It was as though the forest thickened as the day wore on, the shadows lengthening, the air growing heavier. Cassidy walked wordlessly beside the man, the turmoil of her mind with every step thicker. The memory of their kiss still seared in her brain, the feel of his touch still upon her skin, but the weight of his warning heavier. It couldn't be denied-the pull was there-but he said it was dangerous, an unbalancing from the original threat.
Yet, what if it was just what was needed?
It grew different with each step deeper into the woods. What once was a landscape of tall, stately trees looming over them now turned into gnarled, twisted ancient sentinels, casting eerie patterns on the ground. The air was heavy with damp earth and decaying leaves, but mainly, unnatural stillness reigned, as if the forest itself was holding its breath.
Cassidy just felt this nagging sense that they were being watched, that something-or rather, someone-was on their tail. She threw a quick, sideways look across at the man; his face was closed as always, his eyes ceaselessly tracking on watch around them, vigilant in the manner of a hunter.
"What do we look for?" she asked, trying to sound uninhibited, but the turmoil in her chest had only just begun.
He didn't say anything right away; his eyes glinted, set on something really, really far away. "Further ahead, there is an old place, a remnant of the times when darkness began to spread. It has lain abandoned for hundreds of years, but it is said that secrets-ah, knowledge explaining what we are fighting against-lie hidden within.
Cassidy quirked a brow. "And you think that's going to be lying around, waiting for us?
A small smile pulled at one corner of his mouth, not touching his eyes. "It is never that easy. We will be lucky indeed if we find what we can use. Most likely, there will be something to show which way to go.
They did, and with tension that was almost palpable between them. Every step taken seemed to be deeper into the heart of something ominous, threatening, and Cassidy felt on edge. She wasn't sure if it was just the forest, but the prey thing was building itself up in her brain.
But turning one of those bends, the trees fell away suddenly, and a little open space appeared in view; and in the midst, the ruins of some venerable building ran quick, overrun by thick ivy and moss: the old shattered heaps that had once been grand stone pillars, and, behind them, traces of the walls, spoke of a state more magnificent still.
The man drew closer to the ruin cautiously, his movements slow and deliberative. Cassidy followed, her curiosity overwhelming her despite a serious attack of nerves. There was something about this place, something that called to her, though she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
"Stay close," he said in a low tone, as he steered them out into the small clearing. "Be ready for anything."
Cassidy nodded, senses high as they pressed deeper into the ruin. It was heavier here, like the atmosphere itself was saturated with remnants of long-forgotten magic. She could feel that hum on her skin, a vibrant thrumming attuned to the resonance of that thing she had awakened inside of her.
They came to what appeared to be the center of the ruin; there a great flat slab of stone was half embedded in earth, and upon its surface weird old letters were roughly carved, whose edges were worn smooth by time and which yet faintly glimmered with some soft, other-worldly light.
"What is this?" Cassidy reached out to touch the stone and the man's hand shot out, stopping her.
"Don't," he said briefly. "Those symbols are wards-very old ones. They are to keep something in… or out."
Cassidy's hand hovered above the stone while her heart quickened. "What do you think they were trying to contain?"
He didn't answer right away, his eyes wide and fixed on the symbols as if to compel their secret by some sort of willpower. "I don't know," he finally said. "But whatever it is, it is strong. And dangerous."
Her heart pounded against her chest, excitement surging in her veins intermingled with fear. She knew she ought to heed caution and listen to his warning, but something in that stone beckoned her, some whisper at the back of her mind compelling her to unlock its secrets.
Before she could rethink it, her hand had reached out to brush it with her fingers. In that instant, the second her skin touched it, a strong electric shock coursed right through her body, sending her tumbling backward. The air about them seemed to erupt in a sudden violence; the soft glow of the symbols flared bright, then dimmed just as suddenly.
The man swore under his breath and snatched her arm, yanking her back. "I said don't touch anything!"
