Ennara and the Fallen Druid [Ennara #1]

Chapter One - The Mask and the Dragon

"Misty?"

A twig snapped. A damp chill surrounded Ennara, picking up goose bumps on her arms. The girl hugged herself and stomped her feet to fend off the cold. Why couldn't the cow make things easy for her tonight?

She took a tentative step between two wild rosebushes. The sun slowly sank toward the distant hills across Lake Coeur. If she hadn't stayed so late fishing at the docks with Kithe, she'd be home by now, cow tucked safely in the well-lit barn.

Ennara glanced around the gloomy forest. Long shadows stretched across the pasture between her and the farmhouse. She shivered. Her father, Lir, had warned her to bring Misty back before sunset. She wasn't afraid of the dark, but she didn't want to meet one of the monsters stalking around at night that Kithe told her about.

She heard the familiar clang of the cow's bell and called again, stepping near the sound. Trees blocked her view. She peered between them, trying to catch a glimpse of the exasperating bovine.

The life-filled woods departed as the last rays of light slipped behind the hills, leaving a hollow version of its higher self. The girl shivered a second time and rubbed her arms.

The bell sounded once more. Ennara jumped and spun around. She ran a few steps in the direction of the sound, further into the trees.

Through the approaching dusk, she caught a glimpse of metal. There it was-the cow's bell and collar hung on the limb of a young cottonwood. How had Misty managed to get it off? Confused, the girl stepped toward the bell.

Behind her, a twig snapped. She froze. She turned to see a tall shadow flitting among the trees. Her heart fluttered as she backed away.

"M ... misty?" she whispered.

A hiss and knocking replied. Was that a raven? No, the sound wasn't quite right.

She tripped on a branch and landed on something soft and wet. Ugh! It was just her luck to land in mud. She lifted her hand in the lingering daylight to see it dripping with a murky liquid. Her stomach knotted. What was it? Too runny to be mud. She grabbed for the offending stick and felt ... fur.

She stifled a scream and scrambled to her feet. A whimper escaped her lips.

Ennara squinted at the lumps on the ground. Was that a branch or a leg? Was that a boulder or the body of ... a cow?

"Misty?" the girl's voice quivered. Her eyes welled with tears. She'd brought the cow in for three years without a hitch. She remembered how hard she worked to convince her parents to let her bring Misty in by herself. And now her cow was ... dead? Her nose began to run. She sniffed and rubbed it on her sleeve.

She stumbled to the pasture. She had to get away from whatever was stalking through the forest and get back to the farm. The sun had fallen behind the hills. Light was fading into twilight.

The rasping-gurgling was right beside her now. She whirled, her jagged breath catching in her chest. The shadow darted. She ran for the open field where some twilight remained. Her legs wobbled with fear. She stumbled.

She looked up, and there it was before her. She froze. Crouching in the darkness of a great pine was the twisted shape of a man, like a broken shadow come alive. Red eyes blinked slowly at her. A mouth lined with pointed teeth curled into a smile. The demon opened its mouth wide and let out another gurgling hiss. Long, sharp claws grasped the earth as it crept toward her.

She screamed, scrambling backward. The creature cackled and licked its lips. It paused, sniffed the air, and swiped a bloody, black claw at a shrub. Was it taunting her? Her stomach sank. She somehow found her feet and lurched into a run.