Текст книги "The Fallen King"
Автор книги: T. A. Grey
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Текущая страница: 11 (всего у книги 17 страниц)
Chapter Fifteen
“You have got to be kidding me,” Alrik muttered.
Alrik’s gaze locked on the giant beast lumbering out of the water. The middle of the lake rippled and bubbled like boiling water. With a mighty splash, the water exploded out at once from the rippling circle, raining heavy water droplets around it. A grisly creature started to appear. First a head, a mighty, round glob of flesh the color of sick green and cream mixed together. The flesh looked lopsided and pliable like putty. The creature’s eyes came into view. They were yellow orbs that instantly narrowed on them.
The creature slowly lifted up to its incredible height. Water cascaded down the jaheera demon’s torso like a waterfall; water churned and swished around the demon’s legs making noise like a boat crashing into waves. It kept lifting itself up until it towered over the lake like a colossal monster.
It stood as if they’d disturbed it from a deep sleep. However, Alrik knew that water was not deep enough to house such a creature, and he knew just what kind of creature this was. These kinds of creatures did not dwell idly in lakes.
Abbigail’s terrified scream notified him, and the rest of the rift, that she just saw the jaheera demon too. Alrik planted his hands on his hips and considered things for a moment. Well, he tried to but that woman had a pair of lungs on her like no other. No one could think over that noise. Turning to her, he shushed her. She snapped out of her scream and blinked at him, then her eyes widened and jaw dropped. She looked cute like that, even as she looked at him as if he was crazy.
“Silence, woman, I’m thinking.”
“You’re thinking right now? At a time like this! There’s a freaking giant thing coming out of the water like some kind of Cthulhu monster. I really, seriously think it’s about time we got the hell out of here, Alrik!”
Damn her. He leveled his gaze with her and once more said, “Krishnoe. Silence, please.”
Her jaw worked side to side but she quieted down and stepped up beside him. When her hands shot out to latch onto his arm, he had to stifle a smile. Her touch made him stand a little taller knowing she needed him, wanted him, to protect her.
His gaze fell back to the lake. This was curious, indeed.
A jaheera demon spawning now? They came from a layer in the rift deep below where he and Abbigail stood. A place where no light or goodness shined through. It was where they belonged and stayed. The only times the jaheera parted from their ancient home was for a bigger purpose. There was no question who’d sent this jaheera demon to them now.
“That’s a jaheera demon. They come from the rift far beneath us,” he informed Abbigail, “but they never come up here. They can’t. They are bound to their rift by ancient shahoulin magic.”
“Then why’s it up here right now? And why the hell aren’t we running?”
“The jaheera are said to be quite slow. It’s almost pathetic really. Once in an age they were the largest creatures down here, they consumed all beasts and grew in magical power and strength. However, their power was their downfall. My people, the shahoulin, locked the jaheera in magical cages beneath this rift when they turned to harm us. It would take a mighty power to break one from that cage.”
“Your mother,” Abby said.
“Oh, absolutely.” Again, he loved her intelligence. She knew hardly anything of his world yet she caught on quickly.
“What did you mean when you said they have power? What kind of power?”
He shrugged. “I’m not sure. I’ve never actually seen one before and I’ve never fought one. It’s said they can cast magic like you and I, that they have old, dark magic. Obviously they are quite physically strong.”
“Being the size of a small mountain I’d think so.”
All too quickly, the demon finished rising to its massive height. It looked so tall that if it reached its arm up it’d touch the hazy clouds above. The demon’s torso and head showed while the rest still stood below the water line. Water lapped at its disgusting body and Alrik could just make out greenish hue swirling in the water around the demon as its toxic skin contaminated the lake.
Alrik hadn’t been alarmed at first. The demon was some distance away, and besides, they were slow. They had to be for such big beasts, but he quickly learned he was wrong, very wrong.
The demon opened its jagged mouth and let out a horrendous, ear-piercing bellow that shook the trees and jolted the earth with a rumbling quake. He and Abbigail turned away at the sound. She punched her hands over her ears. The awful noise tried to puncture his eardrums.
Then the demon started moving towards him. One stocky limb lifted above the surface, kicked forward then drove through the water with loud booming steps that sloshed the water like a hurricane.
Alrik took a step back, his arm swiping at Abbigail’s and pushed her behind him. He’d been wrong. It didn’t move slowly at all. The beast moved its massive body fluidly. In what must have been two or three steps it arrived at the lake’s shore.
