Free Songbird by Colleen Helme Page A

Once or twice she caught a flicker of movement, but when she looked, nothing was there. She jerked at the sound of loose gravel behind them, but still saw nothing. “I think something’s following us.”
    “Keep going,” Bran said. “Stay focused on the rocks. If we get separated, head for them.”
    “No,” Teya disagreed with alarm. “We should stay together.”
    “If I have to fight,” Bran argued. “The least you can do is stay out of my way. I don’t want to shoot you by mistake.”
    “Fine,” she said. Picking up on the tension, the horses began to pull on their reins, prancing with alarm. In an effort to calm them, she hummed a tune. Immediately, the threat diminished and she swallowed with relief.
    She kept up the tune until they reached the shelter of rocks. Needing a break, she stopped humming to take a drink of water for her dry throat. “Is it safe to rest here for a few minutes?”
    He nodded, but the muscles around his eyes tightened. “Maybe we should stay here for the night.”
    “Why? Is it that late already?”
    “No, but…take a look at that.” He pointed back the way they had come. The gray twilight was enveloped in a dark mist that slowly crept toward them. Behind that, huge dark clouds followed. It looked like a terrible storm, getting bigger with each passing moment.
    Transfixed by the sheer enormity of it, Teya could hardly tear her eyes away. As it neared, a faint breeze carried the echoes of a low moan and the stench of decay. It came closer, and the dark mist coalesced into the form of a body that seemed to fall apart and come together in a horrible aberration of a man. Then an inhuman cry shook her to the bone.
    “Oh no!” Teya cried. Her heart raced with fear. “We have to make a run for it! We’ve got to get out of here!”
    “What is it?”
    “It’s a demon of death! And it’s coming straight for us!”
     

 
    Chapter 3
    Teya urged her horse into a gallop and glanced over her shoulder. Pure horror filled her chest. The dark form raced closer, gathering speed. An unearthly howl came toward them sounding hungry for living flesh. She kicked at her horse in panic, needing every second of swiftness it could give. On her left, Bran shouted something, but she couldn’t understand what he said.
    She scanned the horizon for signs of her home, but found nothing to relieve her fear. How were they going to escape? Bran shouted and veered further to the left. Teya strained to keep up and was almost knocked off her horse by a blackened tree limb. She kept her head down and thundered on. The light faded into gray shadows, and it was hard to see Bran ahead of her. Using all her concentration, she focused on his back and hoped he knew where he was going.
    An eerie quiet settled over her, the only warning that the mist was at her heels. A cold tendril of shadow touched her back and she flinched, but couldn’t get away. It slowly crept up her spine and icy fingers caressed her cheek. She jerked her head away, shaking it off. The mist withdrew and she took a quick breath before it came at her again. This time, the shadow penetrated into her back and she gasped in pain.
    Her horse floundered in terror, and she lost sight of Bran. As the burning pain entered her chest she heard a high whistle. It sounded like reeds blowing in the wind. All at once, the pain lessened and she was able to breathe again. Focusing with all her senses, she sang the exact same tones she heard. Immediately, the darkness recoiled, freeing her.
    Giddy with relief, she searched for Bran and found him a short distance away slumped over his horse, his lips tinged with blue and his skin gray. The mist receded as she approached with her song, and Bran gasped in a deep breath. His dark eyes fluttered open and he tried to sit up.
    Teya reached to steady him and stopped singing to catch her breath, but the mist came back with a vengeance. She quickly took up the tones again, and grabbed Bran’s arm, using all her