Courting Death | Book 3

T W E N T Y - F I V E

T W E N T Y - F I V E
The Devil's Cage

IT WAS MUCH more easily said than done.

Since we were surrounded by immense forestation, any movement made would cause some sort of noise to echo behind me.

Lucius had not noticed me yet. When his figure had appeared, I had not even spared a single second before taking off in a sprint, dashing across the forest floor as fast as my feet could carry me. Shoving the branches and leaves out of my path, I jumped over a particularly big root of a tree that stuck out from the ground, my feet gliding over it easily due to the momentum.

I hissed, panting heavily as my legs begged for mercy. Tire bled through my muscles, taking over each and every fiber I had in my body. I craved a rest, a break from running but the paranoid side of my mind kept on fueling me with thoughts of Lucius hot on my trail.

The measly amount of time that I had to recuperate was not enough for me to gain all of my strength back. It had been less than five minutes and I was already out of breath, panting as if I had just completed a marathon under the blazing summer sun.

Then again, my situation wasn't that far off. I wasn't as fit as I used to be, considering how my body was weakened by the exhaustion of my life. Furthermore, the sun that blazed in the skies of Paradise shone much brighter than it ever did on Earth. Each ray of sunlight that was sent to the ground scorched my back, making me break out in perspiration and I could feel my throat drying out with thirst due to the heat even though I wasn't supposed to feel it like a normal person would.

Stopping for air, I turned my head around to glance behind me. I could hear birds chirping in the distance, all humming a melodious harmony, unbothered by the chaos that had erupted around them. My feet slowed down to small cautious steps, scanning my surroundings for signs of angels that might have me cornered.

Thankfully, I was safe.

For now.

Sighing, I was prepared to drop to my knees for a break when a small chirp caught my attention. The bird sounded much closer than the others, hence, causing me to instinctively look up as a precaution.

Perched on a high brand of a great oak tree, there sat a little bird no bigger than the smallest of sparrows. Its beady little eyes were scanning the entire floor span of the area, taking in every little detail. However, contrary to the design of normal everyday birds, this one was truly made of glittering gold. Its feathers caught the rays of the sun and reflected them onto the trees near it, dazzling and shimmering as if the bird had trapped a million stars in its wings. Its belly was made of silver feathers, all finished with eyes of ruby red that very much resembled the actual gemstone.

"What in the world? Is that a bird made of literal gold?" I muttered under my breath, squinting at the bird before rubbing my eyes in disbelief. When I opened them again, the bird was gone. "Oh. So now I am hallucinating. Great."

Shaking my head, I took a step backward, eyes still carefully watching the branch where I had imagined the bird to be. All of a sudden, the blood in my veins chilled to subzero temperatures when I hit a hard wall, my jaw dropping in surprise. From what I recalled, there wasn't supposed to be a tree that near me. Yet, a little voice at the back of my head knew very well what - I mean, who - I had just knocked into.

"Not really. You weren't hallucinating," a voice answered.

I didn't think it would be possible but I could feel my heart in my throat, threatening to burst out. I sucked in a deep breath through my teeth when I felt two hands rest on my shoulders, my hair standing on their ends in fright. The person's touch was light and I could feel his breath dancing across the skin of my neck due to our close proximity.