“Dear God,” Abby gasped. Her fists squeezed his arm in warning.
Alrik agreed. Just as he latched onto her hand and prepared to run, the demon opened its mouth and from between ragged, yellowed teeth spewed noxious green spittle. The wet spray was accompanied by a bellow of sound that spewed the green substance against the trees and ground.
Alrik had only a moment to see the green spittle sizzle and smoke against what it touched, before he grabbed Abbigail and ran for it.
They sprinted hard up the slope. Again, from behind them, he heard the bellow and the wet spewing sounds of the demon’s toxic spit falling on the forest around them. Water sloshed as the demon came on shore. The odor of burning trees and grass mixed with something he didn’t recognize, but his instincts told him not to let the green spit touch him.
Just ahead of them trees bowed as the green liquid touched them. They withered down as if acid had been poured on them until nothing was left but a stump of a tree popping and sizzling up in smoke.
“We got to move!” Alrik roared, for the first time since seeing the jaheera feeling real panic.
“I knew I was right,” Abbigail sputtered.
Trees crashed to the ground in front of them. They raced and weaved through them, jumping over boulders and sliding down rocky slopes.
“Don’t touch it!” he yelled, jumping over a fallen branch with smoking green leaves.
“You don’t have to tell me that!” she yelled right back.
That’s his girl.
Heavy, pounding footsteps came at them like cracks of thunder. The ground shook with each booming strike. The demon was following them, crashing through the forest like a wrecking ball. Horrible sounds followed them—the sounds of trees slamming to the forest floor, groaning at their death.
All he needed was a good place to slip into and hide for a few seconds, then he could stow Abbigail away and fight the demon. His heart raced nearing panic levels. He’d been wrong, too cocky.
If they were still kids, his brother would have slapped him upside his head for not being more cautious. Oh well, what was done was done. Now he had to protect her. He refused to let the thought of failure even enter his mind. No way will he let anything happen to her.
He’d die first.
A long valley lay before them filled with bright yellow grass waist tall. In the distance, deep in the south, he could just make out a tendril of smoke in the air. It was so far away it could just be his eyes playing with him, or maybe it was just a tree swaying in the wind. Whether the smoke bode well or not for them, he charged towards it with every ounce of strength inside him. Even if he had to pull her along, he’d get them to safety.
“You’re doing great,” he called to Abbigail. It might be a strange time for it, but he was so proud of her. The woman had a lot of fight in her.
Suddenly, the ground shuddered beneath them. They had to stop or else be thrown to the ground as the earth swayed beneath their feet. Abby slammed into his back. They wobbled side to side as the ground shook with a jerking, quaking action as if it was trying to bubble up beneath their feet.
“What’s going on?” Abby asked. He didn’t like the fear in her voice.
Up ahead, the ground split open in a nasty snarl and a loud hiss. The earth parted to reveal an open lip in the field. A black, cavernous slit formed in the massive crack in the ground, and in a rush, it split from one side of the field to the other, completely blocking their way.
“The jaheera is conjuring up magic.” It split the field completely in half, blocking their only real exist.
“Is the fissure real?”
Alrik couldn’t be sure. “It could be an illusion or it could be very real.” He glanced back behind them and saw that at the very least they had put some distance between them and the demon. Alrik grabbed her hand again and headed for the crack.
The first thing he noticed was the grisly smell…like rotting flesh that had been sitting in stagnant water. A gag rolled up in his throat that he barely managed to control. Abbigail wasn’t so lucky. She turned around and her body wretched up the contents of her stomach. Her hand squeezed his hard and he returned the gesture to offer his support.
He was close enough now to see that the crack was real. Either that or a really good illusion. Still, he had to be sure. Quickly picking up a small rock, he threw it. If it was an illusion it might stop in midair as if hitting a wall or it might land on top of the black crack as if it was a solid surface. If it were real, it would fall into the crack.
He slung the rock and watched it. Abby stood up, wiping her mouth on the sleeve of her shoulder. His poor woman looked pale and perspiration covered her forehead. God damn, he needed to get her out of here.
He was so busy watching her that he didn’t see what happened to the rock. Abby squeezed his hand, her expression turning into one of panic.
“It’s real. It went into the chasm!”
Thundering steps boomed closer. “Come on!” Alrik grabbed her hand and started to run, but Abby didn’t move with him.
