“Found anything?” I asked Byron Flynn.

He sniffed the air and looked left and right before lifting his gaze to me. “Not at the moment. Nevertheless, I am in no doubt that Master Vincent has been here. His scent is all over the place.”

“You’ve been saying that for the past two hours, Elemental,” Grigori groaned, rolling his eyeballs as he slumped on top of a rock.

When Luci volunteered to be my forest tour guide, we couldn’t stop him from assigning himself as the girl’s unofficial bodyguard. I didn’t complain. The more the merrier. Especially when you’re about to enter a monster infested forest. We could use more muscle and I meant that literally.

Wrinkling his nose, Byron Flynn bared his teeth at Grigori like he used to when he was still a gigantic dog. Old habits die hard, indeed. A moment later, he shook his head and turned his back on us. He appeared rather perplexed at his sudden reaction.

“Finding the master ought to be effortless if only I was still in my previous form.” Byron Flynn’s voice was surprisingly calm. Or at least, he was trying. “This new form requires a bit of getting used to. Now my senses seem too… human. Forgive my lack of skill. I know I am but an Elemental but I do have a name.”

That seemed to have shut Grigori up.

I heaved a sigh, holding onto the tree trunk while standing on my toes. The branch I was standing on creaked. No matter how much I craned my neck, the treetops still blocked my view. All I could see was the sun, slowly disappearing behind the cliffs that protruded like sky scrapers. That was a bad sign.

I would have to climb higher if I wanted to see something. It was no biggie if I still had my immortal powers. Now all I had was girl power and it didn’t include extreme tree-climbing abilities.

Carefully, I climbed down the branch and let myself slide down the trunk. The bark scraped against my palms but I was used to tiny scratches. It was the slow healing I wasn’t used to anymore.

I cursed under my breath, wiping down the blood on my clothes. “He must be here somewhere.”

“We’ve been looking for hours,” Grigori said, taking off his leather boots. “And it’s almost sundown. We can’t keep looking until dark.”

“Why?” I forced a smirk. If I had to dare him so that we could keep looking, I would. “You afraid of the dark, big guy?”

He stopped picking the pebbles from inside his boot, lifting his cold stare at me. “I’m not afraid of the dark. It’s what’s in it that I am afraid of, Little Miss. Remember that while you’re in Halja, you don’t heal quick. To cut the long story short, you can die. Now, if you have a death wish, by all means, keep searching.”

That was unexpected. I totally thought he would take my bait.

Wordlessly, I forged ahead. I carried on, scanning as far as my eyes could reach. Vincent was strong. There was no argument against that. But I was beginning to get scared. And having four heads wasn’t better than one. So far, all we had done was walk aimlessly and sniff and whine about all this being pointless. Honestly, they weren’t helping.

“Aramis,” Luci called, running after me. “Where are you going?”

I didn’t stop. I didn’t even look at her. For some reason, her presence irritated me in a way I couldn’t explain. “I’ll keep on looking. You guys go home if you want to.”

She finally caught up and matched my pace. “But we can’t leave you here. It’s dangerous.” The concern was thick in her voice.

Finally, I halted. I faced her unblinkingly. “Do I look like I care?”

“We all want Vincent to be safe, Aramis. But—“

“Do we all?” I retorted, my voice raising a pitch higher. “And why is that? Why, Luci? Why do you care so much about Vincent? He’s not your master. He’s mine—I mean… uh, my master. So butt out.”

She stepped closer to me, her expression questioning. “I do not know what you are trying to imply, Aramis. I just want to help Vin—“

“Don’t act all innocent on me, Luci. It’s not working.”

“Girls,” Grigori hushed, suddenly appearing between me and Luci. I must’ve looked really mad-crazy because he gently pushed her away from me as if I was going to bite any minute. “Let’s all come up for air. Don’t fight, alright? We’re all friends here.”

There was hurt in Luci’s eyes as she shook her blond head. “I’m sorry, Aramis.” Her voice was small and honest like she wanted me to hate myself for being such a horrible person. I felt like a bully. And it was working. “I just… want to help.”

“Well, don’t!” I must’ve really lost it. “You’re not helping.”

“Aramis?” Byron Flynn called, staring intently at the ground like all the answers to the world’s mysteries were written there.

Ignoring him, I twisted on my heels and trudged forward. It felt weird in my chest. Like I couldn’t breathe. There was this sick feeling in my stomach. I couldn’t think straight. I had always been weird. That fact, I had accepted since I was eight. But today, I just reached a whole new level of weird.

“Where are you, Vincent?” I mumbled nervously.

“Aramis!” Byron Flynn called again, not moving an inch from his spot. “Everyone! Do not make a sound.”

“What is it?” Luci was all over him before I could pause to look.

“Hush,” he raised a hand to silence us. Closing his eyes, he tilted his nose upward and sniffed the air. “Do you hear that?”

