A Fork of Paths Read online

  “Where are you off to with the half-blood?” the woman pressed. My heart palpitated as she stood up from her chair. She began walking toward us.

  Oh, God.

  I had no choice but to discreetly withdraw my cardigan-clad hand from Jocelyn’s back. At least the gun was small, and I was able to raise my right hand to my chest and insert my left hand into the opening of the cardigan—and around the gun—to make it look like I was simply using the garment as a muffler to keep my hands warm.

  Jocelyn cleared her throat.

  Don’t fail me now, Jocelyn.

  Please, don’t fail me now.

  Even though she would be aware now that I had withdrawn the gun from her back, I was still standing behind her, and it would not take much for me to whip it out and fire at her if she took a misstep.

  “Just a few tests,” Jocelyn replied, her voice thankfully more steady than before.

  “Outside?”

  “Yes… To experiment with her temperature sensitivity.”

  “Uh-huh…” The blonde woman’s eyes fell on me, glancing briefly at my cardigan-turned-muffler, before she resumed her focus on Jocelyn.

  Now go away, nosey woman.

  I was ready to let out a sigh of relief when she turned her back on us. But then her left hand shot beneath her top and when she whirled around to face us again, she was holding a thin silver gun, aimed directly at me.

  River

  Christ, these women are prepared. They were like receptionists-cum-security guards. I never would’ve guessed an innocent-looking receptionist to be hiding a lethal weapon in her cleavage—I guessed their appearance was part of their effectiveness.

  I didn’t have time to wonder how exactly she had seen through me—maybe they had caught sight of me accosting Jocelyn via the security cameras after all, or perhaps more likely we just looked so darn suspicious. My stupid cardigan-muffler hadn’t helped at all. These hunters weren’t dumb. They were sharp as knives.

  My first instinct was to reach out and grab Jocelyn by the neck. Pulling her back against me, I whipped out my gun and pressed it against her temple. I held her in front of me like a shield and began pulling her toward the exit.

  “Stop where you are!” the blonde hunter yelled.

  I ignored her and kept moving backward. Jocelyn whimpered beneath my grasp as I dug the barrel of the gun harder against her skin. Although fear coursed through my veins, I maintained steady eye contact with the gun-wielding receptionist. I had to hope that she valued Jocelyn’s life enough to not fire.

  I wasn’t far from the door now. Perhaps ten feet. From the corner of my eye, I noticed the other receptionists stand up behind the desk. Before any of them could whip out their own guns from their bosoms—or God knew where else they had them stashed—I hissed, “Don’t move! I will pull the trigger.”

  I hurried backward with as much speed as I could without causing Jocelyn to trip. As my back hit against the glass doors, I glanced to my right at the fingerprint scanner. Keeping my gun against Jocelyn with one hand, with the other I reached for her hand and pressed her thumb against the screen.

  Come on. Come on!

  The doors weren’t opening. In fact, the scanner appeared to be switched off.

  Oh no.

  I suspected that there must have been a control button for the door behind the desk, and that one of the women had hit it, disabling the exit completely.

  I was trapped. And now, perhaps sensing my growing hopelessness, the hunters were becoming more bold. The blonde in front of me began moving closer and the receptionists behind the desk pulled out guns—one had a weapon tucked into the back of her pants, while the other had one stored beneath her shirt like the blonde. Maybe they sensed that I wasn’t going to kill Jocelyn. Maybe they thought that I didn’t have it in me. I felt desperate enough, but they would be right: I couldn’t pull the trigger on Jocelyn. At least, not while the doctor was helpless in my grasp. If she turned around and tried to fight me… that would be another thing.

  “Don’t come a step closer!” I called, fighting with all that I had to keep my voice steady. I would’ve shouted, but I didn’t want to make any more noise than we already had.

  However, my threats were futile. These hunters were obviously highly trained and experienced in high-tension situations, and probably also well educated in psychology. She had already seen through me. She knew I was bluffing. Either that, or she didn’t care much whether or not I shot her colleague.

  As the blonde approached within three feet of me, I did the only thing that I could think to do. I thrust Jocelyn forward with such strength that she lost her footing and collided into the hunter. The surprise and force of Jocelyn’s movement caused the two of them to go crashing to the floor.

  I whirled around to face the exit and fired my gun at the lock that held the glass doors glued together. I figured that this was my best bet, because I was certain that the glass would be bulletproof. The force of the recoil sent shockwaves rippling up my arms. This weapon was powerful for one so small. Thankfully powerful. The lock gave way, and with one strong kick, I was able to force the doors open and thrust myself into the wintry world outside.

  The cold hit me like an electric shock. My bare feet sinking into the snow, I wondered how many minutes I could last like this before I developed frostbite. I could not think about it now. I urged my aching limbs forward, faster than I’d ever thought that I could in such conditions. A deafening alarm sounded behind me. I shot a look back over my shoulder to see the receptionists piling out of the door after me, and now they had no doubt summoned God knew how many other hunters to join them in the chase.