She stood there, shaking her head.
“Don’t give up on me. We can beat this!”
She laughed and looked at the miles of expanse the crack had sundered, then back at the giant beast barreling towards them. “There’s nowhere for us to go. We have to do something.”
Alrik twitched. He didn’t like this. He didn’t have any time to think! “Fine, you start running east. I’ll hold the demon at bay.”
She cocked her head, fear gripping her beautiful eyes. He hated the look. Nothing would make him happier than to wipe it away forever. “What do you mean? We can’t separate now. We’re stronger together.”
With a flourishing move, he pulled his swords out from his sheath and twirled them once. “I’m going to kill it.”
“But you’re the size of a small bush compared to that thing! You can’t just expect to stab it and beat it.”
Alrik shook inside. He could feel his temperature drop as anger rose. No, not now.
His eyes squeezed shut. He tried sucking in quick breaths but it was useless. She was royally pissing me off. Not with her life on the line.
His eyes shot open and when he leveled his gaze on hers, she took a fearful step back. “Your eyes are doing that thing again...”
“For once you are going to do what I tell you to do. Run east. Find a place to hide and stay there. I’ll come for you.” His voice was a distorted growl. It wasn’t just anger coursing through him but fear, fear for her life.
“And if you don’t?” she asked softly.
His hands tightened over the sword handles. The icy anger felt so good that he shivered, embracing it even as he knew what it’d do to him. “I said I’ll come for you,” he said clear and hard. She flinched at his tone, a flash of pain swept over her eyes. He hated it. He hated that he caused her to hurt, yet that hate only morphed inside him like shapeshifting animal, turning into vile, ugly anger. “Get out of here now.” His arms shook with the need to lash out and hit something, to feel the spray of blood on his face, and the crushing of bones beneath his fists.
He didn’t know if he could control himself or if he could keep himself from lashing out at her if she said or did the wrong thing in those tense moments. Not now, not when the rage gripped him in its bitter hold. He didn’t know what he’d do if he hurt her. Not when he was so close to finally getting what he wanted.
“Go now!” he yelled.
She jumped at his yell, swallowed hard, and then took off running along the heading east. Alrik whipped the blades in his hands, loosening his wrists as he squared off against the demon. He had an advantage now—a boiling mass of rage itching to be let out. And, he couldn’t wait to feel the rush.
Alrik let out a battle cry worthy of waking the gods. The demon slowed its thundering steps at the sound as if nervous for the first time. Then he charged forward, blades pointed behind him, ready to whip, slash, gouge, and cut.
The demon stopped at once, its great head turning east to track Abbigail. Alrik saw black. She was his and nothing would touch her. His vision shifted, distorted, and then changed so he only saw in blacks and greys. Around the demon became a foggy grey color like a stormy day while the demon stood out in stark, oily black.
Yes, his rage screamed inside him. Yes! Kill, hurt, maim!
With his rage out and free, his heart pounded violently. His mind was freer than it’d ever been. No thoughts of consequences, logic, or worry bothered him. All he needed, all he wanted, was to shed blood. He took the curse his mother had placed on him and embraced it with open arms.
Swirling smoke billowed out from the demon as if a fire surrounded it. Alrik knew what it was—a spell being cast. He could see it through the curse’s eye. Before it could finish the spell, Alrik sprinted past the demon’s leg, slashing with both blades.
In a quick burst he chanted, “Kahlab’du shtow zhenyul garrab’deen fuh!”
His spell created more smoke but only grey smoke compared to the demon’s black. The demon’s spell stopped as Alrik’s spell blocked the demons from finishing.
Blood surged through Alrik’s veins. The rush was better than the best sex, the best anything in the world. He sidestepped then jumped and rolled out of the way as the demon lifted one mighty foot and stomped it into the ground leaving a large cavernous dip where his foot hit. The slam on the ground jerked Alrik from his feet sending him tumbling to the ground before he could get in an attack.
But he leapt back up, then raced along the demon’s other ankle, at the back of it he slashed his swords in a non-stop X pattern, crisscrossing and cutting skin into little chunks that plopped to the ground. Dark green blood, black and inky in his vision dripped to the ground with a sizzling hiss.