With a nonchalant shrug, Grigori tried to listen too. “I don’t hear anything. I hereby declare this fox-human a lunatic.”

“Shut up, Grigori!” Luci and I chorused. I guessed we wouldn’t have to argue on that.

After nearly a minute of deep concentration, Byron Flynn opened his eyes, looking terrified. After all that suspense, all he could mumble was “Run.”

“What—“ I heard the answer before I could spew the question out—the rhythmic rumble of earth under my feet.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

It was approaching and fast. Next thing I knew, the soaring redwoods ahead crashed down one after the other toward us like dominoes. And that was when I saw someone running to our direction. It was getting dark. It was even harder to see his face but I would know that dark hair and those gleaming pale eyes anywhere.

“Vincent!” I screamed at him, leaning forward to see the thing behind him.

It wasn’t really a thing. More of a creature, really. About twenty feet tall with a wing span twice its height, it looked like some sort of gigantic crane with scarlet feathers and scaly gray talons. The white glittering feathers on top of its head were ruffled like a Mohawk.

Wait. On both sides of the bird’s neck, two more necks sprouted. So, make that three heads. If my eyes could widen more, my eyeballs would’ve popped out of their sockets.

I was too caught up in the moment to move. My feet felt like they were cemented to the ground.

Not a second passed and Vincent was already upon me. As he sprinted by, he anchored his arm around my waist and pulled me to his side. I just found myself being dragged backward in a run for our lives. Finally, I recovered from the shock and pivoted, breaking into a mad dash side by side with him.

“What on earth was that?” I shouted as we desperately snaked in between the trees.

The alternate swoosh and creak of falling lumber followed us closely. As if that wasn’t terrifying enough, the bird opened one of its mouths and shrieked. A stream of fire spurted from its throat, burning everything on its path.

“Don’t know. Don’t care. Just run!” he panted, snatching my wrist.

One of the creature’s heads pecked on the ground a couple of feet away from Vincent’s foot, its beak digging deep into the soil. The bird stopped to pull its head out, slowing down for a few seconds. With a deafening screech, it finally freed itself, momentarily shaking the dirt off its mouth before chasing us again.

Further ahead, Byron Flynn, Luci and Grigori went out of the bird’s way. They hid behind the boulders strewn along the mountain side which was a good move since the bird was too focused on catching Vincent and me.

And since it looked like they had no plan to help us, I yanked my hand from Vincent. “Let’s split up!”

“No way!” he yelled back.

There was another explosion of dirt and gravel behind. But I didn’t stop to look. Vincent covered his head with an arm and mine with the other. Looking up, I saw the bird’s heads loom over us. I only had a fraction of a second to push Vincent and roll away before it slammed its beak on us.

More dirt rained everywhere.

Still a little lightheaded, I pushed myself up and ran to another direction. I made a good fifty yard-gap before I noticed that the bird-creature wasn’t following. It was still cawing, its massive talons raking against the ground as its necks writhed and bumped against each other like agitated snakes.

Vincent was on his belly, unable to skirt around the thrashing bird. He managed to get to a cluster of jagged rocks by the hillside. Not much cover but it prevented the bird from pecking him. As it stomped angrily at the hindering rocks, Vincent jumped out of its way, barely avoiding being squished.

Luci peeked out from her hiding spot waving at me. She was gesturing something.

There, she mouthed, pointing to my right.

Frowning, I tried to find what she wanted me to see. There was nothing there but trees and more trees. I turned back to her, shaking my head. I don’t see anything.

Waving furiously, she tried to tell me something I didn’t get. Frustration took over her features. She finally got out of her hiding place and screamed, “To the sea! Naberius is afraid of water!”

“You should’ve said that earlier!” I groaned.

Naberius. Nice name. Very bad bird.

Taking a deep breath, I put my thumb and index finger inside my mouth and whistled. The bird’s middle head rotated to face me. It coughed as if choking in its own flaming spit.

“Hey!” I shouted at the top of my lungs, picking up a stone a hurling it to the beast’s back. The left head croaked. “Bird-brain!”

The creature turned around slowly to face me. Now, I got Naberius’ attention—all of his heads’ that is.

I started rushing away from him before I could hear the thumping of feet on the ground. My calves already burned, my lungs aching with the effort. For what seemed like a long while, I couldn’t see anything. All I knew was the approaching sound of the giant bird behind me. And burning things. A lot of them.

Angrily, he flapped his wings. The strong gust he created thrust me forward, making me lose my footing. I opened my eyes with my face pressed on the ground. Just a few feet from my reach was a path that went down. I could smell salt in the air. The sea.

Bingo!

Before the creature could pick me up in its beak like a worm, I got on all fours and jumped downhill. At first, I hit the ground running. It was a little too late when I realized it was too steep. I lost my balance and fell flat on my back before sliding down the slope.

