FIRST BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES OF FANTASILIA SERIES
𝘈𝘯 𝘢𝘨𝘦-𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘺. 𝘈 𝘵𝘺𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘯. 𝘈 𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘳.
Xanthiene Vivenca's life drones on in a cycle of finding her next meal, ensuring...
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Trees blended together in one continuous dark landscape as Xanthy and June darted through the night. That thing bounded after them, roaring like a drunk Noble in the breeding stables. The ground shook with each step it took.
"What in Rudik's ass is that?!" Xanthy screamed at June who ran a few paces ahead of her.
"Spawn of the devil? Ah, I do not know!" June yelled back. "Where did it even come from?"
"You are asking me?" Xanthy's reply was drowned out when a booming bleat slammed into her ears.
Fog blurred most of her view. They seemed to be going east, following the curving path of flat land. To Xanthy's left, the earth sloped upward in a steep incline. Shadowy trees peppered the mass of rocks, soil, and grass and reached up towards the greenish sky.
The dirt was compact and soft underneath Xanthy's soles. She doubled her speed to match June's. Xanthy risked a glance and narrowed her eyes against the dim moonslight. White fur hung in matted locks down the creature's body and brushed the ground as it ran. Two curved horns jutted and curled from the creature's head, complimenting the menacing green eyes amplified by the greenish skin.
It's a sheep, Xanthy thought as an image of the fluffy animals grazing on the empty field between the Disfavoreds and the Commons popped in her mind. Then again, sheep weren't meant to be as big as houses. Nor were they meant to have teeth as long as Xanthy's palm.
The sheep opened its jaw and out came a screeching bleat that threatened to make Xanthy's eardrums erupt. She pressed her hands at the sides of her head and she was reminded yet again of the change in her body.
Could this day get any worse?
Turns out, they could. June whipped backwards and barked a string of words too fast for Xanthy to catch. From his hand, twin bursts of magical light speared towards the creature. Xanthy pumped her fist in the air as the spell set off on the creature's hide. A pained shriek emanated from the stirred up fog.
June caught up to Xanthy and they slowed down. Both of them looked back. The fog hissed as it gave way to the same set of green eyes.
June cursed like a businessman. "They are immune to magic? Unbelievable."
Bile rose to Xanthy's throat as they turned to run. "I am going to try to summon my magic," she shouted to June. "Perhaps I can do it."
"Negative," June rasped, looking back briefly. "That was one of my strongest attacks and it did not even faze that thing. Unless you got the Virtakios or something, you would not make a dent either."
Xanthy had no idea what in the world a Virtakios was so she inclined her head at the sloping mass of land. "Fly?" she suggested.
"That creature might be sensitive to foreign magic," June replied. "We do not want to attract more of them."
