Changeling Witch

Case Connection

Naturally, Hunter turned around---and instantly regretted it.

Standing behind them, jaws dripping with saliva, was a gigantic lion... only, it wasn't entirely a lion, Hunter realized with a sickening jolt. It had a goat head in the middle of its back, plus the hindquarters of a goat, and instead of a tail, it had a serpent.

And all three of its heads looked hungry.

Edric grabbed him by the collar and pulled him along as they ran through the trees, the creature bounding after them.

"Nice going, human!" Edric hissed. "Your yelling woke up the chimera!"

"Why do you even have a hideout near one of those things?!" Hunter whisper-screamed. "Do you have some sort of a death wish?"

"If you don't bother it, it doesn't bother you, and you bothered it big-time!"

"I'm sorry that I didn't know that there was some freakish monster living in the woods!"

Edric pulled him behind a tree as the chimera raced past, both boys holding their breath until they couldn't hear it anymore.

Hunter froze. "Wait---Amity and Emira! They're still---"

"Long gone," Edric said, rubbing his temples. "Em just learned this new teleportation spell. They're probably back at the house by now."

"Oh." He relaxed. "So, do we leave, or---"

"No, that thing's gonna keep on hunting us until it gets to eat us or we scare it off. And I don't know about you, but I'd rather not get eaten." Edric summoned his bag and started rifling through it. "Okay, there's gotta be something in here that I can use. Maybe---"

An unholy mixture of a snarl, a bleat, and a hiss sounded from over their heads. The two of them slowly looked up to see the chimera leering at them.

Hunter noticed the mud under their feet and grabbed a fistful. "Ed, aim for the eyes."

"Which eyes---"

"I'll take the lion head, you take the snake and the goat!" Hunter hurled the glob of mud at the chimera's biggest head, sending it right into its eyes. Edric followed suit with the other two heads.

"Now run!" Hunter grabbed Ed's arm and they ran as fast as they could.

Edric gave him a look. "Now what?"

"I don't know!" Hunter exclaimed. "I didn't even think that would work! I was just, like---" He waved his hands around. "Y'know what I mean?"

Ed stared at him, and then something truly unexpected happened.

He laughed.

It wasn't a mean laugh, or a sarcastic laugh. It was real.

Hunter shook off his surprise. "Do you have any better ideas?"

"Well, no, but---" Edric's eyes widened and he grabbed Hunter's shoulders. "You read Casey Cane. You referenced it when you challenged me to that witch's duel."

"Yeah, and? I'm surprised you read it---"

"Which means you've definitely read the part in the first book where Quincy gets Casey to wrangle that rogue gargoyle in order to prove that she's the right person to solve his case!" Edric said excitedly. "We can do what she did with the chimera! It's even got the right number of heads!"

Hunter clapped a hand over his mouth. "You really think---"

"No, but it's our best shot." Edric pulled a coil of rope out of his bag. "I got this at a shop a couple weeks ago, and I've tried it out a couple times. It can turn into a net if I say the incantation."