had a feeling that would happen if it found him.

His fate rested in my hands, and he didn't even know it. He didn't know how much of a struggle it was for me to keep facing in the opposite direction with whatever it was around me, trying to get me to go that way.

"You can't win," the creature sneered. "I do not know why you are trying." The creature brushed up against me, and the hair on my arms stood at attention. "You are weak."

Gritting my teeth, I took another step forward. My foot felt like it was lead, and the air seemed to some wall blocking me from my path. "I am not weak," I hissed. "I will not let you kill him."

"Then maybe it is you that should die," the creature hissed. The creature grabbed me by the throat and lifted me off of the ground, squeezing me.

My heart pounded in my chest, and I tried to claw my way free. I had no idea if I could reach for my stone, but I didn't try. I didn't think it would work against this... creature.

Fear settled on me like a heavy blanket in the middle of summer, suffocating and finding no relief in whichever way I turned. Nothing I did seemed to dislodge it, and I knew that there was no hope, not unless Hermes appeared out of nowhere.

After a few minutes, the thing dropped me and screamed as whatever happened happened. Its scream resonated through me and sounded half like nails on a chalkboard and someone not knowing how to play the violin right.

As soon as it was safe to do so, I turned around and screamed.