If after every tempest come such calms,
May the winds blow till they have waken'd death!
— William Shakespeare, Othello
CONSCIOUSNESS CAME SUDDENLY, with abrupt awareness of pain. Roots dug into my arms and legs, holding me against the rock wall of a cave.
Some wrapped around my torso, but my head was free, my neck still mobile. I scanned the cave for any sign of the Beast, but I saw only a packed dirt floor and silver grey walls of stone and granite in jagged configurations. "Help! Anyone!" I tried to reach out mentally to someone, anyone, but couldn't push past an invisible barrier that blocked me.
My screams pierced the cavernous space, bouncing back on me, demanding I become my own rescuer. I struggled, pulled, tugged, yanked, but the roots only tightened with each movement, cutting into me, my blood mixing with them. I could feel my phone in my pocket but couldn't reach it. If only I could free my hands I could call for help.
I used the last tool I had, my mouth, and leaned over in a contortionist position to chew on the roots over my right arm. As I bit in, the roots pulled away, off my flesh, as if in pain. As if they were alive and could feel.
And I realized in that moment it wasn't multiple roots holding me, but the root of one tree, somehow. They were all connected, all pulling away with the pain of the bite. I spit out the bitter chunk of root flesh I'd pulled off and dug my teeth in again, this time not holding back.
The more I bit, the more the root pulled away, peeling off of me as I ate away at its body. I struggled against the restraint, pushing aside the rest, biting more, until I freed myself.
I moved away from the wall of the cave, hoping the roots couldn't grab me now, and was digging into my jeans pocket for my phone, when I heard a growl coming from deep within the cave, red eyes moving closer to me through the darkness.
A faint shaft of moonlight streamed in from the opposite direction and I ran with everything in me to reach the exit of the cave, hoping it was in fact an exit.
But luck was not with me as new roots sprung up from the ground, grabbing at my ankles, tripping me as I worked to avoid getting trapped by them. They whipped at my legs, cutting through my jeans and leaving what I was sure would be angry welts and bloody trails, but I didn't stop to look, only pushed myself harder to run.
The Beast didn't follow, which didn't make sense, but I couldn't pause to think about it.
I just needed to get out.
To get help.
Relief flooded my nervous system as I saw the exit, a large opening that released me into unfamiliar surroundings. A hill with a forest below, the moon shining bright in the sky.
I ran down the hill, but roots grabbed me, tripping me and pulling me back.
As I fell, I dropped my phone out of reach. I strained for it as the roots tied me down, limiting my movement. My fingers stretched painfully, muscles burning as I reached as far as I could, but the phone was just out of reach, and then I was immobile, unable to move at all. A sob escaped my throat as I struggled against my bonds. I couldn't reach any root to bite into it, could barely turn my head for fear the root around my neck would strangle me.
But I could see enough to know I was in deep shit.
The Beast's eyes glowed in the night, moving slowly out of the cave and coming straight for me.
Before it could reach me, another figure appeared in the sky above me, dark at first, then shining with a golden light, like a falling star. I thought I was hallucinating as the roots choked the air from me, but when I blinked to clear my eyes, I saw the falling star land and stand over me as he brought up a sword and sliced through the roots.
Drake.
SEVENTEEN
No Remedy
DRAKE
there's no remedy; 'tis the curse of service,
— William Shakespeare, Othello
WITH SAM FREE, I prepared to fight, and kick the shit out of the Beast.
I jumped between them, blocking Sam, who struggled to stand, with my body and sword. "Why are you after Sam?"
If I was hoping for a rational discussion on motivation, I was bound to be disappointed. The Beast charged me, and I twisted, blurring into a gold shadow as I dodged his lunge at the last moment and slashed my sword toward its leg, cutting into flesh.
The Beast fell, roaring as it tumbled down the hill.
"Hide!" I yelled to Sam. "Call backup. I love you."
She shouted for me to wait, but I was already flying down the hill and after the Beast. He had to be stopped or he would keep coming for her.
The Beast was nearly recovered when I reached it. As soon as it saw me it howled, rage shaking the trees around it as its voice filled the night sky.