“Can’t you make this thing go any faster?” Frank cried out. His tattoos were glowing red, two orbs of fire burning in either hand. He leaned over the side of the cart, trying to keep his eyes on the shadowy form of the creature in pursuit of them.

Circe gripped the wooden paneling of the seat, driving her heels into the floor to keep herself steady. Her gaze was locked on the endless maze of trees behind them.

“I can conjure a wind spell, but I can’t promise it won’t blow us off the path,” she said.

Gostor stood on top of his seat, handaxes at the ready. He growled and darted forward like he was about to leap off the cart and attack the monster. Flynn grabbed him by the back of his neck and pulled him back, holding him in place.

Even over the wild rattling of the cart’s wheels on the uneven and ragged terrain, the metallic slash of the creature’s hands echoed through the forest. It emerged from the darkness, weaving through the trees with frightening speed. Its grotesque form seemed to glide across the forest floor as if it were a sea creature bobbing across the ocean floor. The coat of skin flapped in the wind, and the long curved blades of its fingers glinted in the strands of moonlight.

Arsa let an arrow fly, his shot whirring between Frank and Circe’s heads. It struck the thing in its chest, but it barely slowed.

“It’s relentless,” he said, readying another arrow.

Frank yelled as he thrust his hands forward. The fire launched forward, roaring toward the pursuer. The flames lit up the forest, casting long shadows as they engulfed the creature.

With a hiss, the flames quickly extinguished, seeming to soak into the form of the thing. In the remaining light, they saw it unscathed, its fingers twitching wildly.

“Acadian!” Frank shouted. “Get us out of here!”

“Workin’ on it!” he yelled back, his eyes scanning tirelessly the path ahead. Coming quickly, he saw a fork in the road. The path to the left traveled steeply downward - a narrow ravine, but possibly their only escape. He jerked his hand to the left, sending the cart hurtling down the hill. “Hold on!”

The wagon swayed dangerously as it veered onto the trail, its wheels bouncing and sending the loose earth tumbling down before them. Behind them, the creature was undeterred, leaping from tree to tree with a twisted agility. It lunged after them, a bladed hand striking out toward the cart. Dropping Gostor, Flynn swung his shield around to intercept the blow with a loud metallic clang. The force knocked him back, his heavy armor pinning the scrambling dwarf to the floor.

Looking up, Flynn caught a glimpse of the face hidden behind the hat. A patchwork mask of skin, unevenly stitched together with the same dark thread covered a bone-white creature beneath. The eyes were empty voids, seeming to accept no light from showing what lay beyond them.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Flynn’s eyes went wide, fear overwhelming him. Suddenly, Circe raised her hands, her eyes glowing brightly green.

“Umbanu,” she shouted.

Dark tendrils of ichor dripped from her fingertips, lashing themselves at the creature and wrapping around its limbs. Like snakes, they twisted and tightened, but the thing was resisting their control.

“This won’t hold it for long,” she said. “We have to get out, now.”

“Tryin’!” Acadian snapped. The cart surged forward, pushing through the ravine faster than what felt safe. The path began to level out, the sound of rushing water calling through the trees. Acadian guided the vehicle off the path and toward the river.

As the cart burst through into a clearing, the river appeared before them. Gostor wiggled himself free of Flynn’s armor, leaving his axes on the ground. He shouted an inhuman grunt as his body became covered in thick fur, a muscular tail shooting out from beneath his leathers. With a swift turn, he kicked at the restrained beast, sending it hurtling toward the water.

It tumbled and rolled across the grass, landing with a splash into the river. Acadian halted the cart as they all watched the water. They focused their eyes on the river, but it was too dark to see through.

Frank stepped off the cart, summoning the light globe to his hand. He slowly approached the bank, holding the light close to his head. He knelt by the water, searching for any sign of the monster. A moment passed with no sign, his racing heartbeat still pounding in his ears. He sighed with relief and turned to rejoin the others.

The loud eruption of water was accompanied by the stinging pain in his calf and the warm trickle of blood that followed. The beast crawled onto the grass, water dripping off its leathery suit. Frank fell to the ground and pulled himself away.

The others dismounted the cart and ran after him, but they were quickly cut off by three opalescent flares of magic flying past them. They exploded in a bright and colorful burst of light, which seemed to frighten the creature. It fell backward and swatted at the sparks with its claws. More flares flew from the trees, sending it running in the direction of the water, away from the gathered party.

Circe and Flynn helped Frank to his feet while Acadian tackled Gostor to keep him from running after the thing. Arsa pulled the bowstring back and aimed toward the way they had come, expecting another monster to present itself.

In the dark were two reflective dots, like cat eyes, watching them in the shadows. When the others had seen them, Frank sent the light to reveal what was lurking. To their surprise, it was no monster, but an elven woman.

She flinched at the light, her silver hair falling straight to her midback. She was dressed in a purple patchwork common dress with an old apron tied around her waist. The woman watched them quietly, squinting against the light. She bent down, picking up a wicker basket full of roses. Placing one of the flowers down before her, she turned and walked away.

Speechless, the group watched as Arsa stepped through the tall grass and picked up the rose. It was not the flower that startled him, but the dark purple tint to the woman’s skin.

“You saw it, right?” he said.

A dark elf.