  It hit me only now that none of them had attempted to fire even a single bullet at me. Not even after I had pushed Jocelyn away from me and turned my back to face the glass doors. I had been fast, but these hunters weren’t exactly lacking in their reflexes. One of the hunters behind the desk could have at least attempted to hit me if she had wanted to. I could only conclude that I really was of value to them. They didn’t want to kill me, not even after what I had done to Jocelyn. They wanted only to recapture me.

  This might have been my one advantage. I could run without the constant need to dodge bullets. Although, on second thoughts, they might attempt to hit me with some kind of sedative-tinged bullet to bring me down…

  Still clutching Jocelyn’s gun in my hand, I darted into the midst of the parking lot, ducking beneath vehicles as I sped forward, trying to remain out of sight as much as I could.

  I heard more shouting—the voices of men this time. More hunters had arrived already, but this time I didn’t look back. The sight of dozens of hunters piling out of the entrance would only increase my panic and inability to think clearly.

  Heavy snowflakes started to fall, impairing my vision as I tried to make out the parking lot’s exit. It was difficult enough as it was because I had to keep ducking out of sight, fearful to remain exposed for more than a few seconds at a time.

  And then I spotted it—a gate. While the rest of the massive parking lot was enclosed by a high and, by the looks of it, electrified fence, the gate looked like something one might see in a supermarket parking lot. It was more of a barrier than a gate. Something that wouldn’t be difficult for me to climb over. A surge of hopefulness running through me, I abandoned caution and hurtled toward the barrier for dear life.

  I stopped dead in my tracks about ten feet away.

  Three male hunters in ski jackets and heavy boots emerged from the small cubicle near the barrier. They had already been warned. They were expecting me.

  I darted sideways, plunging beneath a large truck. Scrambling along its underbelly, I emerged on the other side of it, now forced to take a different direction. I gazed around at the high fence. It was humming with electricity, and its top was spiked with barbed wire. Even with my strength and speed, how would I ever escape over that without either being electrocuted to a crisp or mangled by the barbs?

  Hunters’ footst
eps trudged through the snow a short distance away. I kept moving, sliding beneath vehicles and winding in and out of the parking spaces until I reached the very edge of the enclosure. There was a large SUV parked right next to the fence. I crawled beneath it and paused to catch my breath.

  But it had been a mistake to stop moving. No longer distracted by the swift movement of my limbs, I became fully aware of just how much trauma the freezing temperature was causing my body. As I crouched down in the snow, clad in icy wet pajamas and half submerged in snow, I had lost all feeling in my hands, feet and face. And I could feel the numbness spreading—up along my legs, and arms. My throat was tight, my chest restricted, and it was a struggle to even breathe. As I shivered, it was from the very core of me.

  Can half-bloods die of hypothermia?

  I can’t sit here and wait to find out.

  I have to keep moving.

  I have to keep moving.

  My brain addled with panic, I barely even thought about what I was doing as I left my hiding place and staggered out into the open.

  Gazing around the parking lot through the thickening snowfall, I expected dozens of hunters to spot me at once and begin racing in my direction.

  Instead, every hunter I laid eyes on had their gaze fixed on the sky, an expression of shock on their face.

  “How did it escape?” one of the hunters bellowed. It sounded like Mark.

  Although these hunters certainly treated me like an object, based on where they were all looking, I was pretty sure that by it, he wasn’t referring to me.

  An explosion of gunshots pierced the frigid atmosphere.

  I craned my neck upward in the direction where they were staring and shooting toward to try to make out what exactly had caught their attention. So much so that they seemed to have temporarily forgotten about me.

  It didn’t take long for me to spot “it”.

  I could barely believe my eyes as I gazed up at the snow-speckled sky. A giant monster with the head, wings and sharp talons of a fearsome bird; the body, tail and hind legs of a lion. It was holding a hunter in its deadly grasp.

  I must be hallucinating.

  Maybe I’m still lying beneath that SUV.

  Maybe this is what happens to a person dying of cold.

  And yet, by now, I’d seen enough strange things in the world. I had no idea where on earth it had come from, but why shouldn’t I believe my eyes? Why shouldn’t I believe in a half-lion, half-bird creature, when I myself was half-vampire, half-human? Now it occurred to me that its characteristics were identical to that of a griffin— a supernatural creature I’d read about when studying mythology at school.

  A piercing screech emanated from the griffin’s mouth, snapping me out of my daze.

  What am I doing?

  The hunters are distracted.

  There’s nobody guarding the exit.

  Once again trying to keep my head down low beneath the vehicles in case any of the hunters decided to chase me even in the midst of this beast’s presence, I hurtled once again toward the exit.

