Black City

“What’s he trying to follow?” Chloe asked, pausing for a moment. She looked a little wilted. Her vivid purple hair was flattened by the heavy air and her face was pale and sweaty. She leaned on Samiel’s shoulder and closed her eyes.

“I’m assuming he’s looking for J.B.’s scent and can’t get a fix on it. We can’t stop,” I said.

“I know,” Chloe replied, her eyes still closed. “Aren’t you beat? You’re the one who’s pregnant here.”

“I think I’m getting used to running around while exhausted,” I said. “And I slept for two days before we got here, so I’m a little perkier than usual.”

“Well, I am definitely not accustomed to this much exertion,” she said tiredly. “I sit at a desk most of the time.”

“Stick with her long enough and it will seem normal to be chased by monsters while tired and starving,” Beezle said.

“We’ve got to move,” I said.

Chloe straightened with obvious reluctance and opened her eyes. “Hey ho, let’s go.”

I glanced down the path toward Jude. He wasn’t there.

11

“JUDE’S GONE,” I SAID.

Samiel raised his fists. Chloe pulled a dagger out of the small of her back. I had no idea she carried such a thing. A ball of nightfire appeared on Nathaniel’s palm. Beezle flew off my shoulder.

“Where are you going?” I asked.

“Up to see what I can see,” he said.

Without speaking we all turned around so our backs faced inward in a tight circle. And we waited. The others were looking all around the woods, but my eyes were skyward, waiting for my gargoyle to return.

For a few minutes nothing happened. Then I saw Beezle flying back to us as fast as his wings could carry him, his little face set in tense lines. Before Beezle could reach us, Jude burst out of the woods from our back trail, running flat out and barking. He sprinted ahead of us again, his yips and growls telling us that we needed to hurry.

“Whatever you do, don’t fly,” Beezle shouted, as he landed on my shoulder. “And run!”

None of us needed to be told twice. Something large was behind us. It crashed through the woods, making the ground shake. Chloe stumbled ahead of Samiel. He scooped her up easily and tossed her over his shoulder, running all the while. Samiel is exceptionally strong.

“Put me down, you idiot!” Chloe shouted. “I can walk!”

I’m sure Samiel could feel the vibrations of Chloe’s shout in his chest even if he couldn’t hear the words, but he chose to ignore them. He ran at a dead sprint, right at Jude’s heels.

Nathaniel and I were several feet behind them. I was getting a good boost from terror and adrenaline, but I was starting to flag.

“Why can’t we fly?” I panted to Beezle.

“There are things sleeping in the trees,” Beezle said. “It’s better if we don’t wake them up.”

“What could be worse than what’s on the ground?” I asked.

The monster behind us roared. It sounded terrifyingly close. I didn’t want to turn around and see what it was. It was enough to know that it was big, it was angry and it was chasing us.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Nathaniel glance over his shoulder. His face paled.

“Beezle, what’s following us?” I asked.

“A spriggan,” he said. “Usually they’re small, but this one has either eaten a lot of human children or it’s swollen.”

“Do I want to know what it will do to us if it catches us?” I asked, finding a whole new running gear as the spriggan’s footsteps pounded closer.

“Do I need to paint you a picture?” Beezle said. “It’s not going to offer you tea and biscuits; I’ll tell you that much for free.”

My lungs burned. My legs were slowing in spite of my desire to live. Even when faced with the possibility of death, I couldn’t keep to an all-out sprint indefinitely.

Nathaniel grabbed my hand, pulling me along. “You must run.”

“I know,” I said.

“I can carry you.”

“You can’t carry me and fight at the same time,” I said. “And I think we’re going to have to fight.”

“You’re not fighting that spriggan,” Beezle said. “They’re barrow guards. Believe me, it’s seen anything you can throw at it.”

“I can’t run much longer,” I said.

Beezle looked behind us. “You have to. But I think it’s slowing down.”

The spriggan roared again, and it did sound like it was slightly farther away. Nathaniel gripped my hand hard, and I felt a little push of magical energy pass from him to me.

His magic burned through me, gave me the boost that I needed. My legs turned over faster and faster. Nathaniel kept pace with me, and after a minute or two we were right on Samiel’s heels.

It seemed like the trees were thinning out, the underbrush growing sparser. The sounds of the spriggan’s pursuit ceased abruptly. I risked a glance over my shoulder.

The spriggan was gone.

“Hold up,” I shouted, coming to a halt.

I bent over, my hands on my knees, trying to catch my breath. Beezle flew off my shoulder, hovering beside me in the air. Sweat dripped over my face and onto the ground. My fancy new leather pants stuck to my legs, and the sweater was sopping wet.

Jude and Samiel stopped and turned. When Samiel saw that we were no longer being pursued, he put Chloe back on her feet. She looked seasick. She sat on the ground, cross-legged, and breathed in through her nose.