Jordan draws her legs in, too. “I get it. If I were in your shoes, I’d probably think you’re crazy, too.” She cracks a smile.
“Morty really cares about you?” It’s a question that, as a friend, I have to ask.
“Yes.” Jordan sighs, and her smile turns sweet. “He says he loves me.”
Love?
“Wow.” I lay my head on my knees as I turn to look at her. “You know Fae can’t lie, right?”
Her smile grows. “I know.”
I smile back, genuinely glad for my friend’s obvious happiness. “And you? Do you love him?”
“It’s too soon to tell,” she says. Though, her bright smile and gleaming eyes says otherwise. “Morty is the perfect gentleman. He doesn’t rush me to return the “L” word. He says the reason he already knows is because he has more experience with these things. He says he’s never felt this way about anyone before.” Jordan’s cheeks color prettily, and I feel my own heart swoon a little when I hear Morty’s confession. There’s no way Morty could misconstrue or deceive Jordan with those words. He obviously means them.
I reach out and grab Jordan’s hand. “I’m happy for you.”
She squeezes my fingers. “Thanks.”
“Of course. Now, all we have to do is get through this contest.”
“We’ll do it together,” Jordan vows. “The entire way. Neither of us will be alone for one moment. Deal?”
I tighten my grip and promise, “Deal.”
21
No matter how long we walk through the Dark Forest, the grim scenery does not get better. If anything, the foul, black mud gets even more black and more foul. The stench is nauseating. Jordan and I have started to hold our cloaks over our nose and mouth to diminish the strength of the aroma.
It’s been two days, and the temperature has dropped significantly from when we first stepped into the ominous woods. Not a single ray of sunlight has shined through the naked trees to help negate the cold wind. The sky is a perpetual mass of angry, dark gray clouds, ready to pour down on us at a moment’s notice.
At first, I’d been thankful for the supplies Queen Aria had given us before we started the contest. Now, I realize we wouldn’t have survived more than a night or two without it. What fun would there be in her little competition if every contestant perished after barely starting?
My left boot sticks in a mound of disgusting mud. I yank it free with a loud squishy sound and groan when I feel some of the gunk slide down the space between the boot and my ankle.
“You okay?” Jordan misunderstands the reason for my groan.
“I’m fine.” I lengthen my stride until I’m back at her side. We continue traversing around the gnarled trees, doing our best to ignore the periodic sounds of animals howling or growling in the distance.
“How much longer do you think until we’re out of the forest?” Another handy item in our pack had been a map of the forest and mountains. I hadn’t found it during my first examination of the pack of supplies. It’d been tucked into the front pocket, folded in half where the edge of the paper had barely been visible. I’m not one for directions, but Jordan seems confident enough to read and follow it. She’s relying on the fact that the sun rises and sets in the same cardinal directions as it does on Earth. If so, the Dark Mountains lie to the west. Which is where we’ve been walking for a little less than forty-eight hours, aside from when we sleep, of course.
“If our average pace is three miles per hour, we should reach the base of the mountain by sundown.”
“Really?” I perk up. My feet ache, and I’m in desperate need of a shower, but knowing we’re that close gives me the energy I need to keep going.
Not that a shower or a foot massage await me at the base of the mountain, but Jordan and I had agreed to take a break once we reached the end of the forest. We will spend one day resting before we begin to climb the mountain. My hope is I will find a stream or some other water source to clean the grime off my body, and that spending some time out of these heavy boots will do wonders for my sore extremities.
A sharp scream pierces the muggy air.
Jordan and I freeze, our bodies tensing as we try to identify the source of the unnerving sound.
Another scream reaches us, followed by a chorus of terrified shouts and cries for help.
Jordan and I both whip our heads around before meeting one another’s unnerved eyes.
There’s another scream. I know the sounds come from another contestant. Maybe even two. I can’t imagine what horrors they’re experiencing which would cause them to cry out.
Swallowing thickly, I brace myself for what I’m about to say, “We should help.”
