26: Words Of Affirmation

Abandoned.

Again.

I peered over the edge of the shallow pit caused by the uprooted tree. There was no trace of the tiny, pointy-eared blacksmith. She had actually left me behind to fend for myself, or to simply just die alone… in the dirt… where a useless rock belongs.

It was inevitable. I should have known better. Nothing good ever lasts long, especially when I'm involved.

What a loser. Of course she left you. Why wouldn't she, dumbass? Did you really think she'd risk her life for someone like… you? You're a liability, a waste, a burden that was only slowing her down. She never really wanted to help a pathetic, little, dirt-eating… Serves you right for thinking you might actually be able to trust her. Thought maybe she'd become a friend? Ha! Never. You're going to die alone out here.

I inched forward, creeping out of my probable grave. The growl that sparked Fabrienne's frantic dash before she dumped me here came again, louder and closer than before.

Amazing job. Good for you, Fabrienne.

Her escape was a success, but only hers, and hers alone.

Here ya go! Eat this chump while I get to skedaddling back home. He was nothing but an annoying tagalong, anyway. Ta-ta! So long, little Skyler! I hope it's a fast death!

Some loose dirt at the rim of the pit gave way, and I slid back down. I had no brilliant escape plan, and no chump of my own to act as bait. There wasn't anything I could do except wait. Sinking into the shadows of the roots, I pulled my knees close and balled myself up. Maybe the thing Fabrienne left me to feed would pass by if I was small enough, not worth the time to eat. I squeezed my eyes shut and pressed my forehead to my knees, waiting to die.

Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum…

Trapped in a self-imposed darkness, my heart rate and breathing sped up. Urgent, shallow gasps for air grew thick with a familiar and putrid stench. The thing—the nasty trouble—from before lurked closer. My instincts were to gag, but I abstained and forced myself to remain quiet. Refusing to cooperate, my body made a painful and silent pull inward on my throat from deep inside my chest, followed by the burn of bile. Even closed, my eyes stung and watered from the stench, unless… maybe they were just the tears of failure.

Crack!

My body flinched, and I jumped.

The noise was close, coming from somewhere above and behind me. Whatever broke had to be something thicker than a twig, like a branch from the overturned tree being crushed under the weight of my soon-to-be killer.

And you thought some withered up old roots might have worked? Ha! How pathetic. What a Darwin Award moment, your finest hour.

Roots dug into my back and the tree let out a groan. The creature had to be climbing on top of it. Every muscle in my body clenched. I hadn't even noticed when the splint under my bandage snapped. Then the tree moved and my shelter pulled away, leaving me exposed.

A lump grew in my throat, making my next silent gasp even harder to hold back. I wanted to disappear and a childish logic took over. I was safe as long as I didn't look. It wouldn't be there if I didn't see it. Even so, the cloak wasn't magical by any means and only helped hide so much. Reality sank in.

Stupid tree. Stupid forest. Stupid disembodied voice. I hate you. I hate this! I hate—!

Something warm dripped onto my partially exposed arms. Thick, slimy, and even stinging a bit. Then the same gunk landed on the hood, oozing down my shoulders, and dribbled down by my hidden face. The odor was worse than ever. No longer a need, I had to vomit. It was a miracle nothing came out of me.

Another growl, deep and guttural, cut through the raging thunder of my heart pounding in my head. I didn't want to look. I couldn't bring myself to take a peek. Seeing it meant that playing pretend, the pitiful sliver of safety I clung to, was impossible. The truth of its presence was undeniable, though. I knew it was there. Watching. Drooling. Breathing. Hot and humid air swirled around me. Every breath, each sniff, made the cloak flutter, filling it and my lungs with the unbearable miasma.

I prayed for the odd phenomenon, the same ones from the bandit fights, to scare the creature away. The buzzing, the thrumming vibrations, a dome, something to at least confuse it and make it leave me alone. A futile wish. Whatever was close to happening before had also abandoned me.

Stupid Fabrienne! She ditched me, left me as bait for this… thing! I knew she didn’t want me around. She should’ve left me in the ruins. This was obviously her real plan all along, sacrificing me to anything she thought was too dangerous to fight. You’re so stupid, Skyler. Stupid. Stupid! STUPID! I want… to go home. First the wolfang, then those crazy bandits, and now… Why does this keep happening to—?

"Aw, there you are."

Fabri?

"Are you okay in there? Are you… safe? I thought you might have… run away, abandoned… me, but here you are. Waiting… so patiently… for me. Such a good little… Skyler."

She… came back? She's here for… me?

"You are so brave. I knew I could rely… on you. I was wrong before. Yes. I was so very wrong. There is truly something… special about you. Come on out of there. Let me help you. It will be easy. So very… easy. You can trust me. I am your… friend, right? Just give me your… hand, and—"

"Skyler! No! I'm… It's not—!" Fabri's shout sounded farther away for a moment.

Huh?

"Ignore that little pest! Listen to ME!" she snapped. "Only listen to… me. Please? It wants to trick you, to hurt you… sweetie, but not me. No… Not me. Never… me," she cooed. "Come along now. I want—need to keep… you… safe. You want that too, right? To be… safe? Trust me to… keep you safe."

"S-safe?" I echoed back to her.

"Oh, yes. You will be… safe with… me. I will always… be here for you, Skyler. You… deserve this. All of… this… and so… much… more." Something whistled in the air. "We need—REEEEE!!"

Her screech transformed into a bellowing roar. My head shot up from my knees, and I slammed my hands over my ears to block the wail rattling through my entire body. Still blurry from tears, my eyes couldn't focus.

What looked like a pair of boots landed on the ground in front of me. Someone grabbed my arm, snatching me from the pit of despair I’d been cowering in.

"MOVE!"

My legs weren't ready for the sudden and forced action. As soon as I was up, I went back down, landing on my chest and knocking the wind out of me. My face fell on something soft and squishy, and a high-pitched cry left my ears ringing as a familiar, sickly sweet cloud filled the hood. I had no choice but to breathe in, gasping for air. I sputtered and coughed as the scent filled my lungs.

"Get up! Come on!" Fabrienne yelled at me again. "We need to hurry. There might be more."

"M-more?"

"Run!"

"More what?! What was all that?!"

"Don’t ask questions ya don’t want to know the answers to!"

She hauled me up by my arm and kicked off the ground to take us away. I struggled to match her pace, but her grip on me kept me at her heels.

"You… You left me!"

"And I came back!"

"B-but you left me! Was I BAIT?!"

"Ya weren’t ready! Ya said so yourself!"

"In what world does that translate to 'leave me behind'?!"

"Just… Hold on to me. Stay close. Keep moving. I got ya."

The new smell swimming around inside the hood was overpowering and had a different funk than the creature's horrible odor. Something was all over my face, making it tingle. I sniffed again, coughed, and tried wiping it away from my nose.

I glanced down at my hand, which was also tingling now and had a faint glow. For a moment, I wasn't even sure how many fingers I had on it. I blinked hard, focusing on each step as I ran behind Fabrienne, and checked again.

Five. Good. Back to normal, but…

Trees flew past us, twisting and blurring. The forest's colors flashed by, pulsing, bleeding, and dripping? Something was wrong.

What did… she do to me?