The demon let out a horrendous cry as its leg gave out. It went crashing down to one knee. Then its great arms swung around and around, trying desperately to catch Alrik. Alrik ran and ducked, rolling under the sweeping appendages but he couldn’t escape them all and one slammed into him like battering ram. His swords fell from his hands as he went soaring through the air.
He landed hard on his back to the sound of cracking bones in his shoulder. At once pain flared on the left side of his body, but the rage inside him tampered it down so he barely noticed it. He started to get up but his leg wasn’t acting right. He tried to put pressure on it but it only jolted forward, not letting him stand. He wobbled as he braced himself on one foot.
The demon shrieked again.
Then he heard soft footsteps coming from behind him.
Fear gripped him deep in his gut. His head spun around and he watched Abbigail charging towards him with the look of a mighty, determined warrior on her face. Her hands were outstretched. Even in his rage, he saw the bright orange glow of magic bursting from her fingertips as if it couldn’t be contained. The bolts shot straight for the demon.
“You will not hurt him!”
He jerked at her words. That couldn’t be what she said. That’d mean she somehow cared for him. She didn’t. He’d stolen her, planned to use her to his own means, to her own death. An imminent death she still knew nothing about. No way did she come back for him. His heart cracked in his chest. A real physical ache that made him want to bellow his pain for the world to hear.
The demon started falling. Flesh charred along its entire upper body that released a disgusting, stomach-churning smell. Even if he couldn’t move he had to help her. Alrik dropped to his knees, ready to cast his own lethal spell when he froze.
Time slowed for long, endless seconds, and all he could do was watch.
The demon opened its mouth and let out a roaring bellow—green, goopy spittle sprayed from it like from a hose. Alrik couldn’t run, he couldn’t hide, he was too close...and so was Abbigail.
With a power from somewhere deep inside him, from desperateness, he used the strength in his good leg to jump up and catch Abbigail. She grunted as he slammed her to the ground, covering every inch of her body with his.
The acid spittle landed on his back and legs like fiery poison. He shouted brief and hard as his body started jerking from tiny convulsions as the noxious spray ate through his clothing as if it was nothing and burned into his skin.
Abby’s wide eyes turned up to his, and then she pushed him off her. Where she got the strength, he had no idea. He couldn’t focus on anything but the pain. Even worse as his back hit the ground the acid was only shoved deeper into his skin.
His rage started to fade. It was too much; he struggled and tried to fight the urge to pass out. Abbigail stood and shot more power out one more time at the demon.
It bellowed and choked as green acidic spittle dripped down its chin and torso, sizzling its own skin. Then it collapsed to the ground with an earth-shattering thump.
The last thing he saw before his shaking body took him under was Abbigail leaning over him, her mouth moving. He tried to focus, tried to hear, but he heard nothing but a high-pitched ringing from faraway in the distance. Just as she leaned over him, his body shut down.
Chapter Sixteen
“Alrik!”
He wouldn’t move. Abby couldn’t stop shaking. His chest rose and fell but was he okay?
The demon was dead, and if it somehow decided to get back up again, she swore she’d summon more power than a god could to destroy it with how pissed off and terrified she was now. Alrik was hurt. Not a paper cut hurt or an ‘ouch I slipped and skinned my knee hurt’. No, she could smell, see, and hear his flesh burning where that green acid touched it.
“What do I do? What do I do?”
She could smell the demon carcass each time the wind blew. Her stomach rolled with nausea at the rancid odor. She needed to get them out of there. They needed to get somewhere safe so she could flip him over and see to his wounds.
Abby stood and looked over Alrik for a moment while chewing furiously on her cuticle. She needed to move him. The demon had to be at least two-hundred pounds though. This wouldn’t be easy, but she had to do it—for him. He saved her life.
Her chest tightened at the thought and she forced it away. She couldn’t think like that, couldn’t let herself think with her made her decision. She needed to check his wounds.
Kneeling beside him, she grabbed his side and pushed. He barely moved.
“Holy hell you’re heavy,” she muttered. Switching tactics, she turned around and used her back and legs to push against him. Finally, she felt him move. After he finally budged just enough, she pushed hard with her legs and got his left side up in the air.
A deep groan sounded from his chest. Abby dug her ankles deep and pushed the last of the way. His heavy body thumped to the ground, this time with his back in the air. A nice row of perspiration had worked up over her forehead. Abby wiped it off with her shoulder then turned to assess the damage.
