Demon Day by Penelope Fletcher (best novels in english .TXT) 📕

Devlin was less than half a day ahead,and his trail was erratic. Appearing unexpectedly then becomingdeceptively faint, or weaving in odd directions. He was trying tothrow us of course and used magics to slow us down so he couldescape. Each time I was sure he had changed course Conall haddisagreed and pointed out the way. At times we stopped for him toread the trails, listen to the wind, and press his ear to theearth.

It had not taken us long to pass outof fairy territory, and I knew the moment we did. There was asubtle change in the air as we ran, a cool ripple rolling over myskin, and a bubble of pressure popping as if we had broken througha containment of some kind. Rather than a crisp sweetness, thescents of the forest became harsh and syrupy. My nature sulked atthe loss of connection with Wyld land. The forest close to thehuman Temple side of fairyland was bright and spacious with an orgyof vivid evergreen flowers and shrubs. But as we passed out theother side of fairy territory the plant life dulled, becamemundane, and the thick glossy leaves withered into spindly brownspokes. The evergreen trees – bases covered in bright yellow lichen– were twisted into tortured formations. Bark lice and rotten fungispiraled up devouring the dead bark. Silken webbing from the licehung from the tree branches in wispy clumps, and when I batted someout of my way the secretion stuck to my fingertips. The densecanopy swooped lower, blocking out the light until everything tookon the electric blue tinge my fairy sight used to see in the dark.This part of the forest had not seen care in some time, and when Isent a nauseated look at Breandan his responding look wassad.

The decayed smells of the trees faded.The wild, spicy smell of animal reached me before it became clearwe had passed into the shifter’s Pride. The air was heavy withhints of hay and soil. The trees thinned, became clumps of bushyshrubbery then the tree line disappeared, and my eyebrows vanishedinto my hairline. Grass swelled up to my chest and flowed outward,rippling, causing the land to undulate in the wind. Gray cloudswith black underbellies drifted sluggishly across the dusky bluesky.

As my feet took their first steps intothe meadow the grass blades bent and fanned down, crushed beneaththe soles of my feet. Cool mud squelched between my toes and made ahorrible sucking sound when I pulled them free.

The absence of other footfalls besideme had me abruptly aware the other two had stopped running, and Iwas blazing ahead alone. Cursing the gods, I slowed to a speed ahuman could follow, and curved round to double back.

I stopped dead as a feeling offoreboding ran across the crown of my head in prickly tingles. Wassomeone close? I reached out with my developing sixth sense to seeif any auras were nearby, and a large shadow engulfed myown.

Rough, calloused hands closed aroundmy neck.

Instinctively, my wings spread, butwere hindered by a pair of muscled arms. I tried to use my tail tobeat at whoever had a hold on me, but I could not get a properswipe in. The meaty fingers locked around my neck tightened. Icould not breathe. I opened my mouth and tried to inhale. My lungsburned, and blood rushed to my brain. Feeling pressure buildingbehind my eyeballs, I did the one thing you should never do; Ipanicked and tried to scream. The remainder of air left my lungs,and my attacker squeezed my throat tighter. My vision blinkered andimpulsively I reached for the Source; the silo of energy that wasnowhere and everywhere, and mine to command. The power I called tome in a panic slipped through my grasping fingers.

The next time my eyes fluttered open,I was disorientated, and I was on my back when a moment ago I hadbeen upright.

My eyelids fought to lower. I caughtflashes of a bushy beard, a large chin, a chunky neck, and hugeshoulders. A heavy hand held my shoulder down. I pushed against it,and the mouth above the bushy chin cursed.

I dragged my eyes fully open and triedto scream. Nothing but hoarse squeak came out. I struggled andlicked my legs. He was so heavy. I tried to reach for the Sourceagain, but my terror was too great. It filled me but I could notthink what to do with it. All I could think was ‘help’! The manabove me smelt like stale sweat and bog water … warm animal. Ashifter? His breath was bitter, like rotting flesh. He grinned whenI struggled. He leaned over and licked from the base of my neck tomy temple. His tongue was rough, like sand had been pressed intoit, and I squirmed at the saliva that burned my skin as it trickleddown my neck into my hair.

I bucked, twisted, and clawed at him.I would fight my way out of this. I knew soon I would become tootired to move, but I could not just lie there. Behind my closedlids I saw Lex, bound and tortured, watching as Devlin and hisfairy mate abused her body. The horrific memory gave me a lastsurge of strength to fight harder.

There was a loud crack and the body ontop of me went limp, crushing me. His heavy weight lifted off me,and I heard a loud crash, as if a tree had snapped in half andfallen. I blinked up into darkening sky. Shaken. There was ahorrible crunching sound nearby, and a short, sharp wail ofpain.

I rolled onto all fours and crawledaway through the grass, the mud slicking my palms and knees as Iquietly scrambled forward.

Someone grabbed my ankle.

The touch was like a wave of peaceover my entire body, and I scuttled round to launch myself into hisarms. Breandan held me close to him, arms tight around my waist,and buried his head in my neck, his breath ragged.

My eyes skipped over the tips thegrass, looking for the bearded man. Two bounds away he lay inbroken mess. His hands and feet had changed into tawny colored