Kamrynn’s POV
Helion Creek which was located in Helion Forest wasn’t very far from the Blue Bell Pack. That was the only good thing about this entire situation. The creek was known as a forsaken land, a place of dark history and whispered curses. Few dared to set foot there. Those who did rarely returned, and those who did never spoke of what they had seen. It was the perfect place to keep someone hostage.
With no roads or paths leading to the forest, my only option was to travel on foot. Thankfully, the journey wouldn’t take more than a day, but the sooner I found Sherelle, the sooner I could return to the palace. To my children. I hated the idea of Rmonica and the others worrying about me, wondering if I was safe. I had to finish this quickly.
The sun was dipping below the horizon when I finally reached the entrance to Helion Forest, where the creek lay hidden. The moment I stepped forward, the air shifted. A bone-deep chill seeped into my skin, as if I had crossed into another realm entirely. Towering trees loomed overhead, their branches twisting like skeletal fingers, blocking out what little light remained. Thick fog coiled through the undergrowth, moving unnaturally, almost like it was alive.
The forest was silent. No birds. No insects. Not even the distant hoot of an owl. Only the soft rustling of leaves in the wind and the faint, rhythmic drip… drip… drip of water from somewhere unseen. A slow, uneasy shudder crawled down my spine. Still, I kept moving. Every step felt like walking deeper into a grave. The fog thickened, warping the trees into twisted, ghostly shapes. The air smelled of damp earth and decay, heavy with the scent of something long forgotten. I forced myself to press on. Sherelle was here somewhere, and I wasn’t leaving without her.
At last, I reached the creek. The water was black. Still. Not a single ripple, as if it wasn’t water at all but an endless, bottomless void. The hairs on the back of my neck rose. My fingers instinctively tightened around the dagger at my hip. I swallowed hard and called out. “Sherelle!” My voice echoed into the silence, swallowed whole by the heavy air. There was no answer. Only the wind stirring the leaves.
I took another cautious step forward, scanning the darkened landscape for any sign of movement. “Sherelle, are you here?” Still nothing. My heart pounded harder. I decided to go further in, towards the trees beyond the creek, hoping to find the cabin where she was hiding. I paused to get my bearings when suddenly, the snap of a twig sent ice racing through my veins. My body tensed, and I spun around, dagger raised.
Nothing.
The fog was too thick. I could barely see past a few feet. My breath came out in shallow, uneven puffs. Aryna stirred inside me, her voice urgent. “Be on guard. We’re not alone, I can sense danger lurking.”
I gritted my teeth, shifting the dagger into a firmer grip. Every muscle in my body was taut, ready. The silence pressed in, suffocating, heavy. It was too quiet. Too unnatural. I forced myself to stay calm, to keep moving. Then, just as I took another step, a voice shattered the quiet.
“Kamrynn…”
I froze. My blood turned to ice.
Sherelle.
Her voice was soft, weak. It was impossible to tell where it was coming from. I turned in frantic circles, my heart pounding. “Sherelle! I’m here! Where are you?”
There was no response.
Then, suddenly, through the fog, a figure emerged.
I pointed the dagger at the figure, ready to attack but then I saw who it was.
Sherelle.
She was trudging toward me, her body swaying, looking just as she had in the video-hair matted, her face bruised and streaked with blood, her clothing torn.
I gasped, every part of me going rigid. My dagger remained raised, my instincts screaming at me to be cautious. But this was Sherelle. My sister. The very person I had come here to save. Without another thought, I dropped the blade and rushed toward her. “Oh, Goddess-Sherelle!”
I skidded to a stop right in front of her, grabbing her face between my hands, my fingers running over her cheeks as if to confirm that she was real. That this wasn’t some cruel trick or another one of my dreams.
She let out a small, broken sob. “Kamrynn…”
Tears burned in my eyes. “I’m here. I’m here now, Sherelle. You’re safe. I’ll get you out of here.”
She collapsed into me, her body trembling as I wrapped my arms around her. Her frame felt so small, so fragile. I clung to her tighter. “I won’t let Calvin hurt you ever again,” I whispered, my throat tight with emotion.
Sherelle’s arms wrapped around me, holding me just as tightly. But something about her grip felt… off.
Too strong.
Too firm.
The hairs on my neck prickled, but before I could react, Sherelle leaned in, her lips brushing against my ear. Her voice was a whisper, soft and chilling.
“Thank you so much for coming, little sister. You’ve made my job so much easier. But unfortunately…”
Her hold on me tightened.
“… the only one who will need saving is you.”
A sharp sting pierced my neck.
I gasped, body jerking as something cold and burning shot through my veins. My limbs went weak almost instantly. My strength drained so fast, it was terrifying. My fingers trembled as I tried to push her away, but my body wasn’t responding.
I was going numb.
My knees buckled, my vision darkening. My mouth opened, a strangled sound escaping my throat as I struggled to form words, to scream, to fight-anything.
But it was useless.
Sherelle didn’t let go, even as my body slumped in her arms. My thoughts swirled, panic clawing at my mind, but I was slipping too fast, sinking into a cold, suffocating abyss.
The last thing I heard before the darkness swallowed me whole was her soft, victorious laugh.