She sucked in a breath at what she saw. His shirt lay in tatters around his back. His pants had deteriorated where the acid hit him and it seemed that’s where the bulk of it went. Where his pants had covered his thighs and calves were now gaping holes dotted like Swiss cheese.
She pulled back the fabric and gasped. His skin had bubbled up. It was a harsh red and swollen. Her gut told her she had to do something. But what?
“Alrik, you need to wake up.” She hated the sorrow in her own voice, but she couldn’t hide it. The tears were barely at bay as it was.
Taking deep breaths, she looked up at the sky. After a minute, she got her breathing under control, and had stopped sweating. She needed to inspect the wounds even if it grossed her out.
“Time to put your big kid pants on, Abby. You do this kind of stuff for a living, remember?” Yes, but not to people she cared about.
Slightly more relaxed than before, Abby set to work. She lifted Alrik’s shirt up as gently as she could. Apparently, that wasn’t gentle enough because he groaned in his sleep as she did it. “I’m sorry,” Abby kept whispering to him until finally she got the shirt up around the uppermost part of his chest.
Her hand flew to her mouth at what she saw. The vile green acid had mostly hit the lower part of his back. The green goop had burned into his skin making swollen bubbles of flesh stick out from him.
Abby sat back on her heels.
She was useless.
Utterly useless.
She was in a world where different rules applied and in this case, she knew nothing about healing a demon’s acid burns from another, bigger, and crazier demon.
Her instincts wanted her to clean off any excess acid with water. She laughed at that. The lake was at least a mile away. The dead jaheera had crashed between her and the lake, and on top of it all, she had no way of transporting the water. No bucket, no cup, no hose, nothing. She couldn’t do anything but wait for him to wake up because she didn’t want anything more than for him to wake up.
He needed to be all right. He had to be.
She scrubbed a hand over her face and growled in frustration. Why did things have to be like this? She shouldn’t care for him. However, she did. She should run, right now! Run away and try to go home. As if she even could.
Well you haven’t tried, taunted logic.
Abby flew to a stand, conjured her magic forth and tried to create a portal home. That’s all she had to do—envision her little house she rented that she was so proud of. She could see the little strap of lawn she had out front and could see the front door hanging open like she’d last seen it with Mike standing there. Her body grew warmer and warmer, she could almost feel it happen, but it was as if little shocks exploded from her fingertips but didn’t quite catch like they should.
“See, I can’t do it,” she said, pacing beside Alrik. Even if she wanted to, which admittedly at this very second she didn’t, she couldn’t go home yet. She wasn’t powerful enough. Nevertheless, the sparks from her fingertips, the supreme warmth, told her just how close she was. If she kept growing it could just be a matter of days, maybe a week tops.
Abby looked down at Alrik. His face was turned towards her and his long hair shadowed his cheek.
Could she really leave him? After he saved her life, and after they made love together? Even after knowing she had these...strong feelings for him?
Kneeling down, Abby pushed his hair back from his face. Oh, God, she realized.
She didn’t know.
She just didn’t know if she could do it.
What would happen to him if she did? Would he continue after the queen and get himself killed? Would he come after her and try to steal her away again? She wouldn’t be so easy to grab this time. She’d be prepared for it.
She didn’t have any answers, but she did know that he wouldn’t give up. That was the only thing she knew for certain.
Abby lay down next to Alrik and listened to his steady breathing in and out. She felt exhausted even though she’d only woken up a matter of hours ago.
She laughed. Was it really just this morning that she woke before Alrik?
Her muscles relaxed, thoughts quieted then slowed. The beautiful night sky above was a lovely view to watch. It was so peaceful here. You never heard the rumble of cars, the plowing of heavy machinery, nor had a view filled with paved concrete that covered up the beauty of the earth. None of that was here, and she didn’t miss it. Not one bit.
Alrik jerked beside her. She turned towards him, running her hand softly over his hair, one of the few places she could still touch with him lying in this position.
He mumbled something in his sleep.
She could barely hear the whisper of sound.
“What was that?” Abby whispered, unsure if he could even hear her. His eyes were still closed and sleep still claimed him.
His upper body jolted as if he was being shocked. He cried out; a heavy, grief-stricken sound that tore straight through her and froze her in place.
“Arianna.”
This time she heard it. He’d said a name, a woman’s name. He hadn’t said her name. He’d said someone else’s.
A funny feeling filled her chest right under her sternum. Abby rubbed it. Just who was Arianna? And why did he sound like he was dying when he said her name?
