Page 16
Story: A Soul to Protect
“Don’t fight, human. It will only make the end more frightening,” it stated, its voice feminine and soft. Then the she-Demon reached out, beckoning Linh closer. “Come, and I will make it quick.”
She didn’t know they could talk, but she found that worse. Would it start threatening her, telling her she was tasty and about all the horrible ways it would start eating her? She’drather not have something talk perversely to her like she was a succulent meal, sucking on its fingers or smacking its lips for more.
“I’m warning you,” Linh pleaded, because she was too scared to actually have any bite to her tone.
She eyed the water once more, wishing she’d see a glow of colour or the peek of a skull. She saw neither, and knew without a doubt she’d been abandoned.
Tears welled in her eyes.I’d rather drown than be eaten.Both sounded horrible, but those were her choices.
M-maybe he wasn’t helping me. Maybe he was just hungry and ate the bandits because they were there.So why did he leave her alive then?
She’d put her faith in a monster because she had no other choice. Linh had weighed her options, and death awaited her no matter which path she took. She’d run from Bragg with a fantasy that she could go around the mountain if need be, but that was just as suicidal as trusting the Duskwalker who had inexplicably saved her. Linh was truly desperate.
She wanted to live.
“Please,” she begged when the Demon stepped a hand closer. Every second longer that she remained alone, the more frightened she became.
“Come away from the water, and I can give you the mercy of a quick death,” the Demon said, her voice still quiet and unthreatening despite her words. “If you hurt me, I will make it long. Nothing will change your fate, human.”
Oh shit,she thought, just as it bolted towards her. Linh closed her eyes, screamed, and waited for the worst.
That was, until a large splash of water sounded right behind her. Her skin crawled with dread, and she shivered from it. When cold droplets fell on top of her, she opened her eyes andlooked up to find the Duskwalker had rested his hands upon the ground on both sides of her.
She flinched inwards, shrinking, when the coldness of his body touched between her shoulder blades. He bent over her, shielding her on three sides while her front was open.
In a spray of bits of grass and dirt, the Demon skidded to a halt. Her red eyes grew stark as she gawked up at his skull and then shuffled back when he released a horrible, venomous hiss.
“Don’t leave your meal out if you don’t want others to try and eat it, Mavka!” the Demon shouted, before she returned his hiss with her own. She scampered away, darting into the forest to flee.
Stunned, Linh panted as the tip of her sword thunked against the ground. Her heart raced, refusing to settle when she’d been so close to facing death – and may still.
She also didn’t move since her back continued to press against the Duskwalker.I have a bad feeling.There was a light rumbling resonating through her, vibrating into her torso, and she couldn’t tell if that was his stomach or a growl.
What do I do?Should she move, stay where she was... play dead? She doubted playing dead would work in her favour.
Craning her head back slowly, she braved looking up once more. His skull was already directed downwards, bright-red orbs greeting her, and she shrunk further under the threat of them. The moment her gaze fell on them, a menacing, loud growl bubbled from him.
She finally turned, retreating, and he lowered himself. On his hands, he balanced his weight to follow her, crawling from the water and never allowing more than a foot’s worth of distance between their faces. The fire forced her to stop, or she’d end up crawling through it, and he halted as well.
Why isn’t he attacking?He just continued to growl at her.
Her eyes slipped to his unmoving chest before darting to his bony nose hole. No breaths fogged from him, nor could she hear him huffing.He’s... choosing not to breathe?
She wanted to believe he was doing that for her sake.
Then, as if he couldn’t hold it anymore, or didn’t want to, he finally released a harsh and sharp breath. A large spray of water puffed out as two clouds. He slinked back, slithering into the water to disappear.
Linh remained where she was, her eyes never leaving where she last saw him. A bubble floated on the surface.
He saved me again.Her plan had worked.
What took him so damn long?!She hoped it wasn’t to punish her by letting her think she was truly going to be eaten, just to save her at the last second. That would be rather cruel, otherwise.
Regardless, she had her answer. A small smile began to curl the corners of her lips.
The Duskwalker was protecting her.If I stay, maybe he’ll warm up to me and help us.
Sitting at the bottom of his pond, his tail wrapped up beneath him, Nathair yanked downward on his black hooked ram horns.Dammit. I couldn’t let her be eaten!
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16 (Reading here)
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 136
- Page 137
- Page 138
- Page 139
- Page 140
- Page 141
- Page 142
- Page 143
- Page 144
- Page 145
- Page 146
- Page 147
- Page 148
- Page 149
- Page 150
- Page 151
- Page 152
- Page 153
- Page 154
- Page 155
- Page 156
- Page 157
- Page 158
- Page 159
- Page 160
- Page 161
- Page 162
- Page 163
- Page 164
- Page 165
- Page 166
- Page 167
- Page 168
- Page 169
- Page 170
- Page 171
- Page 172
- Page 173
- Page 174
- Page 175
- Page 176
- Page 177
- Page 178
- Page 179
- Page 180
- Page 181
- Page 182
- Page 183
- Page 184
- Page 185
- Page 186
- Page 187
- Page 188
- Page 189