Cassidy gasped loudly at the still humming resonance that the touch had caused. "I'm so sorry-I just, it felt like it was calling to me."
He shook his head, his face a mask of anger and concern. "That's what it wants. This place… it's alive, Cassidy. It's trying to get us to come in, to let our guards down. You can't fall under its control."
Cassidy nodded, but somehow, the pull of the stone was still there, like an echo at the back of her mind. It's just this wacky, impossible-to-shake feeling that there's something here to grasp-something very key to their fighting the darkness.
As if to read her thoughts, his face relaxed ever so slightly. "I know it is difficult, but you must resist. Whatever power you are feeling, it is not your friend; it is the darkness manipulating you."
Cassidy swallowed, and her mouth was bitter. "What if there's anything down here that we could use? That might come in handy?
He faltered, his gaze flickering back to the rock. "It's possible," he said. "But we need to be careful. The line between using the darkness, and being consumed by it, is not that wide.
Cassidy took a deep breath and fought for control. She knew he was right, but the temptation was just too good to let go: that power, it seemed seeping out of the stone, was taboo, hazardous, and exciting. Part of her wanted more.
The flash in the man's eyes flared and then released hers, turning to stare hard out at the rest of the ruins. "We need to know what else is here. There has to be a reason these wards were here. Maybe there is something-
It was a low, guttural growl-a rumble that cut his words off and made Cassidy's blood run cold as the echoes careened off the ancient stones, a primeval noise that seemed to issue from everywhere and nowhere all at once.
His hand instinctively was on the hilt of his weapon within a second, peering hard into the shadows. "We are not alone."
With her heart pounding against her chest, Cassidy's gaze swept through the dark wrapping them, and all the fibers of instinct screamed that they were in danger. Then came the growl-louder, closer-and it felt like the shadows began to twist in and around in movement.
The darkness suddenly took form: a huge beast stepped out from the shadows, its eyes glowing malevolent. All fangs and claws and sinew, a creation of the purest nightmare, it was draped in a dark mist that pulsed with unnatural life.
Cassidy's breath caught in her throat as it snarled, the eyes locking onto hers in such a way that the gleam in them sent a bolt of terror coursing through her. He stepped in front of her, his weapon out, but it didn't seem to pay any attention to the threat; its attention was solely for Cassidy.
"It's drawn to your power," he said in a low urgent voice. "Stay behind me."
But Cassidy couldn't run. The creature's eyes were fastened on hers, and that tug that had been there before would happen again-a dark, seductive whisper in the back of her mind, luring her to let go, to give herself over to the power she'd touched. That need overwhelmed her-to feel that energy course one more time through her veins, to let it consume her.
The creature took one step closer. Cassidy felt herself being drawn forward, the man swearing softly beneath his breath as he reached out and caught her arm in a bid to restrain her, but the darkness was calling to her louder now, its pull more insistent.
"Cassidy, fight it!" he yelled, his arms clamping more tightly around her.
But it was Cassidy's resistance that was dissolving-the darkness a siren, both intoxicating and impossible to resist-and she lost the battle to resist. She could feel the power coursing inside of her, pleading to be let out, set free.
Just as she was about to yield to the darkness, to let it take her, a voice cut through the haze in her brain-a voice not her own.
"Cassidy, no."
It was soft, little more than a whisper, but enough to break the spell. Cassidy gasped. Her eyes snapped open, jerking back, breaking free from the creature's gaze. The man took immediate advantage of the reprieve. Weapon flashing, he drove the beast back into the shadows.
The thing snarled with anger but then turned tail, the mist enveloping it tattering to wisps as it melted back into the dark whence it came. Cassidy slumped onto the sidewalk, her body still quaking with the aftershocks of the power that had almost burst forth.
Kneeling beside her, his face was grim. "Are you alright?"
Cassidy nodded, but isn't quite so sure she believes it herself. The darkness had come so close to claiming her, and the thought of what might have happened if she