About five agonizing seconds later, I hit the protruding root of a tree. The side of my head bounced on something hard before the break in the momentum catapulted me high in the air. For a second there, I was flying.

I fell screaming, barely able to stay awake as I groped for the thin branches hanging over me. Luckily, I caught on one. The branch bent over, threatening to snap with my weight. When it did, I tumbled a few more yards before hitting the leveled ground.

There were yellow patches in my eyes. My left shoulder and hip felt sore. Gingerly, I tried to move, deciding that no bones were broken—believe me, I would know since I had been there not just once—before I struggled to get to my knees.

It took a few tries, but the angry screeching of Naberius right above my head was just enough motivation.

Grunting loud, I forced myself up with my good shoulder and leaned on a nearby tree. Naberius didn’t give me time to breathe.  He slid after me, his widespread wings getting wedged on the trees strewn all the way down the hill. Indignantly, he went on squawking, his feet flailing on the dirt as he tried to get himself loose.

I limped, virtually throwing myself from one three to another once I spotted the beach. It wasn’t fast enough. At this rate, I would reach the shore by midnight. If I hadn’t ended up being birdfeed, that is.

Subsequently, Naberius has finally managed to get himself free by uprooting the trees restraining him. I quickened my pace, clenching my teeth as every step sent a shot of pain around my hip. Dying wasn’t in my to-do list.

In spite of that, I could do nothing but close my eyes as I saw the bird’s shadow casting down from behind me.

“Move!” Byron Flynn suddenly appeared next to me.

Faster than my brain could process, he half-dragged, half-carried me away from Naberius. More trees fell behind us as the bird flailed his head low enough to be able to snatch us with his beaks.

We finally reached the beach, our sandals digging into the shiny black sand. It slowed not only us but also our pursuer. Just when I thought we would never get there, the gentle wave touched my toes.

All of a sudden Naberius halted. Furiously, he clawed on the sand, retreating a few steps back as the waves raced to the spot where he stood. Something told me Naberius wasn’t very much fond of baths. With a screech, he flapped his wings, creating a small whirlwind of sand. Even so, he couldn’t reach us.

Byron Flynn didn’t stop until we were knee-deep. The waves crashed against us, making it even more difficult to stay upright. The tide was getting higher. It leisurely began swallowing a good part of the beach.

Naberius backed away while the water reached further and further up. A few minutes later, he scratched the sand and turned around, leaving us with a low squawk. He trudged heavily back into the forest, his three heads soon disappearing beneath the redwood.

Only then was I able to breathe. I almost collapsed face-down on the water if it wasn’t for Byron Flynn.

“T-thanks,” I choked out.

He gave me one humble smile. “My reflexes may not be as excellent as they were previously since I am now human—partially. It appears nevertheless that I am faster than most.”

I would never get use to Byron Flynn talking that way. On second thoughts, I would never get use to him talking, period. He was saying something else. But I could hardly concentrate with the pain and exhaustion. I felt cold. My whole body was shivering. If that wasn’t bad enough, I started wheezing. I could breathe in but I couldn’t breathe out. My lids were drooping on their own and even if I tried to keep them open, the strange yellow patches just obscured my view.

Luci and Grigori were rushing to us. They were arguing. I just couldn’t remember what it was about.

“Hurry!” the girl urged. “Naberius might come back!”

“I know! Stop yelling at me!” It was Vincent’s voice, sounding strangely worried.

Everything else became a haze to me. The trek back to town. Whoever carried me on their back. Feet hurrying against floorboards. The bustle of urgency.

“You need to rest,” said a voice. I could hardly make out Belial’s face as she pushed me down, flat on my back. “Get the herbs!” she barked.

All I could remember was the faintest scent of licorice and sundried clothes. A hand holding mine. The sound of someone breathing. A warm shoulder. And dark hair touching my cheek.

I just wanted to lie down like this and get lost in a dreamless sleep. But I did dream and there, I was calling his name.

“Vincent.”

My hands shot up in front of me, fumbling around for something to hold onto. It was dark and I was alone. I didn’t know where to go or what to do. All I knew was that I had to find him.

“Sshh… It’s alright,” said a voice so gentle it could’ve belonged to an angel. “I’m here. I won’t leave you ever again. That’s a promise.”

Reassuringly, an arm draped on my waist just over my blanket. I wasn’t cold anymore. I didn’t have the energy to open my eyes or felt the need to. For the first time in many months, I felt like there was no need to run. That I was safe. For once, I could finally let go of everything that burdened me.

Gentle fingers brushed against my cheek, pushing aside my hair. And with that, I drifted far, far away.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Okay, let's see how this chapter will do in the charts. I'll base on that when I'll be updating. Comments and promotions will be highly appreciated. Reapers 1 is still in the process of editing. looking for publishers at the moment. keeping my fingers crossed.          all that and whatevs, ~shim