Bedeviled

Chapter 32

The man who called himself Death and I traveled for another day through the lands of purgatory, traveling across a mountain range, a different forest which he claimed creatures named laviathans swam in the swamps and bodies of waters, and another meadow.

By nightfall, we were riding through salt flats in a desert. He told me tomorrow morning we would cross the rocks in the distance and be done with our journey by afternoon.

We stopped, made another fire, and cooked the rest of the Venison he brought with.

Sitting a few feet away from him by the fire, I watched his full lips and pristine teeth rip into the meat. He wiped his mouth and licked his lips after chewing, passing the food in my direction and not looking at me once.

"Control yourself" he growled at me.

I knew the power in his voice was meant to intimidate me but it only sent a wave of lust through my lower body and thighs. I frowned at him, "I don't know what you're talking about", Trying to play it off.

He glared at me through the skull mask covering the upper part of his face, "I don't know what demon you were involved with before, but keep me out of it". I watched his sharp, exposed, jaw move with every word he spoke.

I rolled my eyes and mumbled, "Sorry".

After a while of sitting in silence, he pulled the pack off his horse and used it as a pillow, laying back on it. I did the same, pulling mine off Jager and closing my eyes, drifting off into my dreams.

The sound of loud whinnying woke me quickly. I jumped up and looked around, seeing Jager and the clydesdale rearing up and pulling at their reins that were attached to a nearly dying tree.

I whipped around to look for the man only to see him ten yards or so away wrestling something. I heard his grunts as he struggled. The small flames of the fire didn't do much to aid my vision but I made out the creature he was entangled with.

It was scrawny, pale, and bony. It resembled some sort of dog-human looking thing. Like an oversized, hairless rodent. I could hear it hissing and growling in the fight. I felt at my ankle for the long dagger I had yet to use and pulled it out, hand shaking.

I was running off of adrenaline and instinct by now. Running toward the wrestling figures I stopped few feet away, unsure of what to do, "Hey!" I yelled. Neither one of them turned to look at me.

I reached down and picked up a small rock, winding my arm back and hurling at the two of them. Luckily, it hit the thing and not my mysterious savior. Once it collided with it's torso, it shook and jumped off of the man, looking at me now and standing hunched over on two legs.

I swung the dagger up in preparation as it jumped on all fours and in my direction. It toppled on me, forcing me to the ground. It had human like hands with large, curved nails that wrapped around my forearm.

It held the arm with the dagger down and I struggled, wedging my knees against it's bony chest to keep distance between us. I was yelping out now but wasn't paying much attention to what I was saying.

I somehow got my right boot under it's hip and kicked it up off of me. It's nails cut deeply into my arm, making me cry out in pain. I didn't linger on it too much though, rolling over and thrusting the dagger into it's collar.

I felt every crunch and cut the blade made. I watched it grow limp and die onto the ground, my mouth hanging open and eyes wide. Immediately, my hands let go of the dagger and I scrambled back, staring at the disturbed thing that I killed.

"What was that?" I cried.

"A changeling" the man replied. I looked up at him in shock to find him standing over us, looking down at it. He reached down and pulled my dagger out of it, making me look away in disgust. I heard him wipe the blade then looked back up to see him handing to me. I took it carefully and slid it back into place.