I’ll never forgive myself if we don’t at least try to see what’s happening to the other young women.
Jordan bites her lip, obviously torn. “But would they do the same for us?”
“I don’t know,” I admit. “But does it really matter?”
The screeches continue. The hair on my arms stand on end. I scan our surroundings as I wait for Jordan’s answer. We’re alone. For now.
Jordan groans, swinging her pack off her shoulders. “Fine,” she barks, retrieving her steel knife before swinging the bag back on. I quickly follow her lead and retrieve my own weapon. “But if they’re beyond help, we walk away. Understood?”
“Agreed,” I nod. Though, I hope that’s not the case.
We take off in the direction of the terrifying noises. Jordan leads. I’m careful to step where she’s stepped. Snapping twigs will announce our arrival prematurely. We need the chance to assess the situation before revealing ourselves.
Jordan and I reach a cleared section of the woods. We duck behind a scraggly bramble of bushes. A stream runs through the bleak ground. Two redheaded figures are lying still on the ground, another stands on the other side of the stream, waving her knife with trembling fingers. Two skeleton-like forms hover over the sole survivor, leaning forward, swiping out at her with sharp talons, making guttural noises.
I take in the unnatural forms. Their bones are too long for a human, or even a Fae. Remnants of decayed flesh hangs off their disfigured bodies. These monsters are straight out of a nightmare. Blood drips from their jaws, and I almost gag when I look back at the fallen girls and see chunks bitten out of their flesh.
One look at Jordan reveals she’s seen the mauled bodies. The color has drained from her face.
“HELP!” The standing contestant screams, slicing the air with her meager weapon. Her heel slides, and she almost falls onto her back. I slap my hand across my mouth to muffle my gasp.
The girl manages to keep her footing and continues to try and keep the monsters at bay. “Someone, HELP!”
I bite my lip and look back down at the blade in my hand, trying to figure out how I can possibly help the girl. Amanda, I think is her name. I’d seen her many times, but never spoke to her. She’d seemed nice enough. She didn’t associate with Trish or her crew of mean girls. She mostly kept to herself.
I hate seeing her in danger.
Maybe if I could throw, I’d be able to attack the monsters from a safe distance. But I’m as good at throwing as I am at any combat skill: mediocre. The risk of exposing our location to the monsters outweighs the hope I might be lucky enough to do some damage.
Ashamed of my ineptitude, I lean back on my heels. I don’t think I can help Amanda, and the admission brings angry, frustrated tears to my eye.
Jordan’s figure blurs, and she snatches the blade from my fingers. Before I can blink, she stands from our hiding spot and charges at the monsters. With deadly accuracy, she throws my knife. The steel blade embeds itself in the base of the creature’s skull. It releases an anguished cry before it falls to the ground in a limp heap.
The second monster whirls around. Jagged teeth are revealed as the monster roars. It’s infuriated by the death of its companion. It stalks away from the stream, focused solely on my friend.
Jordan remains calm. She waits until the mon
ster is set on its course towards her before shouting, “Now, Amanda!”
I watch as Amanda rears back and throws her own knife at the back of monster’s head. Unlike Jordan, she misses her mark. The knife lodges into the monster’s shoulder blade. Not a deadly strike, but a distracting one.
Jordan takes the opportunity to sprint forward, closing the distance between her and the monster. She ducks and dodges the monster’s haphazard swipe of its talons, then draws her blade against the corded lines in the monster’s neck.
Black blood oozes from the wound. The monster falls to its knees. Jordan just barely avoids jumping out of the way when it tries, once again, to slice her with his claws. The monster falls onto its back, and the last remnants of strength seep out of its muscles.
Blood gurgles from the monster’s mouth and severed throat. I hadn’t realized I’d leapt to my feet until I find myself standing beside Jordan, watching the life drain out of the monster. Its eyes are an eerie gray, reminiscent of everything we’ve seen in the forest. They are staring at Jordan, but I can read no emotion.
