“Where is the girl?”
Hob bounded to the far side of the clearing only a dozen feet from the beast. “Please! Please don’t take me to the Dark One!” Hob begged, flopping over on the ground, then scrambling back up. “I know Hob knows many things that the dark master wants. He will take me and suck the thoughts from my head to know them.”
Hob’s words came out in frightful squeaks. What was he doing? Her friend was so tiny. He was almost the same size as Mildred. The monster was huge. Hob couldn’t fight a beast like that.
Wynn bit her lip until it hurt. Her eyes stung, but she held very still.
“I know she’s here. I can smell the sweetness of her flesh.”
Hob lifted his arm and took a big sniff beneath it. “That is just me.”
The monster roared.
Hob took off, speeding through the woods on his rabbit legs. He was very small and quick. The beast followed after him, loping through the trees on all fours.
Wynn shook all over. She had trouble bringing her thoughts together. Mildred struggled out of her arms and broke through the leaves. She ran in the direction Hob had pointed before he hid her.
“Mildred, no!” She pulled herself through the roots, the sticky leaves still clinging to her. They couldn’t hide now.
They had to run. Run!
Wynn scrambled through the woods, keeping sight of Mildred just ahead of her. The hen’s white legs flashed through the shadows as the chicken raced for the stormy gray shield. Wynn could see it through the leaves now. She could make it, she had to.
Wynn ran. Her foot hurt. Her breathing hurt. Mildred was just ahead of her, clucking encouraging noises.
Then Wynn heard a huffing behind her. She screamed and leaped forward, not daring to look behind her. She stumbled over a rock and fell on the hard ground.
Wynn rolled on her back and brought her arms up over her head as the monster bore down on her.
“Leave her be!” Hob yelled as he flew out of the brush. He caught the beast’s ear and chomped viciously until the black gooey ooze dripped down the beast’s face. Wynn bolted upright and backed away toward the shield. The monster shook its head, but Hob clung tight, still chewing on the reaper’s ear even though his body was thrown to one side of the monster’s skull, then the other.
“Enough!” It was the voice again. The terrible in-her-head voice.
The monster grabbed Hob around the middle and ripped him from its ear. Wynn watched in horror as the beast threw him as hard as he could.
Hob’s wiry body hit a tree trunk with a sickening smack, and fell down into the bushes.
“Hob!” Wynn screamed, and ran toward where he fell.
Strong, hairy gray arms gripped her around the middle and pulled her away.
“Hob!” she cried, her tears streaking down her cheeks as the monster’s claws dug into her sides.
“Scream all you want. You belong to the Grendel now.”
A dark and evil laugh sounded in Wynn’s mind. She felt the weight of it press down on her spirit. The beast dragged her away. Its arm wrapped tight around her middle, and she couldn’t breathe. It made her dizzy as she grabbed fistfuls of the monster’s hair. It was so coarse it cut through her hands like rough twine. Its claws dug into her sides, a stinging pain she couldn’t escape.
Wynn screamed and screamed. Tears streaked down her face. She pulled and pushed. Tugged on the monster’s shaggy hair until her palms were on fire from rope burns. Scratched, bit, kicked. She fought. Her other shoe came off. Her crown fell.
The monster ran and ran deep into the woods. Wynn couldn’t see. She couldn’t open her eyes. The claws digging into her side hurt. She tried to pull them out.
“I have her at last, Master.”
Wynn heard the laughing in her head. She screamed louder so she wouldn’t hear it. She pulled on its matted fur. It didn’t help. It didn’t stop running.
The reaper had her. It would take her to the Grendel and she would disappear. Elric wasn’t here. Hob was gone. She was scared. She hurt all over.
She felt dizzy. It was hard to breathe. The reaper held her too tightly around her middle. She couldn’t close her eyes. She had to fight.
She ripped a chunk of hair out of the beast’s side.
The creature snarled and winced. She was doing it. She had to hurt it. Wynn ripped harder at its hide.
The monster pulled her under its body, so her head was near its chin. She couldn’t reach its long hair on its shoulders and sides. Its skin was smooth and tough under its bare belly. It didn’t stop running. She kicked hard against its chest, ramming her head up under its chin. Her head hit its wolf-like jaw. Her teeth cracked together and a sharp burst of pain exploded in her head.
The monster flung its head up away from her blow. She heard a loud crack. Everything tumbled and fell.
The monster collapsed on top of her. It smelled like rotting meat. She choked, unable to breathe.
Pushing hard against its matted fur, she wriggled out from under it. She gasped as she struggled to her feet. The forest air smelled like moldy leaves, but that was much better than the stinky monster.
Wynn stumbled away from it. A low limb of a tree hung overhead. It must have hit its face on the wood.
Good.
Wynn kicked it and hurt her toes, that pain felt good. She turned and ran back the way the monster had come—at least, she thought she did. She had to get far away. Her heart pounded. She could hear the heavy thump, thump, thump in her ears. She could taste blood in her throat.
Behind her, she heard a growl.
The monster was waking up.
Wynn scrambled over a large tree branch.
