The Shadow's Star

Chapter 21

Author note~ Happy New year everyone!~ TW: This chapter contains violence and death. I had a hard time writing this chapter because I struggled to let go of a character </3 (is anyone else like this?) but this was always the plan.

My feet met with the soft ground of the Mistlands. I had never visited the Mistlands before, I had only ever heard stories of the ancient creatures that dwell there, but it turned out to be as dreadful as I imagined. I could see nothing but Mist and the odd thin leafless tree. A chill ran down my spine and goosebumps formed down my arms, partly because of the sudden drop in temperature but mostly because of the silence and emptiness that surrounded me. It seemed like a place creatures would go to die not to live. The creatures that live here, if any, must be truly terrible if this is the place they favour to reside in. I took a feeble step and halted when the crunch of fallen branches beneath my foot seemed to echo around me. Was I foolish for coming here? I have no idea where my brother even is. Maybe Yetta and Nuri were right and I'm out of my depth. No. I was here to find Xander and nothing would stand in my way.

I took another step, branches crunched beneath my foot and then I was startled by a high pitched deafening screech followed by the consistent sound of something moving quickly towards me. My heart began pounding in my chest as I started sprinting from whatever I was sure was coming to claim my life. I was frantically running blindly into nothing but mist until my feet no longer hit the floor and I was hauled into the air by a creature you would only expect to see in nightmares. I looked up at the bone coloured, featherless, bird-like creature who had skewered me with its long sharp talons. I screamed silently at the searing pain through both my shoulders. It let out another deafening screech, a call that I hoped wouldn't attract more of its kind or perhaps worse. I quickly reached for one of my daggers and stabbed at one of the feet until it released me. Still hanging from its other foot I reached up and stabbed again and again until it let go and I fell to the ground with a painful thud that radiated through my whole body. I rolled over, seeing the bare ground for the first time I realised that the branches covering the ground were actually bones. Hundreds of thousands of scattered bones. Another screech came from above and then the creature darted towards me. A predator striking its prey. I staggered to my feet and took off running. The creature swooped low snapping at my back with his mouth full of long sharp jagged teeth. I considered using my magic to jump and put distance between us but the creature was too close to me that I risked taking it with me. I dropped to the floor and it flew over me and started to circle back. My light blood was pouring from both my shoulders, dripping down onto my hands but I had no time to waste thinking about the severity of my injuries because the creature was flying back towards me. I could easily throw light at it to bring it down but that too would risk attracting others so I summoned my wings instead and shot into the sky above the creature. Disoriented, the creature spun around, its beady black soulless eyes searching the sky for its prey, for me. I had to kill it if I had any hope of finding Xander. I flapped my white wings aiming straight for the creature that was now flying straight for me. It bared its teeth out of irritation from having to chase its next meal more than it's probably used to. I could feel the wind from its powerful wings as I approached. I waited until I was close enough for it to think it had me before I retreated higher and grabbed hold of its back. It spun in the air, flapping its wings to keep us air bound and I sunk my fingers into its leathery skin to keep me on its back. I heaved at the texture which reminded me of rotting skin and then I retreated my wings to keep them out of harms way before unsheathing my amplifier sword. The creature twisted its head around, snapping its teeth. I gripped the hilt tightly with both hands and raised the sword above my head, the blade of the sword lit up, amplifying my magic as I brought it down and plunged it straight through the creature's neck. The creature let out a gurgling cry as dark clumpy blood gushed out when I removed the sword. We both began descending picking up speed as the creature writhed in pain. Before we both hit the ground I leapt from its back and summoned my wings in time to save myself from certain death.