Then, its attention shifts to me, and I swear I see a flash of something fill its gaze. I can’t be sure, but it’s like the monster stares at me with familiarity, but also fear. Before I have the chance to further examine the emotion, the monster breathes its last breath and I’m left wondering what the heck just happened.
22
Damp hair tickles my neck. I pull out my hair string and re-gather the mass into a fresh bun, taking care to secure it tightly. Loose hair annoys me on a good day, but after the gory scene I just witnessed, stress makes me ready to lose it from the slightest provocation.
After Jordan finished killing the monster, she, Amanda, and I walked upstream and bathed without uttering a word. I only needed to clean off the dirt obtained from stumbling through the forest for days. Jordan and Amanda had to wash off the blood of the monsters, too.
The shock of the ordeal took its time to wear off, but when it did, I found myself disappointed with how unhelpful I’d been during the attack. I’d been too nervous to do anything while Jordan bravely charged out to help our fellow contestant. I’d been the one who wanted to help in the first place, but when push came to shove, I’d been weak. Scared.
I’m more than angry with myself…
I’m disappointed.
Amanda has joined our duo on our path to the Cursed Mountains. Neither of us had asked, but she explained how she and her two friends had come upon the monsters when they were refilling their canteens with water from the stream. The monsters had appeared out of the forest with no warning, making no sound during their approach. Lauren and Jessica had been on the side of the stream closest to them. Amanda had already crossed to the other side. She watched her friends slaughter in silent horror, only screaming once she saw one of the monsters bite Lauren’s shoulder.
I can’t imagine what that had been like, and I can’t imagine how Amanda is feeling. She’s keeping pace with me and Jordan, staying less than three steps behind us at all times, but when I look back to check on her, her expression is blank. Her legs are moving, but her eyes look lifeless.
I swallow and turn back around, focusing on the growing sight of gray stone up ahead. I can only hope she has enough strength to make it to the end of the contest.
“She’ll be fine,” Jordan murmurs.
I shift my eyes towards her. “How can you say that?” If I’d watched two of my friends be murdered by cannibalistic monsters, I’d be hysterical, but at least I’d consider that reaction normal. Amanda’s aloof behavior is unnerving.
“She’s compartmentalizing her grief,” Jordan tells me. “just like I would if I were in her shoes. This contest isn’t over, and Amanda is going to need her wits if she wants to get out of here alive.”
Jordan’s right. I know, she’s right. But that doesn’t make it any easier to accept.
“Would you be so calm if I died in front of you?” I ask, partly out of frustration and partly out of genuine curiosity. I consider Jordan a friend, but the truth is, I don’t really know that much about her. She’s tough. Smart. Loyal.
We’ve promised to stick out this contest together, and I would be devastated if something happened to her. But would she feel the same?
“I’d be calm because I need to be calm to survive.” Jordan pauses, reaching out and squeezing my arm. Her eyes meet mine with truth. “But don’t mistake calm for lack of feeling. People grieve in different ways.” Jordan releases my arm and continues walking.
I sigh and follow. Jordan must’ve had a hell of a life in the human world to make her so detached from death.
Amanda steps haven’t faltered despite our brief pause. She continues to follow us in silence.
“How are you feeling about the whole thing?” Jordan asks out of the blue. I’d been staring at the bleak sky, counting my footsteps to help distract me from how sore my legs are.
“I’m okay,” I answer truthfully. “A little shaken, but okay.”
“Good.” Jordan sidesteps a large clump of mud in her path. “Glad to know you aren’t a total weakling.”
I hear the teasing note in her voice and find myself copying her earlier behavior by giving her a playful shove. “You’re so rude.”
“Maybe.” Jordan shrugs. “But this rude girl plans to finish this contest in one piece, and she’s taking you with her.”
Smiling, and feeling lucky for the one-hundredth time I have Jordan as an ally, I face forward again, eager to reach our destination and take advantage of some much-needed rest.
