Chapter 18: Alex goes scouting

Alex's P.O.V.:

Atem finally placed Siren in one of the bunks before climbing into the one opposite her. I watched them for a moment, noticing how, even as his eyes dropped closed, his gaze never left her. Were all people in love this strange? As far as I know I don't act like that towards Siren. I just sighed at them and walked towards the window again. I knew these mountains like the back of my hand and I hadn't known anything about this village. In fact, the last time I'd been in these mountains, there wasn't a soul anywhere in sight and the Bewilderin was marking its hunting grounds.

Of course there wasn't a Bewilderin now. I felt the corners of my mouth turn upwards as an unbidden smirk pulled at my face. I had had to take down the Bewilderin but I was really regretting it now. It wasn't that I wanted it to kill whatever people were left in whatever village this was, it's just that it would have been simpler if it had.

I silently slipped out the door of the jet and landed in a half crouch on the ground. It was raining pretty hard outside, harder than I'd realized. Luckily, being used to the extreme weather conditions of the mountains, it was little work to manoeuvre passed the spirits and through the trees in the downpour. Though it was unlikely that anyone would hear me coming, I kept my steps light as I darted between the trees, no more than a shadow. This was instinctive more than anything else as it was normal to the hunting patterns we used.

I continued to make my way through the trees until I came to the cave that went through the mountain side. Looking back I sighed. I had completely forgotten to mention that the clearing we were camped in is the same one where Siren had fought the Bewilderin, the cave I was standing in being the last place I'd seen her before it arrived.

The environment outside and inside the cave were both equally dark, so I didn't have to wait for my eyes to adjust before I began to quickly race through the tunnel. With my speed increased during the night, it took less than 10 minutes for me to get through the cave whereas in the day, with Atem, it had taken about double that, maybe more. I paused at the mouth of the exit. It was raining on this side of the mountain as well but, far in the valley below, there were small lights flickering; signs of life in the village where there had been none before.

"Vampires maybe?" I questioned myself out loud. "But no, another vampire colony would be easy to pick up in the area. On top of that, this is the King's homeland, there aren't supposed to be unknown nests around here."

Something was very wrong. Earlier there were no traceable signs of human life in the village below. Now the lights and occasional shadow was just visible in the dark. "Okay," I breathed deeply, deliberating." Whatever is down there evaded Atem's legendary tracking skills. It's not human because I caught no trace of human blood. It's not vampire because we would have known if there was a small cluster. The closest village is over the mountains opposite me, and that's the village children the Guardian would play with, here in the valley. So…"

Nothing. My mind was whirring and all the back and forward was making me feel dizzy. I sat on a small outcropping of rock just inside the cave to stay out of the rain so I could think clearly.

Was Siren's instinct right this time? Could this really be a trap?

If it was, then the Guardian was tainted on purpose. It was tainted in preparation for their arrival and planted near the clearing to find them. Atem had said that there was a dismembered hand near the northern part of the camp but when they went back to investigate there was nothing but a light blood smear on some grass. Furthermore, that thing had only gotten there between Alex's exit and Atem's arrival. This was a very small gap for a "bear-hemoth", as Siren vehemently had called it, to slug towards the camp. That means something else nasty was about.

The thought occurred to me and I suddenly felt very conscious and vulnerable in the cave, so far away from the wards. I was hit by a sudden urge to flee back to the jet, to make sure everything was ok. Thoughts of Siren and Atem, fast asleep and vulnerable should anything approach flashed through my mind. I cursed under my breath and dashed back through the cave to the other side where I slid down the steep, wet bank of the mountain side. Just as I got to the edge of the forest, I felt the wards activate, sending a prickle across the back of my neck. It was nearest to the side I was on.

I cursed under my breath and sped towards the barrier. As I approached there was a soft whooshing noise on my left before I was knocked off my feet and sent spinning through the air and into a particularly large tree. I landed on all fours, barely getting a second to catch my breath before launching myself backwards. I did 2 backflips before skidding to a halt in the mud and standing in a half crouch. I scanned the dark for the beast, my pupils narrowing, my fangs erupting. A low hiss escaped my throat as my eyes fell upon the beast.

