Hi all! I'm back!
I didn't know if I was going to have time to get a post up this week, but here we are!
If you're new, you should look at the 67 up there and take the hint that a lot of shit has happened to get us this far. This tale is a progressive harem fantasy with monster girls and mythological tie ins. It also has two spin-off stories, it's my own little horny monster universe over here. Might want to back up a bit.
Returning readers? I missed you! I cannot wait to cram this next chapter into your eyeholes!
Before we begin, I would like to take a second to thank you all for helping me get to where I am today. I try to remind people that an author is only as good as the readers they attract, and I truly feel like I have some of the best ones out there. I appreciate your continued enthusiasm for this tale of mine that started as a bit of a lark. I work really hard to keep improving my craft, because I truly believe that you all deserve the best. As long as you keep believing, I'll keep writing!
Now that you've got that tiny little bit of warmth, I want you to clutch it close to your body as we discover...
What Hides in the Shadows
The forest below Abella was a sea of white and green, interspersed by rocky outcroppings and the occasional river. From her current altitude, she could actually see distortions in the land at the boundaries along the barrier. It was like looking through a haze of rippling hot air as the land attempted to fold and bend itself properly into shape before lining up with the rest of the world.
Unfortunately, it also meant that she wasn't sure how far away the barrier was. Sometimes it would look less than a mile, but would then distort and reappear dozens of miles out.
"Does it always do that?" she asked. Emery, who had chased her down and begged to tag along, was perched on her shoulder. He clung to her for dear life, his tiny hands wrapped up in her hair.
"I've never been this high, big sister," he replied. While her interactions with the imp had been few, he had come to the conclusion that because they were both made of stone, they must be related. She had been hard-pressed to correct him, and he really was adorable. "The winds are too strong for my wings."
"Ah." She was disappointed. When she had taken Mike's phone, she had flown in a random direction and was now wondering if she had picked the worst direction to go. Still, it was interesting to be over such a large swath of land without the immediate tug of guardianship pulling her back. For the first time in over a century, she really felt like she could stretch her wings. It occurred to her now that she could have probably accomplished such a thing in the greenhouse. She had always been too nervous to leave the house unprotected.
And yet, here she was, over a thousand miles away. It was no longer the house that she cared about, but the man who served it. She couldn't wrap her head around her own feelings about him right now. He was family, but also something more. Maybe there wasn't a word that existed for the relationship that they had.
She definitely didn't know where she stood with Velvet. The sensation of cold metal pressed against the nape of her neck had made a lasting impression as she simmered with her face buried deep in the snow. Velvet had been far stronger and faster than Abella expected. Even when the Arachne had finally gotten the upper hand, she chose to flee rather than take it.
Abella wasn't worried about the sword. She still had a trick up her sleeve that would have easily turned the tide on that particular fight. Instead, she was worried about why Velvet had been so quick to dismiss their fight, to flee into the woods.
No, worried was the wrong word for it. She had gone over the incident in her mind all night as she circled the cabin. Abella wanted to believe that this trip and Velvet's behavior was a ruse, an attempt to lure them all into a false sense of security. She had gone over a number of elaborate plots in her mind where the Arachne would inevitably find a way to kill and eat the others, and maybe even take over the house somehow.
Instead, her mental search for answers had revealed only one truth that she couldn't deny: Abella's hate for the Arachne had blinded her to other possibilities. When Velvet spoke about wanting to be seen as something more than a monster, it was the exact same desire Abella had held in her own heart for decades. The two of them were more alike than Abella cared to admit, and their fight had really been her own fault.
At some point, she assumed that Velvet would tell Mike what had happened. She wasn't sure she could handle the look of disappointment she would get from him. He was the single most important part of her world right now, and all she wanted was for him to be safe.
"Are you okay, big sister?" Emery's voice snapped her out of her funk.
"I'm fine." It was a lie, but what did the imp know?
"I think the boundary is coming up soon." He pointed ahead at what looked like a gap in the trees. The air rippled above it. "The Caretaker's phone should work soon."
"Great." She didn't bother conveying any enthusiasm. The main reason she had come out here was to build up some positive karma for the inevitable fallout to come over what had happened the previous night. She was sure that things were fine at home, andβ
Just short of the edge of the boundary, the air suddenly vanished from beneath her wings and she dropped out of the sky. Bands of crimson light sprouted from the air behind her, wrapping around her ankles and yanking her back. Crying out in surprise, she tumbled over a hundred feet before the bands released her legs. Realizing she was on a collision course with the ground, she spread her wings wide and was able to generate enough lift that she pulled up at the last second, trimming off the tops of the pines below.
Emery tumbled from her shoulders and disappeared into the forest. She fared only slightly better as she crashed through the trees, splintering branches as she tumbled through them. Folding her wings in to protect her body, she slapped her tail into a thick pine to alter her trajectory at the last second and crashed into a shallow stream. The ice exploded as she came to a halt.
"What the fuck was that?" She stood up and shook the water off of her wings. "Emery? Can you hear me?"
There was no answer from the imp. Grumbling, she splashed her way out of the stream. Broken branches littered the forest floor, and she contemplated them for a moment. She frowned, realizing that she had forgotten something.
The phone!
Gasping, she ran back to the stream and stumbled in. It took her almost a minute to find Mike's phone beneath the water. It was supposed to be waterproof, but the giant crack on the screen wasn't a good sign.
"
Merde!
" She tried to power it on, but it was no use. It had broken in the crash, and water was leaking from the case.
Abella stomped out of the stream toward the trees, determined to find Emery. As she walked, her path was blocked by the thick branches of the trees, so she was forced to walk around, calling Emery's name as she went.
"Big sister!" When Emery finally replied, it sounded like he was above her. Abella saw that he had gotten caught up in a thick cluster of branches. His wings were spread wide by forked limbs, and he was upside down.
The tree was thin, so she clobbered it with her tail. The trunk split, and she pushed on it until it crashed to the ground with Emery safely on top. The branches snapped beneath her feet as she made her way to his side and untangled him.
"Was that the barrier?" she asked, referring to the energy that had blocked her flight.
"It was not," Emery replied. "I've visited the barrier many times, but it has never prevented anyone from leaving."
She narrowed her eyes at the imp. "You sure?"
He nodded lamely. "I've never heard of such a thing."
Abella groaned. "I was afraid you would say that. Come, let us walk this time. It will be less traumatic."
They navigated the difficult foliage for almost half an hour before coming to a break in the tree line. It was a short field, maybe a hundred feet across. As she neared the edge, she could feel the distinct tingle caused by passing through the barrier. It wasn't until she was almost through that she felt the air harden and resist her forward movement.
"Interesting." She motioned for Emery to stay back and then shoved her way forward. At first, the air felt like it was stretching in an attempt to hold her in place. However, she made it far enough that the crimson bands of light manifested and wrapped themselves across her body. The magic stank of blood and copper, and she allowed it to push her back in place.
"This is troubling," Emery declared from his place on a rock.
Abella looked at him in exasperation. "You don't say?"
"I...just did say." The imp was fidgeting now. "Perhaps we shouldn't mess with it?"