Kate's POV"Are you sure this is the place?" I asked Keto, and I watched the dense fog crawl sluggishly along the roadside.He had not looked at me; he was still gazing at the map on his tablet and nodded to my question. "Yes, according to the map, the hotel should be just right around here. That's where Ravenna and Orion last stopped."I tightened my coat. The atmosphere felt wrong. It was chilling and instilled a horrid form of terror within me.Captain Zack made a deep whistle as the old building curved into view, carefully lit dimly by a bulb overhead the door."Set up a perimeter," he ordered his men, raising a hand.They moved out, quick and silent like shadows.He turned to me. "Something’s creepy about this place. Gives me the chills."Kira, who had been mostly quiet the whole ride, gave a dry laugh. "You saw a giant serpent a few hours ago, and now you think something’s creepy?"I chuckled. "Looks like the stuff you drank from me earlier is just wearing off."Kira laughed aga
Lyra's POVI got out of the bed slowly, pushing the blanket aside and letting the chill of the room wrap around me.My legs were tight and weighted, but I pushed them aside. That nightmare still lingered, the aftertaste bitter, cold, and hard to shake off. Orion edged away a bit from the window seat, his gaze on me.I put my clothes on silently and began dressing. "Do we head back to the hotel?" I asked, without turning to him.Orion's voice was stubborn and gruff. "No. We're not heading back. It's too dangerous."I hesitated for a second, pulling my sweater down over my head. "Too dangerous? Why?"He stood himself up and approached me. "Witches can locate people, and just in case they decide to locate us, always moving around prevents them from being able to do that."He bent to scoop me up into his arms, but I avoided him. "I can walk, Orion. I'm not fragile."His eyes flashed with something indistinguishable, maybe concern. He nodded at last. "Okay. But stay close to me. Whatever h
Lyra's POVI was stirring from slumber when I felt an unusual cold sensation circling my leg. My eyes lazily opened with hardly a sight of the dim light seeping through the curtains. The very first thing my eyes settled upon in the room was Orion, still sleeping beside me, breathing slowly and steadily. I turned away again; I just could not bear the rising chill feeling as it climbed up my leg. With my eyes shifting towards my legs, I almost felt my heart stop. There upon the ground was an enormous serpent coiled around my leg, the likes of which I had never even seen in my life. The three-headed eyes opened wide and glowed an unearthly golden hue! I froze in terror, unwilling to even move or utter a sound, as the voices clamoring inside my head erupted in an ugly chorus from the worm. "First, you. Then, him." And it hissed under its breath. I shuddered to see one of the heads open its gaping mouth, ready to swallow me whole. My body tightened up, my heart picking speed with f
Kate's POV I swallowed. “It said it was going to kill them. I don't know, but it seems they have been able to find out that Orion and Ravenna are around." Keto's fists were clenched at his waist. His eyes burned with some passion I could not identify, anger and fear combined. "Damn it," he muttered beneath his breath. "We have to track them down. Now." Captain Zack stepped forward, his face pale but still carrying that rough crevice of his. "What the devil is going on here? I believe it is time someone told me the truth." Kira folded her arms, her voice firm but icy. "The less you know, the better it will be for you." "The hell it is," Zack growled. "My men were frozen and nearly killed by some creature out of a horror novel. We're putting our lives at risk here, so don't tell me I don't need to know.". Keto turned to him, his voice deadly calm and low. "You need to understand one thing: remain alive and follow my instructions. That is not your fight." Zack snorted. "Not my f
Kate's POVThe giant serpent coiled away from us, its massive form sliding back through the forest the same way it had come. I could hear the crunch of its scales over the dead leaves and damp earth, and I didn’t dare move until the last flick of its tail disappeared between the trees.Only then did I exhale.A shaky breath escaped me, and I realized I’d been holding it this whole time. My lungs burned.“Are they dead?” I asked, turning to Kira, my voice a whisper like I was afraid the serpent would return if I spoke too loudly.Kira didn’t answer immediately. She stared down at the nearest soldier, her brow furrowed. Then she slowly knelt and placed two fingers on his neck. “No,” she said finally. “I don’t think so. His pulse is strong.”Relief flooded through me.We moved quickly, checking each man, one by one. Some had shallow breathing, others just lay still like they were under some kind of deep sleep spell. But soon enough, I saw movement. Eyelids fluttered. Fingers twitched.
Kate's POV“That’s not an ordinary snake,” Kira muttered, her voice low but firm. “It’s a witch.”A witch?I didn’t wait to process that.I grabbed the shotgun leaning against the tent post, cocked it, and aimed straight at one of the serpent’s heads.Boom!The blast echoed through the camp. One of the heads shattered in a burst of blackened scales and wet, gooey flesh.The other soldiers, startled at first, immediately joined in, opening fire from every direction. Chaos exploded in the night. The camp came alive with the sound of gunfire and shouting. Sleeping men jerked awake, grabbing their weapons. Even Captain Zack emerged from his slumber, eyes bloodshot, fury blazing on his face.“Back off!” he roared over the gunfire.At once, the soldiers stopped shooting, stepping back and reloading quickly. That’s when we all saw another wonder.The serpent’s broken head was regrowing.“What the fuck,” someone muttered behind me.I froze, shotgun still in hand. The entire squad stared, st