As we get further north, the woods around us begin to gradually change. The trees grow shorter now and look more gnarled, their leaves almost black in color. Heavy, dark clouds cover the sky, blocking the sun. The nights seem longer and it never really gets light even during the day. I realize that we must have entered the so-called Dark Land of the roamers. The thought is more than a little worrisome.
One evening we hear a familiar growling. Chilled by the sound, I slowly rise to my feet. A chimera slowly walks toward us, stopping several feet away and studying us with its yellow eyes. Tanya lets out a sob.
“Don’t move,” I whisper, standing between her and the animal.
The chimera watches me warily, sniffing at the air. I stand frozen, willing my pulse to slow. I know we can’t outrun this beast. It takes a couple more steps toward us and I slowly raise my knife. The animal stops, letting out another warning growl.
I won’t let this chimera kill Tanya, I think with an odd calmness. I don’t care how big and strong it may be.
The chimera and I stand motionless, staring each other down. I have no idea what it’s waiting for.
“Leave,” I say. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
No fear, I repeat in my mind. Animals can smell fear. I can’t allow myself to feel scared.
The chimera moves in closer and sniffs at the knife. I still don’t move. It bares its teeth, growls and runs away. I breathe a sigh of relief. I know this animal could easily have killed us, but for some strange reason didn’t.
“You scared it off!” Tanya exclaims.
“It just wasn’t hungry,” I say. “Let’s get out of here before its appetite returns.”
We hurriedly walk away.
We worry that we may come across more chimeras or wolves. But it turns out that we’re afraid of the wrong things. One night we run into a group of five men dressed in dark hoodies, military cargo-pants and heavy boots. We freeze in place, staring at them in stark horror. They look demonic with faces painted like human skulls. I immediately realize these must be the legendary roamers of the Dark Land. The very ones known for killing trespassers on sight. So it wasn’t just a silly story after all.
“What have we got here?” one guy says, grinning. “What are two nice girls like you doing out here all alone at night?”
Screaming, I turn and take off running.
CHAPTER 20
I hear voices mixed with laughter behind but don’t risk looking back or slowing my pace. I sprint flat out as hard as I can, tearing through brush and thin branches. My breath is ragged and my legs ache. The night is so dark that I can’t see where I’m running.
I run smack into a large tree, knocking myself down, and lie sprawled across the ground. I remain motionless, listening to my own heartbeat. I don’t hear anything else for a few moments. Then a girl’s high-pitched scream causes me to flinch.
Tanya!
Frightened out of my mind, I somehow completely forgot about her. A feeling of guilt burns through me. They’ve captured her! She’s in grave danger. I can’t leave my friend behind.
I rise to my feet and run back toward the sound of Tanya’s screaming. Coming closer, I can hear derisive laughter along with her pleads for help. I increase my speed, envisioning the frightful roamers beating and torturing Tanya. The horrible image makes me sprint faster. I must find a way to rescue her!
A dark figure looms in my way. I stop abruptly, turning around, my heart skipping a few beats. But it’s too late. A tall broad-shouldered guy lunges at me. I cry out in horror. He laughs, wrapping his arms tightly around me.
“I got her!” he yells into the darkness.
I struggle desperately to free my arms but can hardly move. He squeezes me tighter, causing my ribs to ache. His horrific face is only a few inches away from mine. I try to push him away, but he’s just too strong.
“You’re not going anywhere, sweetheart,” he says.
A vision of Amethyst flashes in my mind. It feels as if my best friend has come to help me once again. I do as she did to Logan in a similar situation. I quickly jerk my head forward, striking the guy in the face as hard as I can. My forehead connects solidly with the bridge of his nose. His head whips backward and his grip weakens. Without thinking, I shove him away and take off again. The guy curses angrily behind me.
Tanya screams again. I snatch up a branch from the ground as I run. I hear footsteps and voices all around. I feel disoriented, not fully comprehending where I should go. Where’s Tanya? Where are the other roamers? Is somebody following me? I don’t know. I can’t worry about that right now. I have to help my friend.
I approach the road, the same place we ran into the gang. A roamer leads Tanya right in front of me, heading toward a pickup truck. I leap out from the brush and hit the guy in the head with the branch. He curses, turning to face me, but still holding onto Tanya. I hit him again and he grabs the branch. Tanya bites at his arm and the guy yells, releasing her and charging at me. I duck under his outstretched arms, jumping away.
“Run!” I shout, sprinting again.
I can’t understand what’s happening. I have no idea whether Tanya managed to escape or
