Chapter Thirteen

*********

Raisi

Theo leads us to the edge of the trees. He holds his hand up, telling us to stop while he takes a peek beyond. The scent of the ogres was coming from behind us, so it is safe to assume that's where they are. We need to run this way to elude them. I don't know much about ogres or this realm, but I trust Theo knows enough to lead us to safety.

The look of terror on Tabitha's face is heart wrenching. I hate that she is in fear at all, but we will do everything in our power to protect her. We will get out of this alive. Koz will stay by her side to ensure no ogre gets close. Theo will guide us, while I will stay in the back as an extra set of eyes. It's my job to watch everything going on around us and alert them to it, as Koz and Theo have other things to focus on.

"There is another patch of trees about a hundred yards away. We will head there, use them as cover, and continue this way until we are safe," Theo explains, glancing over his shoulder. Koz and I both nod. "Let us go then."

He exits the trees, Koz and Tabitha behind him, and me just behind them. Theo runs as fast as he can. Koz grips Tabitha's arm, keeping her close and upright as they run. I keep enough distance that I don't slam into them. It's true she cannot run as fast as us, but it is not her fault. It's only because she is smaller, and her steps don't eat up as much space as ours do. I glance over my shoulder every few seconds to make sure we are safe. So far, I see nothing but the patch of trees we were hiding in getting smaller and smaller. Until there is something else there, just beyond the trees.

A beast as tall as the trees—no, taller! And the absolute ugliest thing I've ever seen. Its skin is milky pink, its red eyes bulging out of their sockets. Its nose is so large I think I could crawl up its nostril without issue. Not that I would want to do that. I can only imagine what's up there…

Yuck.

"We've got company!" I shout, needing to make sure the others are aware of what is going on.

The three of them look over their shoulders. Koz and Theo have no reaction, while Tabitha falters. She trips, but Koz sweeps her off her feet and runs faster. So, I do too. Another glance over my shoulder tells me the beast, the ogre, has spotted us. It lets out a ground-shaking roar, and the longer I stare, the more I realize the ground rumbling beneath us is from the horde running this way. There is not just one ogre, though, but many. Too many to count. All different shades of washed-out colors. Pink, blue, green… they all look sickly.

We are halfway to the next patch of trees, but that will do nothing now that these creatures have spotted us. Our best bet is to keep running and hope we can outrun them until we find a sure way out. They are slow, but just as Tabitha cannot keep up with us Dravens because of her leg-length, the same is true for the ogres. They are giants, and one step for them is quite the distance.

"We must run faster!" I shout, and we pick up speed. The rumbling ground beneath my feet has my legs vibrating, almost feeling numb.

When we come upon the patch of trees, Theo does not go inside, but around. Smart. Going through would only slow us down. A look over my shoulder tells me the ogres are the same distance as they were. It's good they are not gaining on us, but this doesn't mean we will win in the end. It will come down to who will run out of energy first. I doubt it will be them.

When we pass the trees, I almost stumble when I see nothing in front of us. There are no more trees for cover; there is only wide-open space and mountains very far in the distance.

We are in trouble.

There is no way our stamina will hold up for so long. There has to be another plan.

We cannot fight the ogres; there are too many. But if we cannot elude them, what else is there to do?

"Do you have a plan?" Koz calls.

"I am thinking," Theo responds. "I think…" He looks over his shoulder, then shakes his head. "I think we let them take us."

"What?" Tabitha screeches, her arms tightening around Kozzanth's neck. "That is a terrible idea!"

"It's unlikely they will kill us. They want to eat us," Theo explains through heavy breaths. "They will take us back to their homes, which will bring us closer to something that could get us out of here. A portal maybe."

"But what if they do kill us!" Tabitha argues, and she is right. It is a gamble.

"Giving ourselves up will save our energy. We cannot outrun them forever," I add.

"And we cannot fight them," Theo says. "It is our best shot at escaping." He slows down to get beside Koz, who is still carrying Tabitha. They slow enough that I catch up with them. Eventually, we stop altogether. Tabitha looks at us frantically, ready to start screaming.

"Trust Theo," Koz says gently as he puts her on her feet. "He will not lead us astray."

"It sounds bad, but Theo is right," I add, because Tabitha looks as if she may cry now. It breaks my heart.

She glances at the horde, but Koz moves in front of her. He leans down, whispering something to her that I cannot hear, then wraps his arms around her.

I sigh heavily, turning to face the ogres as they advance on us. Theo moves to my side.

"Will they understand us?" I ask.

"They will, but they will not hear reason."

"But we must play this smart. Act as if we do not have a plan."

"Correct. Let me do the talking."

I take a deep breath, nod, and straighten my back. The closer they come, the more panic I fight off. The more the stench makes me want to vomit.

Dravens hardly feel fear or panic. We are trained to handle all situations and stay calm during them. But in the face of failure, it is difficult not to get nervous. I am unsure if the others feel this way, and I will not speak of it. All I can do is handle what I am feeling and hope they are feeling braver than I am right now.

The ogres roar as they run toward us, raising their arms threateningly. Now that I am stationary, I see there are at least twenty.

"Rare for them to be in such a large group," Theo says under his breath.

"Why would that be?"

Theo shakes his head. "Anger. They must have known we showed up."

"So, it is likely they will kill us over choosing to bring us back and cook us?" I ask quietly, hoping Theo hears that I'm trying to make a joke of it, but when he responds, any chance of humor is lost.

"Yes, that's quite possible," Theo responds calmly.

I grit my teeth, hold my chin high, and wait for them to reach us.

*********