15. Maeyve

Iwas awoken from my slumber by an intense magical pulse. I shot up from my bed and sprang into action, ripping my clothes off as I ran through the cabin. Reaching the back door, I shoved it open and raced into the pitch-black night, shifting into my fox form as soon as my bare feet hit the porch"s wooden planks.

Landing just over the edge of the porch, I began stalking around the exterior of my home, searching for threats. While looking around, I tapped into my other senses to the best of my abilities; I was still groggy, making it difficult to determine where the pulses were coming from. No scents or sounds stood out among the floral notes and hooting owls.

When I made a full lap around the cabin, I established that there were no imminent threats to me. Focusing on the pulsing again, I began to move away from my cabin as I tried to figure out where it was coming from.

About a mile into my investigation, I heard a car speed past me on the dirt road. Scurrying closer but still trying to be safe and stay out of sight, I peered down the road. Unfortunately, I could only see the vehicle"s tail lights before it disappeared altogether.

Trying to orient myself, I glanced down the road in the opposite direction and spotted a mailbox. Standing there staring at it momentarily, I realized where I was. Panic struck, and my heart rate quickened, finally making me more alert to the situation. Without another thought, I sprinted up the road to Anevae"s driveway. I instantly knew something wasn"t right; the ward around Anevae"s home was gone.

Rushing up the driveway, I hurried to the inscription. As I approached, I could see that it had been mutilated; there were lines drawn through it, and it was covered in some sort of dark liquid that I couldn"t distinguish until I got closer. The sour stench of a greater demon"s blood hit me, and I realized it had been poured over the inscription. Demon blood was often used to neutralize magic, and everyone knew that the stronger the demon, the more potent the blood. Unfortunately, I knew that if I stayed too close to this blood, I wouldn"t be able to smell anything else for hours.

Returning to the tree line, I scanned the ground for clues about who could have done this. Two sets of footprints led from the inscription; one veered to the left, toward the front of the house, while the other led into the woods. Of course, other older prints were scattered around, further from the inscription, likely from Anevae and her sister wandering the property earlier in the day.

I decided to follow the footprints into the woods to allow my olfactory system time to release the odor of the demon"s blood. Trying to stay vigilant, I listened intently to the sounds around me. I could hear crickets chirping, a lone wolf howling, and snapping twigs. While I knew the twigs snapping could have been an animal, I still went on the defense. I refused to be ambushed.

As I crept through the woods, my nose reset, and an unfamiliar scent—leather and tarragon—invaded my senses. Stopping in my tracks, I deeply inhaled the intriguing aroma. Someone was nearby.

The prints I had been following headed in the same direction as the scent. Looking around, I recognized the area. Straight ahead of me was the portal into Caellaias. It was deep inside a steep mountainside cave several miles from our cabins. Mortals rarely found the cave. It wasn"t nearly as challenging to find the portal entrance in Caellaias as it was in the mortal realm.

As I drew closer to the cave entrance, the scent grew stronger. Preparing for a confrontation, I tip-toed into the cave, carefully traversing the rocky floor and being mindful of where I placed my paws. The last thing I wanted was to cut one of them on the sharp rocks littering the cave"s floor.

Just as I came around the last bend in the cave, a male figure disappeared into the shimmering portal. A frustrated growl erupted from my chest. I refused to follow him into Caellaias. Before leaving, I watched the portal for several minutes to ensure the mysterious being didn"t return.

Once I was confident he wouldn"t return, I headed back to my cabin. I needed to get dressed so I could check on Anevae. The sun was rising over the trees as I exited the cave. How long has it been since I was roused from my sleep?

When I returned home, I rushed into my bedroom and grabbed my phone. I texted Anevae, hoping she"d answer me, and then pulled on some clothes. After sending several texts with no response, I called her instead. When she didn"t answer, I rushed out of the house, jumped in my car, and sped over to her cabin, praying she was okay.