Magical Despair

Mountain beast

I stared at Kyran, "Well do you or don't you believe it?"

My question made him tick, clicking his tongue, "It's hard to say, Hana, anyone who's ever gone deep into the woods doesn't come out... the only thing that comes out of there... are monsters."

Looking at him in disbelief, "So they lose their minds?"

"No, they quite literally are monsters, they have horns on their heads, fangs in their mouths... some are even tattooed in ancient scriptures... but those that speak would make you believe they are just like us. Of course, they aren't..." he seemed to think about something else as he told me this, "If you want my advice, just don't go there... not alone at least."

So there's a mountain beast... who will supposedly take two things from you. One you've asked to be taken, while the other is to their choosing... it's not exactly unfair, it sounds more like a form of payment.

But who am I to know, never seen it and not even sure if this beast is real.

Kyran grabbed my hand after I'd been silent for a while, taking the bloody bag from my hands, "Don't think about it, we have other plans to deal with."

And he was right. Because for the next hour or so we headed to the house he'd told Sloan about. Honestly, I don't know how long the ride was because I wound up falling asleep in the carriage.

What I do know is that the words that the old man told me... the beast in the mountain. I couldn't forget about it because I even dreamed of it. A shadow was walking around me and murmuring to me. I couldn't hear what it was saying most of the time but when I did it was the screams. Screaming, 'find me' over and over again, before going quiet and murmuring softly again.

I was just grateful it was only walking and circling around me, yet the second it stepped close enough to where I should have felt its breath I gasped waking up.

Frantically looking around at my surroundings. Relieved to see I was still in the carriage.

But Kyran wasn't here. Where had he gone this time? I took a deep breath to calm my senses, a sweet smell in the air. I can't exactly pinpoint what stone smell belonged to but shrugged.

Sitting up and hearing if anyone was outside. But it all seemed quiet, not a sound, not even a bird.

Inevitably opening the door and hopping out. The carriage was parked in front of a simple-looking home. But it seemed to have a lot of lands, having a fence go so far I couldn't see the end of it.

"They're inside, miss." A man's voice came through behind me. Startling me, when I turned the driver was the only one there, and he pointed at the house, "Go on now."

I started walking towards the house, did they already cast the spell? Why did he just leave me in the carriage?

I stopped in my tracks... remembering my dream. Did it mean something? Or was I just being paranoid over everything that's happening? Have I finally lost it? Is that it?

I shake my head and get back to walking, I don't wanna think about it. I want to forget that dream and forget what the man had told me.

I just gotta think about Kara, just have to make sure to take care of her... of her and Rune. Repeating this until I reached the door. Knocking and stepping back to see if someone would open.

"Finally awake," Kyran said as he opened the door and pulled me inside.

"You should have woken me up then," I tell him.

He walked past me to another room, "You looked tired. Besides you've only been asleep a small while, we only just finished setting up."

Walking after him I froze in my tracks. A cage on the far side of the room as the animal that was inside looked like a giant. If I saw it from afar I'd think he was covered in fur, but what covered him were scales.

Kyran walked up to the cage and caressed the animal inside, "Who's a good girl." He coed as the animal in the cage wagged its tail.

He opened the door of the cage and I started stepping back, by the time that thing... whatever the hell it is stepped out. I had my back on the wall. Staring wide-eyed at the thing that was taller than Kyran yet wagging its tail like a child would hug their mother.

Kyran smiled and looked at me in amusement, "Open wide." Kyran told the creature, its mouth opening wide to show rows of teeth that could rip anyone apart. Surely this was a dangerous creature, why look for a dragon when you have this, no?

He shoved his arm into the animal's mouth, and when he pulled his hand out his arm was covered in saliva. At the tip of his fingers a small bundle of what couldn't even be understood.

"The hair you said we needed." He told me, and walked up to a table, setting it down as a grin spread on his lips, "Let's get started now."