Her stomach moaned with queasiness. Why did she suddenly feel like her heart had just been ripped out?
She would just ask him about it when he woke up. She laughed aloud at the thought. Maybe Arianna was his mother’s name or something. A humorless laugh escaped her. No, he wouldn’t have sounded sad talking about his mother like that. Whoever Arianna was, she could hear how much he cared about her.
The pressure in her chest grew nearly unbearable.
She needed a good slap in the face. Who was she kidding beside herself?
Everything would be okay. It was as if even the smaller, smarter part inside of her couldn’t believe that.
But she had to. For her and Alrik’s sake.
* * *
Abby must have fallen asleep. She hadn’t even realized it. It’d just happened. However, she was pretty sure that when she dozed off it wasn’t with a sword pointed to her throat.
Abby’s eyes rounded as she looked down at the razor-sharp blade tucked gently under her chin. Her eyes traced up the long, slightly curved blade to a hand the color of dark cream then up over a ragged, white tunic to a handsome, striking face adorned with golden yellow hair that hung in braids down to his shoulders. It was also a face she recognized.
“Remove your blade!”
Shit. She also recognized that voice.
Blondie stepped back, sheathing his sword with practiced ease allowing Abby to sit up. What she saw made her stomach sink.
“Fuck.”
The rogues had followed them. With a quick look, she made sure Alrik was fine. He was still out like a light but his chest moved steadily up and down.
Leaning down, she kept her eyes on the one man who watched her with unnerving intensity, and spoke into Alrik’s ear. “We have company, babe,” she whispered. Whether he could hear her somewhere in there or not she didn’t know but tried anyway. “Aidan and his men are here. If you want to wake up, now would be the time to do it.”
He didn’t move. Not even a sigh or nod of his head. At least that was better than hearing the mysterious name Arianna. Whoever she was. She hated how petty she was being, but she wanted to know every little detail about this person, their life, and why Alrik said her name with so much...pain. A pulse of pain swept through her. Why did he affect her so much? Why did she even care? She shouldn’t.
Putting on a tight smile Abby stood. She needed to be on even ground with Aidan, the vampire leader of the rogue demons. Gosh, wasn’t that a heck of a title?
“Aidan,” she said with a nod.
Aidan arched a black eyebrow and looked behind him at the rotting carcass of the jaheera demon. “My, haven’t we been busy?”
“Nah, happens all the time.” She grinned at her own joke and crossed her arms to try to look more intimidating. She felt anything but confident right now. What she actually felt was raw, hurt... a bit like crying.
He’d brought all of his men. There were at least twenty of them. Some wandered around the demon carcass, others sat by a fire eating great hunks of meat, and a few watched her, Alrik, and Aidan with curious glances. Great, she needed this complication like a hole in the head.
After the fight with the jaheera there was no way she could conjure up the kind of barrier spell she’d done in Aidan’s castle if they needed to escape. No way. And even if she could, how was she supposed to move Alrik? The man slept like the dead. She couldn’t lift him, couldn’t drag him...and couldn’t leave him. She was royally screwed if they tried to steal her or hurt them, she added. Yes, that’d be equally as bad if not worse. All she could do was hope they stayed on their best behavior and left them in peace.
Aidan didn’t smile back at her. He strode forward, his brow creasing with worry. When he neared, he spoke in a low voice. “What happened here, Abbigail?”
Abby fought not to lose her nonchalant attitude, but it finally won out and she dropped it, settling with crossing her arms instead. “We were attacked. We took it down. Simple, I guess.” It didn’t feel simple, though. Not in the least.
Aidan looked back at the demon. His mouth floundered open and closed as if trying to find the right words and then he laughed humorlessly. “Maybe you don’t understand or maybe it is I who doesn’t understand, but that is a jaheera demon. I personally have never seen one until now, but several of the men have. They say it has been ages since these demons came onto this rift.” He caught her gaze and leaned in, crossing into her private space. “They say these creatures are caged by magic in the nether-rift. So, tell me, Abbigail, human witch, just what is it doing here and why is it after you?”
Abby didn’t like where this was going. On the sly, she prodded Alrik with her foot but he didn’t stir. He needed to be answering these questions not her.
“Um, well, it’s not after me. It’s after him so you’ll just have to wait until he wakes up to get your answer.” She lifted her chin to finalize her words.
