Isle of Beasts and Shadows (The Forgotten Isle Saga #1)

Chapter 7

Airella’s eyes slowly fluttered open, her vision adjusting to the darkness surrounding her. Yet, a strange sensation gripped her body, rendering her immobile. It felt like the eerie stillness that washes over someone waking in the dead of night, paralyzed by a nameless fear that lingers in the shadows.

After what seemed like an eternity, she mustered the will to sit up, her movements sluggish yet determined. Her slender fingers fumbled for the lantern beside her, coaxing the flame within to dance with renewed vigor. The warm glow illuminated the confines of her tent, casting flickering shadows on the fabric walls.

Questions tugged at the edges of her thoughts. Had an unwelcome visitor breached her sanctuary, or was it simply a figment of her restless mind? The possibility of a fellow soldier or Duran checking on the camp flickered through her thoughts, only to be extinguished by a creeping doubt.

Driven by an insatiable curiosity, Airella ventured outside, the cool night air prickling her skin. As she brushed the clinging sand from her clothes, her grip tightened on Dawnbreaker. The lantern’s soft light painted the deserted campsite in a golden hue, revealing fresh footprints etched in the sandy ground. They beckoned her gaze towards the shore before veering sharply into the dense forest, a path uncharted and foreboding.

Under the watchful cloak of night, Airella’s steps followed the mysterious trail, each footprint a breadcrumb leading her deeper into the unknown. The moon, veiled by ominous clouds, offered no solace in its obscured glow. A shiver of apprehension danced down her spine as she scanned her surroundings, the forest looming like a silent sentinel.

Despite the rationalizations that whispered in her mind, urging retreat to the safety of her tent, an intangible unease gripped her heart. It was a primal instinct, a whisper of danger that refused to be ignored. Steeling her resolve, she pressed onward, determined to unravel the mystery that threatened their fragile peace.

As she trailed the faint footprints, a rustling in the underbrush startled her, prompting a swift retreat into the concealing foliage.

“Who goes there?” The echo of a familiar voice, Duran’s voice, resonated through the night, sending a shiver down her spine.

Airella put out the flame in her lantern to avoid revealing her position. If Duran caught her out of her tent past curfew, he would certainly hold it against her. This would give him the opportunity he had been waiting for to have a valid reason to punish her.

As Duran continued his search, Airella sensed an unfamiliar presence nearby. Straining her eyes, she noticed a shadowy figure that had been sauntering into the woods before coming to a sudden halt.

Had he heard Duran, Airella pondered, or me?

The stranger, draped in a mysterious cloak, struck Airella as someone far too enigmatic and brooding to be a mere soldier. When he turned, her heart skipped a beat as she caught a glimpse of his piercing yellow eyes through the darkness. This was no ordinary stranger; he must have been an inhabitant of the island.

Airella cautiously maintained her cover, stealing glances over her shoulder to check if Duran remained rooted in the same spot he had previously occupied.

To her alarm, he wasn’t.

Overwhelmed by the eerie silence, she watched as a dense, dark fog enveloped her surroundings. It seemed to materialize out of thin air. She pivoted her head back towards the cloaked figure but stumbled back with a yelp as she found his golden gaze inches away from her own. While shocked at his proximity without her awareness, she studied his features in the dim moonlight. His pale complexion stood out against the night sky, exuding an inexplicable magnetism that drew her in.

Shaking off her reverie, Airella tightened her grip on the hilt of Dawnbreaker, prepared to defend herself if necessary. She felt a swift breeze as a curved blade landed perilously close to her side just before she maneuvered through the dense shrubbery.

Was the stranger wielding a scythe, she mused, and why had he become a threat? Countless questions raced through her mind.

As she broke free from the bushes, the stranger swung his scythe once more, prompting Airella to flip onto her back just in time to deflect his attack with Dawnbreaker’s hilt and reposition herself for combat.

Yet, before she could react further, the cloaked stranger vanished. The dark fog dissipated along with his disappearance, leaving Airella bewildered in the clearing.

“But... how...” Airella muttered under her breath, just in time to let out a quick yelp as she felt a hand grab onto the back of her head, clenching up her hair in a fist. Gritting her teeth, she dropped Dawnbreaker and reached for the clenched hand. The surrounding forest seemed to hold its breath, the only sound being the rustle of leaves in the wind.

“What do you think you’re doing out here? I knew you’d be trouble!” Duran’s voice growled behind her.

He turned Airella back towards the camp and pushed her onto the ground. The campfire crackled, casting eerie shadows that danced across the clearing.

“Must you be taught a lesson?” he glared from above her, his eyes narrowing in the dim light. Airella couldn’t speak. She was stunned. He had caught her off-guard with his sudden aggression.

“Well?” He grabbed her by the collar of her armor, pulling both her face and her chest in his direction. Airella gritted her teeth together, a mix of fear and defiance in her eyes as she stared back at him.

“It won’t happen again,” she grumbled, her voice low but resolute.

He released her, dropping her to the dirt. Duran watched as she crawled into her tent. She lied back down and closed her eyes, eventually falling back to sleep, the events of the night swirling in her mind like a dark, unsettled dream.