Page 36

Ignatia

Breathe claws in and out of my throat as I stand against a wall in an empty room. How did they get here? How do they know I'm here?

I’m in a room a little down from where Amias and Sabina are, my legs buckling.

I’m dead. I have to get out of here. She'll kill me.

“I only need to find that piece of shit traitor and we’ll have a three for one murder!” Vasilisa snickers from the other side of the room.

I shudder. I swore her scent was on this side of the building. I left Sabina to make sure I didn't just hallucinate a smell.

“Get out!” I hear Erasmus snap. “You don't want to fuck with both of us.”

Children cry and screech as glass crashes and breaks. My mind wanders to Sabina. A fire consumes my fear, my hands balling into fists.

I can't let Sabina get hurt. Or Amias. No matter how scared I am.

Why do I have to keep saving the grandson of Amara?

I focus on my form, an itchy feeling taking over my body as purple fur appears on my skin. My feet and hands turn to paws and my ears enlarge.

After a few seconds, I'm in dreamscreecher form, on all fours. My head throbs with the memories of Vasilisa's brutality, begging me to go away.

No. I won't leave Amias and Sabina behind.

I immediately rush out of the room to see black dreamscreechers chasing kids and the orphanage staff, baring their sharp canines and ramming their horns forward.

The kids scream down the dark wooded hallways, shoving and shouting at each other as they reach the door.

The staff members stay behind to fight the dreamscreechers and every kid out. My ears pin back.

I can't lose Amias. I can't let Sabina die.

Glaide rushes out past them, holding a screaming and crying child in his arms. I perk my ears. There's a whiff of a familiar scent in that direction.

Was that Sabina? Is she okay?

I refocus and rush to the room I left Amias. He’s twisting blood red flowers around Vasilisa’s neck, his eyes glowing the same color. My fur puffs when a flash of black slams him into the ground. Amias punches the dreamscreecher before they can bite him.

I run to help him when a cry alerts me to Erasmus laying across the room. Two dreamscreechers lunge at his neck. Erasmus blocks one bite with his arm, and the dreamscreecher sinks its teeth in. He barely blocks the other dreamscreecher from his neck with his other arm.

The dreamscreechers spill blood from both brothers. If I leave them alone for too long, they'll overpower and kill both.

I screech the loudest I can, my eyes straining as everyone stares at me. The attackers step away with flattened ears.

“Get away from them!” My voice isn't as steady as I would like it, but it's all the confidence I have.

Vasilisa purrs. “How lovely. The traitor’s come out to play.” She licks her lips, slowly approaching me.

My ears flatten. I hear her previous victims scream just by looking at her.

Vasilisa sniggers. “It's nice to see that the traitor is still a coward.”

I snarl despite my wobbling legs. “Leave them alone. They have nothing to do with us.”

I duck my head when she steps closer. She snickers. “Look at you, nothing more than a frightened little kitten. I'm going to have fun killing you.”

She towers over me. My ears start ringing again. I want to run but my paws stay planted.

I will stand up for Amias. He’s supported me and risked his life for mine. He’s worth fighting for.

Erasmus is different but Amias loves him. I’ll protect him for Amias' sake.

Vasilisa purrs before striking her claws against my forehead. I roll on my back to dodge her and swat at her neck and face. She swings her head sideways, before raking her claws across my right cheek. She's quick!

Her second swat is too quick to escape, earning a yowl as she slices my brow and eyelid. I shut my eyes before she can gouge them out. My stomach drops. Fuck, she could've blinded me.

I blindly strike at her, tearing through fur and dragging through skin with a battle scream.

Vasilisa returns those blows to my face and neck.

With a yowl, she plunges towards my neck.

Despite trying to twist my head away and clawing her face, her teeth sink in, slicing through skin.

My heart jolts as her teeth press into my flesh.

I'm dead.

Beside us come rushing pitter patters. “Amias! Run!” It's Erasmus's voice.

Just what I wanted.

Vasilisa hisses and lets go, perking up at the escapees.

The dreamscreechers before me glance between us and the brothers escaping, as if they couldn't decide who to attack first. “Hurry the fuck up and kill them already!” Vasilisa scolds.

The distraction gives me a chance to stab my claws into her cheek and neck. She hisses and leaps back, leaving long bloody wounds like ones on her snout.

I turn on my belly and snarl. “I’m not one to fuck with.”

Her fur stands, before she screeches and raises a paw to strike. I roll on my back again before she strikes under my cheek. With a cry, I reach for her neck again. If I do this right, I can bring her down with me.

My claws latch into her neck. She jerks away and drags me with every move. I don’t let go, even as she jumps and slams my back. Even as my heart beats in my throat. My grasp only gets stronger, flesh digging under my claws.

This bitch is going down.

I tug sideways to get her off balance. She growls and sways to the side as I pull harder. I will pull her down.

She snaps her teeth as she loses her footing, slamming on her flank beside me. I hiss and strike near her throat before she has time to react. When she reaches her claws towards me, I scramble to my feet.

I smirk. I have the upper hand.

She slices my shoulder when I claw her neck again. I hiss at the sting before plunging my teeth into the nape of her throat.

Excitement rises up my chest. Maybe this is the end of her torture. Maybe she’ll be gone for good.

Vasilisa swings her claws at me, nearly scratching my left eye again when I jump back.

The blood trickling down my eyelid forces me to close it, and my neck and forehead have their own wounds.

I won't stop fighting.

“Now you suddenly want to put up a good fight?” she hisses, with blood dripping down her face. “You couldn't be this strong for your own kingdom?”

I scoff. “You mean to be strong for you? So I can be your minion?”

Just as I end my sentence, something slams into me and knocks me off my feet. My head thuds against the hard floor.

Fuck.

I hiss at the black dreamscreecher standing over me beside Vasilisa, who’s back on her feet. Vasilisa chortles. “Guess who's not so cocky now?”

I gasp for air but it fails to fill my lungs. I scramble to my feet when I'm pinned down again. Black furred paws stand on either side of me.

Three against one.

Bile rises up my throat. Shit. I'm dead. For real this time.

“Now I’m going to do what I should've done a long time ago.” Vasilisa laughs again, before baring her teeth and lunging for my neck.

I flinch from her jaws, when red flowers coil around Vasilisa's neck and the dreamscreecher beside her. A gasp escapes me as the paws on either side of my head lift. Their necks shrink as they croak, wiggling their bodies to escape.

I swing my gaze at the entrance of the room, where Amias reaches his hands out, his fingers curling and shaking violently. His red eyes stare intensely, tears trickling down his cheeks.

I flee to his side and glance back and forth between the choking dreamscreechers. My right eye widens as I realize…

He's saving me… as a dreamscreecher?

He… really has changed!

Vasilisa croaks, “Y-you s-seriously-” She can't even finish her sentence as the stems tighten.

I satisfyingly grunt.

She deserves this. She had it coming.

A boom from behind us makes my ears ring.

I look over my shoulder to Glaide pointing a gun at the other room , where the other children were screaming before. It's become quiet now, and I'm hoping that means they got out.

Dreamscreechers scatter from the room, screaming and yowling. Amias stumbles, the glow in his eyes fading, before dropping to the ground with a sigh.

My heart stutters at the possibility that Glaide accidentally shot him, but there's no bullet wounds on him and Glaide keeps shooting with no concern for him.

Maybe his powers overwhelmed him.

I run off from the scene before Glaide can aim it at me. Hopefully Glaide being there means Amias will be alright.