The King's Possession ✔️

FORTY FOUR

Word Count: 2050

I've never witnessed a more terrifying sight.

There is no doubting this is the Beast, standing tall and large at the mouth of the cave, staring at us with striking green eyes, the emerald shade almost exactly the same as the necklace I once wore around my neck, having only tugged it off yesterday morning before we left.

It's almost impossible to believe that looking at this creature, it was once human. It stands far taller than all of us, broad shouldered with thick arms that lead down to clenched fists, thick, yellowy claws. There are no clothes on it's muscled, yet bent figure, instead the creature being covered in a coarse layer of brown fur, so damp it's flattened against its skin.

For a long moment, all three of us are stunned into silence, paralysed from the sight of this creature standing within the cave, the shadows melting around it, making it all the more frightening

I take a shuddering step backward, feet sinking into the white ground, remnants of this vile creature's victims. Even from this distance, as the creature looms closer, it's thick scent reaches me, smelling like the deepest depths of this cave, Jade Province native ferns and rotting flesh.

I want to gag, but I'm paralysed with fear.

"Run, both of you," Marek murmurs, hand gently reaching around to pull two knives from where they were strapped to the side of his thighs. "Tai, take her somewhere to hide."

Looking at Tai, I briefly note the colour that has drained from his face, lips parted slightly as he regards the towering creature which lingers at the entrance of the cave, either waiting for us to make a move, or determining the move it wants to make.

Grabbing my wrist, Tai tugs me from the primary cave and into another section of the cave, scrambling over sharp rocks and through deceptively deep puddles. I keep following him out of fear he will keep running and we will all be split.

We twist around a corner in the tunnel, darkness shrouding everything to the point I can only see Tai's outline, my eyes shrugging to adjust. Just as the tip of my boots catches on the edge of a rock, causing me to stumble forward, only just managing to right myself, Tai lets go of me, whirling around to face me.

By now, we have put some distance between us and Marek and the Beast, yet I can still hear the subtle sounds in the distance of what must be them fighting.

I shiver. There's no way Marek stands a chance against that thing.

"We can't just leave him here to fight it on the own, did you not see how big it was?" I question breathlessly, resting my hands on the top of my thighs as I look back toward where they are. When I look back at Tai, I can finally see more of his face, although most of it is still shrouded in shadow. He has a frown etched into his features...one that suggests he is completely mortified about the situation.

"What are either of us going to be able to do? We will just get in his way," he murmurs, reaching his hand out for me to grab. I shake my head, taking an uneasy step back. I don't want to leave him there, not when there is such a risk of the beast killing him.

Tai shakes his head at me, anticipating me turning around to go help Marek. "We have to be close enough to make sure he is okay."

When he takes another step toward me, I match it back.

"And what could we do, Akara?" Tai questions tentatively. "We are human...If we kill the Beast we will die."

Of course we would die, we stand less of a chance against the Beast than Marek does, but it's about being there to help get him out of there if the Beast overpowers him. For all we know, he could have already killed him...