To Bewitch a Devil

235 Bring it on

Neera’s lips moved, but nothing audible came out of them. Penelope gripped the railing of the bed. Something wasn’t right.

“Neera,” there was an urgency in Zavian’s voice.

“I feel like I am going to die,” Neera said, her words stressed out. Her breathing evened out, and Zavian’s hands were on her shoulders, shaking her back to remain in the world of consciousness.

“Not again, Neera!” He was almost pleading. “Not again!”

But Neera’s hand went limp, and her eyes didn’t open. Zavian called her name, Azriel cursed, and Penelope screamed.

....

Freya set the bow and arrow, her aim right at the midsection of the deer in the woods.

The oblivious animal bent its majestic head as it munched on grass, and Freya flexed her fingers, ready to let go of the arrow. Practice outdoors had been refreshing for her. She would slip out in the morning, just as dawn broke the yolky sun in the sky, and slip back to the castle when the moon would take over duties. It was therapeutic from all the pent-up aggression that raved her in that castle.

That way, she could avoid Queen duties that were dumped on her plate, and she could have fun. So far, she had made perfect aims, killing off five pigeons, three squirrels, a wild boar that had come charging at her, and a lizard, just for the fun of knowing her precision.

.....

A branch snapped somewhere. The deer stopped munching, its body stilled with alert.

The second between when Freya let go of the arrow and the second snapping of branches was when the deer was quick enough to dart for its life, the arrow wheezing past its tail. Freya cursed and rose to her feet as she aimed another arrow, but the deer had disappeared among the bushes.

She looked around her for the intruder, ready to unleash her fury on them for disturbing her perfect aim, but there was no one in sight.

“Is someone here?” She yelled out, but the rustling of the leaves with the wind and the singing of birds answered her. Perhaps it was another animal, she was far too deep in the woods for someone to come along unless maybe a hunter was being greedy for more game and adventure like she was.

She gathered her weapons and slung the sack containing one of the pigeons. There was nothing special about pigeon meat, but the one she had caught had unusual bright colours like rainbows etched on its wings and it would only be rewarding to have a taste of such beatuy.

Another snap, and it was right behind her.

Freya’s hand went to the hilt of the blade at her right, and she drew it, surveying her surroundings. Her ears twitched, but she couldn’t pick up the sound of any breathing.

Strange, if it was an animal, she could at least detect the breathing.

Something was wrong.

She moved backward, and she kept her ears and eyes open. Another snap sounded, and it was behind her.

She whirled around, slashing her knife at nothing.

“Stop being a coward and come fight me!” Freya yelled out.

When nothing came forward and no snapping sound came again, Freya shook it off as perhaps some weak branch being toyed with the wind. She moved on and trudged down the muddy path out of the forest. She had come a good distance from any life, human or demon.

Her boots sank into the marshy ground, and she moved slowly, careful not to slip. She hadn’t known how far she had gone, but it had been a productive and successful day.

From out of nowhere, the force of something hit her from behind, and she tumbled face first into the ground.

The thing clawed at her, and the sharpness of its claws tore at Freya’s skin. She was quick to get over the shock and gain her reflexes. She reached for her knife, turned, and slashed at the person.

There was a screech, and the clawing stopped. Freya used that opportunity to rise to her feet, and have a good look at the attacker.

She wasn’t expecting what she saw.

“What the hell are you?” Freya asked.

Long, emancipated limbs hung from what looked to be either human or demon, Freya could not tell. Its body was hunched forward, and its eyes were bloodshot, like someone who hadn’t slept for a long while. It had tattered clothes on, dirty, like a beggar, and Freya’s eyes were glued on the long, huge claws on its hands, longer than any demon’s own she had seen.

She had read tons of books, but nothing ever mentioned what stood before her.

Worst of all, she heard no heartbeat.

Her grip tightened around her knife. The creature snarled.

“Not the kind of outing I predicted, but I am going to have fun tearing you apart,” Freya said.

The creature seemed to understand the challenge, and it leaped toward her, shooting right at her like an arrow. Freya tumbled down with it, and she reached to slash at its arm, but it was quick to detect the motion, and it knocked the knife right out of her hand.

Freya improvised with a hard fist to the creature’s face, and it sent it careening back.

Freya hopped to her feet and cursed internally for not having her sword with her. She reached behind her as the creature lurched forward, and she slashed twin knives at the creature’s middle.

It was fast to avoid her move, and its claws came down on her face instead.

Freya hissed, and touched her fingers to her cheek. Her blood came into view.

“You have some guts choosing to fight me,” Freya’s fangs protuded, and her claws were out. Anger sizzled through her, enough to fuel her for murder. “Bring it on.”

And so the creature ran to her at the same supernatural speed, claws reaching for her eyes. She reared her head back and plunged her claws straight at its chest. The creature screeched, and backed away.