Gerald looked from the giant to the dog to the tiranthropes, utterly bewildered. Not half an hour ago, he hadn’t been sure whether he believed any of the stories, and not five minutes ago he had been sure that he was about to die. His mind struggled to process what was happening and what, if anything, he and his friends should do. It certainly didn’t seem smart to remain between the giant and the tiranthropes.
The next development in the odd standoff served only to further baffle Gerald. There was a flash of light, and two teenagers appeared, seemingly out of thin air, on the right side of the monument: an elfish boy and a beautiful girl with long red hair.
“Seems you got the odds a bit wrong,” Brennan said as he stepped through Gerald, Brian, and Mike, pushing them behind him.
Slowly the three young men began to back down the steps. Although a part of Gerald wanted to see what would happen next, it was not a large enough part to overrule his desire to escape.
“We won’t let them leave,” the white tiranthrope growled. “That is our prey.”
“You don’t have a choice,” Brennan responded, standing like a stone sentry between the young men and the tiranthropes.
The white tiranthrope’s eyes blazed with anger, and he charged Brennan, his fellow beasts close at his heels.
Gerald watched in horror, his head craned over his shoulder even as he turned to run. There was a blinding flash of light, and the world went white. Gerald tumbled down the last few steps, reaching out for Brian and Mike, who’d been knocked over as he fell. There was snarling, and then a thwack as a body hit the marble above. Gerald tried to blink away the blindness, but his eyes were agonizingly slow to readjust. Then he heard footsteps coming down the stairs toward him.
“Get back, get back!” Gerald screamed, lashing blindly out at the air. His inability to see made his fear so overpowering that tears began to flow down his face, and his body shook.
“It’s okay,” said a feminine voice. “You’re safe now.”
It was the sweetest voice he had ever heard.
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Brandon Charles West
is the author of the Scarlet Hopewell series of books for young adults. When not writing, he works as a firefighter and paramedic in the state of Virginia, where he lives with his wife and daughters.
Thank you for reading Scarlet and the Keepers of Light. Why not write a review on Amazon or Goodreads? I’d love to hear your thoughts about Scarlet and her adventures. You can also get involved by commenting on my blog or Facebook or by following me on Twitter.
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