Free Scarlet and the Keepers of Light by Brandon Charles West Page A

Brennan’s mother had told him about the city, which she had once seen as a little girl. In her stories it was a place of such beauty that all other sights paled in comparison. Brennan was smart enough to realize that part of her description was more than likely based on a child’s wonderment, from a time when his mother was happy and innocent, and therefore to be taken with a grain of salt. This realization didn’t dampen his desire to see it himself, though, if only to have something that he could share, even posthumously, with his mother.
    But despite his best efforts, fatigue eventually got the better of him, and he began to fall behind. Soon Chosen had gotten so far ahead that Brennan lost sight of him in the thickness of the trees. As troublesome as this was, Brennan had to stop; he just couldn’t continue without rest, even if just for a moment. Slumping against the trunk of a large willow tree, he tried to catch his breath.
    He paid little attention to the rustling in the brush at first, figuring that Chosen had realized he was no longer right behind him and doubled back. His eyes closed, and as he took in deep, desperately needed breaths, Brennan felt that if he wanted to, he could fall asleep right there beneath the willow tree. After all, what was the worst that could happen? Chosen would scold him. Tell him he needed to wake up. A small price to pay for some long-overdue rest.
    But then a dreadful thought occurred to Brennan, making his skin crawl as if a thousand spiders had began creeping under his clothes. Chosen was ahead of him; the rustling sound was from behind.
    In a flash Brennan was on his feet, searching the trees for any sign of movement. The problem was that everything moved. The slender, drooping branches of the willows caught even the slightest of breezes. Looking out into the forest, Brennan saw a constantly shifting landscape of dappled greens and darker shadows. Panic struck, in a dizzying onslaught.
    “Chosen!” he called out, not bothering to hide the fear in his voice. There was no answer.
    Brennan started to run over the uneven ground in the direction he thought Chosen had gone. The ground was matted with a tangle of underbrush and roots, and each step Brennan took threatened to fail beneath him, sending him sprawling headfirst onto the forest floor. The sound was growing louder as whatever was in the trees behind him also picked up its pace. Throwing all caution to the wind, he plunged headlong through the trees, running as fast as he could, dodging tree trunks and limbs, leaping over roots and brush .
    He barely had time to notice the bramble sprawled across his path before he’d tripped over it and went flying, sprawling on his hands and knees into a small clearing, his clothes torn and his skin bleeding from numerous cuts and scratches. He rolled out of the way just in time, as a massive creature leaped over the brambles behind him and landed feet first right on the spot where Brennan had been.
    On his back, deeply shaken, Brennan looked up at the enormous figure, only a few feet away. Easily twice the size of a normal man, the creature was covered with thick orange and fawn fur. Although its arms and legs resembled those of a man, thickly muscled and bulging, its most striking features were its long, sharp claws and catlike face. As Brennan watched helplessly, paralyzed by fear, the fangs that already protruded over its bottom lip lengthened until they reached past his chin.
    “Long way from home, aren’t you, boy?” the creature growled.
    Horrifying as the creature looked, that it could speak was even more shocking to Brennan. Should he talk to it? Reason with it? It was so difficult to reconcile the savage appearance of the creature with the notion that it could speak, that it was even . . . intelligent?
    “I’m just passing through,” Brennan fumbled, searching the area around him for something he could use as a weapon.
    “No,” the creature said, taking a step