CHAPTER 68

The man eyed both of them and let out a sigh. He was dressed in a simple tunic with cloth pants, and was barefoot. His skin was pale, but his hair and eyes were dark like mud, and there was a collection of damp leaves in his hair that looked like they had been hastily tucked away.

"You're lost, aren't you?"

"No," Mike told him. "We know where we're going. We just don't know if we'll get there before nightfall."

"Oh." The stranger shrugged. "In that case, you'll need shelter for the night. You don't want to be out here when the sun sets. There are unnatural beings who roam this area."

"Do you know where we could find some shelter?" Beth stepped between Mike and the stranger, batting her eyes.

"I do, actually." The stranger pointed the way they were going. "Up ahead a bit, you will see a large boulder on the left. There's a small path on the other side, it's hidden by some berry bushes. Don't eat those, by the way. They'll make you sick. Anyway, the path goes to an old fishing hut that nobody is using these days. You could stay there if you like."

"That's so convenient," Beth said, scrutinizing the man. Though he seemed harmless, she could tell something was off, especially since the warning they received from the gnome. "We'll be sure to check that out, thank you."

"Yeah, no trouble." The stranger leaned against a tree and feigned disinterest. Beth pulled Mike along, and waited until they were farther down the path to talk with him.

"So that's obviously a trap," she said, keeping her voice low.

"You had me convinced we were staying in a fishing hut," he replied.

She looked over her shoulder and saw that the stranger had disappeared.

"Yeah, well, once we're at the boulder, get ready to run."

"I hate running," Mike mumbled. "I should have worn better shoes."

"Put that on the list for our next adventure." She couldn't help but smile. "Any ideas what that guy was?"

"Nope." He moved to the side of the path and bent down to tie his shoe. She saw him slip something out of his pocket. "But I have a feeling that we're gonna find out. Can't say I'm excited."

"Hmm." Beth stuck her hand in her messenger bag and started feeling around. She found what she wanted, and pulled the small canister of pepper spray from her bag and stuck her thumb under the safety latch.

The boulder appeared, and they both slowed down. She watched the edge of the forest, but didn't see any signs of movement. When they got to the boulder, sure enough there was a small path that led around it.

"Let's walk ahead just a little bit," Mike said. "I'd hate to find out that we were almost there and quit too early. We can always come back."

She played along. "Are you sure? My feet are really tired."

"Ten more minutes, and then we come back. Deal?"

"Deal."

They walked past the boulder, and she was fairly certain that she heard the rustling of leaves deep in the woods. The further they walked, the more she heard it. Something just on the other side of the trees was stalking them, and it was getting closer. Her hand tightened on the pepper spray, and she wondered how long they would have to wait before something happened.

It wasn't long. A few minutes past the boulder, she caught a few breaks in the trees. Just on the other side of them was a small lake, and the trees were already thinning out. Down along the shore was a dock and a building that looked like it was the fishing hut the stranger had mentioned.

"Hey, there really is a hut back there." she said.

"And this would have been ten times easier on the dock," the stranger said, stepping into the path in front of them. He was dripping with water, as if he had been swimming. "I was really hoping you would go there."

"So you could eat us, right?" The little bits of seaweed in his hair had tickled Beth's memory, but seeing him soaking wet told her what he really was. "He's a kelpie. Why not just grab us back there?"

"Too dangerous," Mike answered. "If he had grabbed us, it's a long way to the water from the path. But it isn't too bad here, is it?"

"No. It isn't." The kelpie held up his hands, which were now twice their previous size. "Looks like human is on the menu," he said, then moved to grab them both.

The kelpie was fast, but Mike was faster. He threw a handful of something white that sizzled on contact with the kelpie's skin, and then shoved Beth out of harm's way. Meanwhile, Beth unloaded her pepper spray in the kelpie's face.

The kelpie brayed like a donkey and stumbled across the path to crash into a tree. His skin split apart and his body expanded rapidly, turning into a massive horse with a mane and tail made of flowing water and bits of seagrass clinging to its side.

"C'mon!" Beth yelled, then grabbed Mike by the hand and they ran for it.

Behind them, the kelpie stumbled about, slamming its head into a few nearby trees hard enough that they toppled. It finally let out a horrific noise before bolting for the safety of its lake, pawing at its face the entire time before it vanished beneath the surface.

They jogged for several minutes along the path, eventually reaching an incline that took them up and away from the lake's edge. Panting in exhaustion, they both took refuge at a clump of rocks at the top of the incline. It allowed them a view of the lake below, and the kelpie would be unable to catch up with them.

"You... you fucking pepper sprayed him?" Mike let out a laugh that was also a wheeze.

"You're one to talk... was that salt?"

"It was." He held out the tube, and she took it, then sucked down a large amount of water.

"Why salt?" she asked, then handed the tube back.

"Thought it was a better choice than glitter." He drank his fill, then capped the tube. A stupid grin broke across his face. "So between your pepper spray and my salt..."

"Oh god, please don't," she begged, recognizing the setup.

"I guess you could call us a pair of well-seasoned adventurers." The smug grin on his face was somehow adorable, but it wasn't enough to keep her from groaning.