On Death's Honor

Chapter 11: Nose Dive

"Oh shit."

I don't recall moving my lips to say those words, but they kept coming, anyway.

One thing I learned in this business of killing powerful things was that most of the time, you didn't have time to think. You just did what you could and hope that that would be enough. It was easy to go over what and what not to do when sitting somewhere safe, unbothered by your surroundings. Nevermind that it was nearly impossible to plan for every scenario.

I certainly would never have thought up a scene where a bat from the underworld would come charging at me in the wayfolds. How did it get out?

Well, if I'm gonna do something, I should do it now.

The bat let out a screech different from all the others, its blood red eyes fixed on me. I glanced over the bridge to see that the liquid was still clear of the ominous black streaks. Without wanting to give myself time to think it over, I jumped.

I was in midair for at least ten seconds before my feet broke the surface. When I glanced up, I saw the damn bat continuing its course alongside the bridge before abruptly turning in the direction all the other monsters headed in. What the hell was up with everyone tonight?

The strange liquid that made up the wayfold's rivers was not water. No one knew for sure, exactly, what it was, only that it was rumored that a sip of the stuff could send anyone into excruciating pain for weeks. I never bothered to test the theory, and I didn't know anyone that would, either. To get close enough to draw from the river would be to expose oneself to the Hollows that infested it.

And now I was completely submerged.

Sheer panic and will kept me going, kicking my feet and moving my arms to propel myself forward. The first thing I did was get my head above the surface, shaking off the droplets from my face to avoid getting anything in my mouth. I didn't want to find out if the rumors were true.

Not too far in front of me was that cursed small piece of land. I just needed to get there before-

Something wrapped around my ankle, something thin but strong enough to nearly cut through skin as it yanked down. I clenched my jaw to keep from screaming, my fingers going for the dagger inside my cloak.

Whatever had grabbed me by the ankle was pulling me down faster and faster by the second. So fast that, while I'd somehow managed to free my blade from my cloak, both the cloak and the dress were swung up and over my head. If the cloak had not been fastened around my neck, I would have lost everything. This wasn't a Hollow. No, this was something different.

Well, I'd made a gamble jumping in here. I wasn't sure if this was much better than being shredded by a hellbat, though.

First the grayvers, then Bogdan, and now the wayfolds. Everything seemed to want to kill me more than usual.

This is why you don't do things on Ruve.

But damn if I was going to remain tethered to the Circle for a day longer than I had to.

And this is why you're going to die. Getting half strangled by clothes and eaten alive by a wayfold monster.

I couldn't do anything with my arms getting tangled in my clothes. And though I really wasn't sure what I was hoping to do afterwards, I knew that it was better to worry later instead of being dead. So, awkwardly holding onto my blade, I undid my cloak, letting it fly away with the help of the creature's momentum. After that, everything else followed suit; the satchel . . . And then the dress.

Going completely naked in the wayfold's rivers was not exactly a pastime favorite, but at least I had my mobility back. Clutching my knife, I tried to peer down at what had attached itself to me, but I couldn't see beyond the darkening liquid surrounding me.