Page 62 of Whispers of Ruin
“Them who?”
“I don’t know, but I saw them watching us last night too.”
“They’re doing more than watching us now.”
“Like what?”
As soon as the question left his mouth, one of those sucker-like things hit the barrier. The tentacle it was attached to pulsated like it was trying to drain energy from the shield.
Is that possible?
Before coming here, she would have said absolutely not, but she had no idea what kind of monsters resided in this place. They could be capable of doing anything.
No, it can’t be possible. If it were, they would have broken through the protective barrier long ago.
The witches had told her they’d also heard the whispers ever since arriving, and they’d been here for almost a year. After all that time, if whatever was creating the whispers could have gotten through the barrier, it would have by now.
But what if something changed?
The second sucker broke away from the bubble and vanished as another one hit it to the right. Outside the barrier, the whispers grew more frantic as the excitement of the creatures increased.
“What if no one has encountered them before? What if they can get in?” she asked.
“We’ve heard the whispers since the first night we arrived, and the others have all heard them for months. They have been around us since we arrived here.”
“Maybe not. We’ve heard their whispers, but until last night, no one had seen them. Maybe we’ve only been able to hear them but have never been close to them. Maybe we’ve wandered into their territory.”
“We have to talk to Ryker.”
Brokk said this, but neither of them moved as another tonguelike appendage hit the barrier. Almost immediately, ten more thudded against it from all different directions.
They wiggled up and down as the suction cups moved along the surface. She didn’t want to move away in case these things somehow managed to get through, but they had to alert the others to their presence.
Stepping back, she tugged on Brokk’s hand a little. “We have to go talk to Ryker.”
Brokk glanced at her before focusing on the barrier again. “You go and get them; I’ll stay here.”
The idea of leaving him here created a flutter in her belly. What if those things broke through with only him here to stop them?
She had no idea what was on the other end of those disgusting appendages, but she sensed it was something awful. “No, come with me.”
“Go on, Kaylia. I’ll be fine, but someone has to stay and keep watch.”
She couldn’t bring herself to release his hand. However, the longer she stayed here, the better chance the creatures had of breaking through while he was here alone.
“Be safe. I’ll be right back,” she vowed.
With that, she released his hand and fled into the jungle. Every part of her yearned to look back, but she kept her attention forward as she ran faster than she ever had before for help. She wouldn’t leave him alone for long.
CHAPTERFIFTY-NINE
“Haveyou ever seen anything like this?” Brokk asked as Ryker and Kaylia came to stand at his side.
It took Ryker a good minute or so to respond as he observed the strange appendages making their way across the barrier. “No.”
The whispers increased. They weren’t making progress on getting through the barrier, but something had excited them.
“You’ve always heard the whispers, though,” Kaylia said.
