IN FULL COLOUR - Dark Fantasy

Axel

Each man was assigned to one of Coyne’s nether fae. Some went with the Host Crawlers, hoping that it might ensure a better survival rate, but I couldn’t stand the idea of being trapped inside your body while another took complete control of it and did whatever he or she pleased. Whether they were under Coyne’s command or not, I didn’t trust them. Not after what had happened to Lily.

In the end, it was only Locke, Jarryd and I who chose to go with the Dash Spectres.

One by one the warriors gave over control. I watched them with discomfort as they did. Memories and unprocessed feelings came barrelling back into me. I tried to push it back, swallow it down but I kept envisioning my sister, alone and afraid in the forest with the whispering in her ears. The persuading and luring until she finally gave in and opened her mind to a corrupted, filthy creature of darkness.

Mia and Gunnar had told me about the pale white foggy eyes and emotionless face. Imagining it versus seeing the real thing in front of me as my warriors let go was deeply unsettling. Even though my sister’s blind eyes were lighter, duller than what they used to be, they were never white. Not like those orbs looking back at me right now.

My stomach turned and tried as I might, I couldn’t keep it in anymore. Vomit exploded, splattering against the rocky walls of the dim-lit passage and I doubled over, shuffling my feet back to avoid getting it dirty.

I glanced over my shoulder. Most of my warriors were already influenced, which meant they wouldn’t register what was happening around them and wouldn’t be able to remember a thing. The Host Crawlers stood in their bodies, watching me with those pale white eyes.

The sight of it didn’t help and I spewed again.

Time was running out and I needed to gain control of my emotions. Fast.

Jarryd stepped up to me, lingering, but it was Coyne who said, “are you sure you don’t want an escort?” I looked up, finding the king leaning against the wall with a lazy grin on his face.

An escort, he had called his parasitic, host-seeking entities. I shook my head.

“No thanks.”

“Are you sure? It would help to put those pesky emotions on ice for a bit,” he said, vaguely gesturing to the mess around my feet.

I glared and the bastard winked in return.

He pushed off the wall, “right then, let’s go.”

Coyne took the lead in front, Host Crawlers in tow. Locke, Jarryd and I followed at the back.

With the enhanced abilities of the wolves, combined with those of the crawlers, our men would be able to sniff out any trap a mile away. Enemies would be taken down in half the time it usually took, and human error will be much less of a worry. The crawlers followed Coyne’s command down to the letter and did not leave much room for reasoning.

Jarryd patted me on the shoulder as I straightened, and we were off. No time to fall apart, no time to feel, no time to think.

We needed to act. Hit back and hit them hard before anyone else died. Before my mate died.

With that last thought in mind, my feet accelerated into a sprint, one which Jarryd and Locke mimicked.

~

When we finally exited the cave, two large Aqrabuamelu beasts lay next to the entrance in pieces. The Host Crawlers had dealt with them with such ease, not a sound had emanated from them before their bodies hit the ground.

Behind the stench of the repulsive black blood, my mate’s sweet scent lingered and for a moment I wondered whether she was close by.

I followed the smell but when we reached the outskirts of the village, it wasn’t difficult to see why her scent remained so strong. Edged into the dirt and veld, lay a trail of broken, flattened grass and uncovered rocks, indicating that something had been dragged across the ground there.

Anger boiled within my veins. They had dragged my precious mate like an animal behind them.

Canines gleamed and my body shook with restraint. They would pay. All of them.

Jarryd crouched, examining the traces left on the ground. His face was hard, his jaw clenched. He gazed up at me. “Let’s go get your girl back.”

I nodded, flaring my nostrils and following Gabrielle’s scent into the thick cover of the forest. The Dash Spectre stayed close, encasing me with its blackness, masking my scent and making me slightly less visible. Coyne and the others trailed behind us, although I had no doubt his shadows were all around us and deep in the belly of the forest already.

Gabrielle

“No! Please! I gave you what you wanted!” I gripped Heir’s hand in between both of mine, pressing his knuckles into my face, into the wetness of my tears.

He stood up, looking down at me, “and I am very grateful for it.”

His hand slid out of mine as he stepped away, “you can have her now,” he said to someone hidden from view. Heir strolled out of the clearing studying a ring on his finger with a bright red ruby on it. From behind a cluster of trees, Nero came trotting out, looking happy and carefree as usual. His tongue was hanging out the one side of his mouth and his thick fur bounced as he jumped over a fallen log making his way towards me.

My heart leapt at the sight. My wolf, my dear pet and best friend. I flung my arms around his neck, pulling him into my chest. A stinging sensation pierced into my back and the fresh smell of blood tainted the air. Warmth dribbled down my lower back, having ripped one of the larger cuts wide open again. Hissing in pain, I buried my face in his grey fur.

Footsteps thudded. I looked up into a familiar face.

“Why?” I sobbed as new tears flowed.

“Come on, I’ll explain everything on the way,” John said as he stepped closer and held his hand out to pull me up.