Into the Dark

Chapter 43

The roaring continued and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kade getting angry. He looked at me and shook his head.

"This is stupid," he mouthed. He wasn't the only one doubting the plan, I was nervous as hell but the solution we just accepted was probably the best one of all. If we were going to die, we might as well go down trying.

I shrugged over at him, only to gain an exasperated eye roll.

The stag settled down the crowd again and gained their attention. "So... I suppose you agree to the terms. Anyone who disagrees may leave," he announced. I felt so relieved when everyone stayed. "Great," the stag added, turning to me. "I leave it to you, goddess." He even gave me a small bow, which I happily did in return. Then with no other words, he sprung into the woods and disappeared among the darkness.

That's when I almost broke down. I don't know how to control these creatures! What if they turned on me?!

I only made eye contact with a few of them as I scanned the gathering... and none of them seemed flattering. Clearing my throat, I prepared for another short announcement.

"First of all, I would like to thank all of you for agreeing to this. Your determination is greatly appreciated by me and my colleagues. Also, I should go ahead and mention that Salazar plans to attack soon, possibly tomorrow or the day after. It is unsure so we need to always be on full alert. Our first objective is to free the great wizard Galendale from the angel warded castle that is less than a day's journey away, depending on how quick and long we move. We'll rest momentarily for tonight and then continue traveling later or very early in the morning. Sound good?"

A rumble of growling agreements went up. I smiled and clapped my hands together. "Alright! This is a very large crowd so we'll have to be considerate of each other and each other's space. No attacking one another or killing off a certain group. Save that energy for Salazar's army, okay?"

More agreements.

I nodded excitedly, even though I was mostly overwhelmed. "Let's get going then."

I slowly glanced at the wendigoes behind me and they somehow got the right idea. Scar took the lead and started to push through the crowd, clearing a narrow path for me and the others. Kade was directly behind me and I could already hear him leaning over. "There's no way you can control all of these creatures. Supernaturals aren't as obedient as you think." I turned around and started walking backward, smiling up at him mischievously.

"Trust me... I've noticed," I whispered. I saw his hidden smile but he tried to hide it with another eye roll. "Freelancer... it's about time you see what an Astor can do." He accidentally let his smile show and bit his lip.

"I've seen what an Astor can do," he whispered seductively. I giggled slightly and winked at him.

"No, you haven't," I whispered back, turning around again so he couldn't think of a smarter reply.

"Bella, I have to give you credit... you're honestly badass," Maeve claimed as she ran up to me. She eyed the crowd following us, creatures crawling on trees, some low to the ground, some even flying. Others looked more like humans and walked normally. Watching them gave me strange excitement.

"I really don't know how that little speech even worked. I didn't think supernaturals could be so... bloodthirsty," I whispered.