A Bewilderin

But it was different from the last one to hunt these mountains. This one had bug-like red eyes, and the snake protruding from its rear was black, its eyes were too dark a red. Oh sure, the usual wolf-like appearance with the classic fangs dripping venom but there was a bonus now. My sight narrowed in on the ground where blood and venom dripped to the ground, causing the earth to sizzle. I followed the trail of dripping blood to see a large gash in its arm. I smirked and snarled at it in warning, it couldn't get past the barrier and I was going to tear it apart.

Shame that I can't drink its blood though, that's crazy unhealthy.

My stomach made a churning sound and my throat burned, a group of sensations I associate with a need to gag.

It took mere seconds for these thoughts to go through my head. I jumped and caught hold of a branch, swinging myself onto it before launching myself at the creature. The movement was too fast for it to keep up with and it stumbled under the weight of my punch before flying into the barrier again. Electricity surged through it and a new gash opened out on its back. I took a few steps away from it as it stood straight up, as if I couldn't feel its wounds, and sprung at me.

I side-stepped it and grabbed its snake tail and yanked as hard as I could. The bewilderin gave a howl of pain as I flung it against a tree and, grabbing the dagger from my boot, sliced off its tail. I threw the snake to the ground where its blood sort of digested it – ew. A sting acoss my cheek caused me to leap backwards and I brought my hand to my face to feel a long gash already healing. A scratch

"Well, damn," I whispered to myself, my eyes never leaving the creature. The last Bewilderin had also scratched my face. Was it a thing amongst the wolf-like chimeras or was this just an issue the things had with his face. Yes he was pretty and they weren't, you'd think they'd get over it.

The Bewilderin staggered, its body broken from being used as a tree-cozy. I thought that that was the end of it and let my guard down a bit only for it to leap straight towards me. I stumbled backwards, bringing my right hand up to my face instinctively, my left hand making a slashing movement.

A burning sensation on my arm had me ripping off my jacket and throwing it aside. Acid blood ate away at the fabric where it had splashed. I quickly relocated the Bewilderin, as it lay quivering on the ground, writhing in yet more agony, its arm severed from its hairy body. It was a grotesque and pitiful site. I lifted my hand above its broken form.

"inveniet pace in interitum," I whispered as I let the knife fall.

It buried itself in the beast's chest, cleanly passing through the heart. There was shudder that ran through its body before it stilled and I released a sigh. I retrieved and cleaned my dagger before stepping through the wards, taking care to burn away my jacket before making my way to the jet.

I glanced over my shoulder and did a double take as 2 pairs of bulging red-eyes looked back at me from beyond the barrier. More Bewilderin. This kept getting better and better.

I hurried the rest of the way to the jet, pausing only for a moment outside the door to glance over the area before slipping back inside. I sighed and turned only to have a dagger fly straight past me and embed itself in the wall beside my head.

"The frickin hell!" I screamed staring towards the bunks.

Atem cringed and looked over to Siren to check she was still asleep before getting out of bed.

"Sorry," he said, sounding sheepish as he retrieved his dagger. "I felt the wards a little while ago and was a bit jumpy."

"Next time look harder before you attempt to impale me," I hissed at him. Siren shifted and both of us glanced over before sighing as she relaxed. "Go back to bed," I continued. "I'll keep watch."

Atem nodded before handing me his dagger and getting back into the bunk opposite Siren and falling asleep. I grumbled to myself as I plonked my butt near a window and popped on my headphones.

The night had already been too long for my liking and it continued to drone.

Woohoo! A Thousand apologies readers! I like to keep 3 chapters ahead of posting but my writer's block is seriously driving me insane. Hope i finish before year end coz i plan on starting the final book of the series on 01/0102017

Remember the christmas special? Hopefully will get that to you guys too by Sunday Morning. Also I want a little feedback on what you guys make of Alexander if you please.

See yous in (hopefully) 36 hours