The next hour passes at a begrudgingly slow pace. I can scarcely believe it when we reach the base of the mountain. Part of me expects it to be some cruel illusion, designed to trick me into a false sense of security before a pack of monsters breaks through the tree line and dismembers me with sharp, rabid teeth.
It isn’t until I am sitting on a large boulder, just prior to the mountain incline, that I truly think we’ve made it. We’ve reached the Cursed Mountains. We’re halfway done with the contest, and aside from the gruesome scene where we found Amanda, the journey has been relatively uneventful.
I tell myself not to jinx our good fortune. I look around for a piece of wood. Theirs a portion of dead tree bark, but it’s out of arm’s reach. I opt to lift my hand and superstitiously rap my knuckles against my forehead.
“What are you doing?” Those are the first words I’ve heard from Amanda since she told us the story of what happened to her and her friends. I’m startled by the sound, and its close proximity.
Looking over my shoulder, I see Amanda standing just behind me. Her focus rests on my forehead. Her eyes are narrowed.
Then, they widen with understanding. “Are you a virgin?”
I almost choke on my saliva. “W-what?”
“You knocked on your head. You know the saying, ‘knock on a virgin’s head’. It’s what you do for good luck when there’s no wood around.”
I’m mortified. My cheeks are cherry red. “Uh… yeah. I know the saying.”
Amanda keeps staring at me. “So are you?”
“Am I what?” I ask, even though I know what she’s getting at. Seriously, does trauma make a person lose all sense of discretion?
“Are you a virgin?”
“Why are you asking Sera if she’s a virgin?” Jordan appears from around the corner of a nearby rock. We’d all taken turn relieving ourselves. I wish Jordan would have taken a little longer. This situation is embarrassing enough.
“Because she knocked on her head,” Amanda states like the answer is obvious.
To my complete and total mortification, Jordan nods and says, “Ahhh… gotcha.”
“Seriously?” I tuck my chin close to my chest, trying my best to hide my flaming cheeks. “You’re going to go along with this?”
“Why not?” Jordan plops down on the gravely ground beside me. “I’m bored. So, spill. Is your maidenhood still intact?”
“You did not just call it that.”
Jordan laughs. Hard.
Even Amanda gives a small smirk.
“Yes, I did. Now, spill,” Jordan leans forward, propping her elbows on bent knees. “Are you a virgin? Yes or no?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“Oh, come on, Sera,” Jordan whines. “Give us some entertainment.”
“My sex life is entertainment?”
“Yes.” She doesn’t even pretend to consider the question. “Now, tell us.”
I look between Jordan and Amanda, noting again how the latter seems more engaged than when we first found her.
“Ugh.” I throw my hands in the hair, hating that I’ve become the center of attention for such a personal reason, and that this is what it takes for Amanda to have some life back in her eyes. “Fine. Yes. I’m a virgin.”
I’m thankful neither of the girls’ reactions are more than knowing looks and nods.
“Now it makes sense.”
Both Jordan and I give Amanda a curious look.
“What do you mean?” Jordan asks.
Amanda nods my direction. “Sera. She’s a virgin. I’m pretty sure none of the other contestants are. It makes sense, now, why she’s the Fae’s favorite to win.”
Forget what I said earlier. Now, I’m mortified.
“No one in the Fae Realm knows I’m a virgin,” I try to contradict her assumption. My efforts are in vain.
“No, Amanda’s right,” Jordan tells me, demonstrating, once again, how much more she knows about the beings who abducted us. “Fae can sense if a woman is… intact.”
Ew!
Ew. Ew. Ew.
“You’re joking.” My head snaps from Jordan to Amanda and back again. They’re serious.
“That’s insane!” I leap up and begin to pace, my boots crunching on the weathered stone under my feet. “Talk about a total invasion of privacy!”
“I agree with you,” Jordan clears her throat, “but that doesn’t change the fact it’s true.”
Shadows and Sorcery: A Collection of Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance Novels Page 151
