Page 56 of Claim the Light
A cold shiver passes down my spine. It’s the same sensation I felt when Tyler was close by. The same chill that made me shudder when the Scorn dragons were hunting us at the fountain.
Death is near.
I’m not sure how I know that so keenly.
Or why my instincts are telling me that, this time, I should runtowardthe sound and not away from it.
In this place, with my senses so much freer, it’s a clear thought. An impulse that I don’t question.
I veer toward the location of the cry, identifying small movements up ahead.
Micah’s silhouette becomes visible among the foliage. He’s crouched beside a tree with a wide trunk and only a little space between him and the thick brush to his left.
He’s turned in my direction. But of course, he would have heard me running, possibly as far away as the lake. Maybe even heard me call his name all the way back there.
He holds his finger to his lips.
Relieved to see that he’s okay, I follow his lead, remaining silent while I slow down and then creep into the space beside him.
He gives me a brief smile—a reassuring smile, but there’s a hint of tension within it—before he points to the clearing ahead.
A creature lies in the thick undergrowth, its legs facing in our direction.
It resembles a horse in size and shape, but its hide is as green as the leaves of the surrounding trees. A perfect camouflage in this forest and, if it weren’t lying on darker brown foliage, I might have missed it.
While its body reminds me of a horse—right down to its hooves and tail—its neck and head are that of a stag. Mahogany-colored antlers protrude from either side of its forehead. They’re the same color as the deep-red trunks of the trees surrounding us.
The creature’s tummy is swollen and it rocks a little back and forth on the ground, groaning into the quiet.
I can’t take my eyes off its belly—herbelly—as I suddenly realize…
“She’s trying to give birth,” I whisper, my forehead creasing at the way she’s breathing heavily, the wideness of her eyes as if she’s verging on panic. All could be normal signs of birth, but this chill that remains at the base of my spine isnotnormal. “Something must be wrong.”
I’m on my feet in an instant, but Micah’s hand closes around my wrist just as quickly.
I meet his alarmed eyes.
“No, Sophia,” he says urgently. “We don’t know what this creature is or if she’ll react badly to your presence. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“She isn’t dangerous,” I say, although I’m speaking out of pure hope, but my next words carry the certainty I feel in my bones. “Both she and her baby will die if we don’t help her.”
Death remains a cold chill and I sense it within this clearing as surely as I can see the leaves and feel the soft breeze on my now-sweaty skin.
I don’t know if I’m making the right choice. I could be about to walk into danger. But my instincts are screaming at me to help this beautiful creature. If I ignore my instincts—if I cage them—then I will have no hope of finding my true power.
Micah’s hold tightens. Then loosens. “Remember when I told you I’d have a hard time putting you in harm’s way?” He grimaces. “I wasn’t lying about that.”
I bend to him, turning my hand so that I’m grasping his palm now. “Okay, then, let me promise you what I’ll do if I sense any danger: I’ll fly away. Simple as that.” I incline my head at the deer. “That creature doesn’t have wings. It can’t follow me into the air. And I promise I won’t touch it if I sense that contact with its body will hurt me.”
He gives me a crooked smile. “Will you allow me the privilege of watching your back?”
“Not allow,” I whisper. “Request. Because Iwantyou there with me.”
I squeeze his hand and now I’m the one letting him go as I rise to my feet again. I take it one step at a time as I move past the thick brush and into the clearing.
“I can hear other creatures. Large ones,” Micah murmurs as he follows quietly behind me. “I’ll keep watch around the clearing’s perimeter.”
“Thank you.” With a brief nod, I turn my focus completely to the deer.
