Reapers -- The First Familiar (Reapers Chronicles Book II)

27 - Bargain (Part 1 of 2)

My chest felt a lot lighter as we took the rock-strewn path downstream. George’s reasoning had definitely worked wonders with my disposition I even thought of apologizing to Vincent. Again. Although, if he asked me why I was acting all weird, I would just probably clam up because I didn’t know why myself.

Soon, I could see the group of fishermen hauling the nets.

George waved eagerly. “We’re done!”

Levi’s emerged from the water, his long black hair dripping after him. “You two go ahead then,” he ordered. “I take it you do remember the way, Elemental?”

Laughing, George cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted “Aye, Sir. My name’s George, by the way!”

“Hi, George! You’ve finally remembered!” Grigori waved back, receiving glares from the rest of the fishers as he let go of his end of the net. He said his apologies, scratching the back of his bushy head.

We were starting to the manmade tunnel through the redwood fence when a rhythmic tremor shook the ground. We lurched sideways.

Automatically, George crouched on all fours, a low guttural sound coming from his throat. Every member of the drift was suddenly on the alert, abandoning their nets, their traps and getting out of the water as soon as they could.

“Be prepared,” Levi barked in an undertone, his pale blue eyes scanning the riverside.

“Is it him again?” Grigori asked Levi, his voice edgy.

Levi calmly shook his head. “Naberius won’t dare come to these parts. There is too much water for his liking.”

A drop of sweat trickled down Grigori’s forehead. “Oh, dear…”

With his left hand, Levi gestured the drift to regroup. As if it was merely a drill, the fishermen adeptly formed a circle, their backs on each other. All seven pairs of watchful eyes on the lookout.

“Little Miss,” Grigori hissed, beckoning us.

The birds stopped twittering and the rodents that often scampered to and fro seemed to have retreated in their burrows. The tremors ceased, leaving the whole forest in a soundless terror. For a long, expectant minute, all I could hear was my ragged breath. My head pounded so hard I felt extremely lightheaded.

Still, nothing happened.

From under the tangle of damp red hair, George’s yellow eyes blazed, his upper lip curling back in a snarl. “Do as he says, Aramis,” growled he.

Before I could take the first step towards Grigori, a blur of black whizzed before me. My feet were off the ground in a fraction of a second. The scream that tore through my throat got lost in the wind as the whole forest trailed off before my eyes in a smudge of green and gray.

“Aramis!” George’s voice echoed distantly.

The ravaging current from behind me whipped my hair against my face as I moved up and down in perfect timing with the rhythmic thudding against the ground. I saw something huge with silky black fur.

Several yards beneath me, four gigantic paws loped with ease, weaving through the redwood-strewn terrain.

Only then did I become aware of the pain in my left shoulder. Blood trickled relentlessly from where a yard-long canine tooth was impaled. My left arm was luckily wedged between two smaller canines and my palm landed on something wet and spongy; the tongue maybe.

The smell of raw meat and blood and drool brought bile at the base of my throat.

With a desperate cry, I squirmed. But no matter how much I flail my limbs, the fangs didn’t loosen from my shoulder. The creature didn’t stop running. It only made the pain in my shoulder ten times worse. Soon, I could feel my consciousness fading.