  This time, I reached it. Heck, I even leaped over the barrier and landed on the other side. Before me was a long, snow-covered road that appeared to wind down through the mountains. I had to force myself to run fast again, even though my bones ached and creaked. Not only did I have to lose sight of the hunters, I also had to maintain what little energy I had left in me.

  Leaving the road—for that was far too obvious a place to run—I began racing toward the cluster of nearby rocks at the foot of one of the mountain slopes. I figured that I ought to go off track as far as possible, even if I did end up getting lost—being lost was better than falling back into the hands of the hunters. Anything felt better than that. Even running barefoot in sodden pajamas through a snowstorm.

  I had just reached the start of the slope when I heard another round of gunshots, followed by more shouting, the crunching of footsteps through snow… and then the heavy beating of wings, close to me. Too close.

  I whirled around to the terrifying sight of the griffin hurtling directly toward me. It soared over the barrier with supernatural speed and caught up with me within a matter of seconds. I barely even had a chance to recover from the shock and attempt to run for shelter before it had reached me.

  Now that it was so close, I realized just how large it was. Not quite the size of a dragon, but not that far off, either.

  Its talons extended and closed around my shoulders. I cried out, certain it was on the verge of taking a bite out of me. Instead, the griffin’s wings beat hard and I found myself being hoisted into the air. It ascended quickly in the sky, so quickly that I barely even had a chance to consider whether I ought to attempt to wriggle free and leap back down to the ground, before the jump became too scary for me to even consider it.

  Casting my eyes down on the parking lot, I took in the number of hunters down there for the first time. There must’ve been at least fifty of them—most of them now close to the gate where they had no doubt run after me—their guns still raised in the air. They had stopped firing by now, perhaps realizing that we were too far away. Or perhaps even now, they didn’t want to risk shooting me.

  As the griffin ascended still higher with me, the hunters became nothing but specks of dirt on a blanket of snow, and soon, even the buildings and the mountain peaks became miniature. I couldn’t bear to look down any longer. I could only be thankful that the creature was holding me firmly.

  In an attempt to distract myself from the height, I craned my neck upward and looked over the griffin with a mixture of trepidation and fascination. I realized that it was a male, and I noticed a bloody wound—two in fact—in the side of him where the hunters no doubt had managed to shoot him. Clearly the bullets hadn’t penetrated deep enough to be fatal. Either that, or the beast was impervious to the bullets.

  For the first time, I became aware of how much heat the griffin’s body was radiating. He was holding me close to him, and my back touched the swell of his chest. He must have been hot blooded, and being so huge helped. Even as the harsh wind howled around me, and despite my absurd position, the warmth of this creature began to feel almost comforting.

  I gazed up at the griffin’s face.

  Where did he come from? And why is he rescuing me?

  I realized with a shudder that I should not be too quick in assuming that this creature was rescuing me. Maybe he had been flying by, and simply saw me as an easy dinner.

  I averted my eyes to his solid talons wrapped around me, his warmth suddenly becoming less appealing.

  I ought not get too cuddly with him yet.

  River

  I remained tense for what felt like the next half hour—or perhaps it was a full hour—as the griffin continued to fly high in the sky. By now, we must have created miles and miles of distance between us and the hunters’ facility.

  Then, with a sudden billowing of his wings, we slowed and began to descend. I dared look down at the ground, but then averted my gaze again as the griffin launched into a dive that was almost as fast and terrifying as a freefall. I clamped my eyes shut and kept them closed until I felt a shudder. I cautiously lifted my eyelids to see that we had landed outside a cave. A cave etched into the side of a towering snowy mountain.

  He’s brought me back to his lair.

  He’s going to eat me.

  The griffin’s talons loosened around me and I leapt to the ground. My feet crushing against sharp rocks, I began to run in the opposite direction of the cave. I winced as the snow once again numbed my bare feet, but I didn’t have to endure it for long. The griffin caught up and whipped in front of me with alarming speed, blocking my way. I staggered back, gazing up at the creature’s face. Although it was fierce, strangely, there was something calm, almost reassuring about his demeanor as he looked me steadily in the eye. I should have been terrified for my life, but even as he stood, blocking my way, I couldn’t bring myself to feel much more than confusion and curiosity. What is the deal with thi
s beast? I frowned, cocking my head to one side.

  He began moving forward, and, nudging the top of his smooth, orange beak against my belly, herded me back toward the cave. I tried to circle around him, but again, he was quick to cut me off before I could.

  I threw a glance over my shoulder into the cave. I guessed at least it would be warmer in there. But why does he want me there?

  If he had been intending to eat me, why would he wait for me to walk into the cave? He was a monster. He could rip me in two with a chomp of his beak. He didn’t need me in the cave to do that, and heck, even if he did, he could carry me there himself.

  I glanced from the cave, to the deserted, icy landscape surrounding us, then back to the cave. It didn’t seem that I had any choice but to obey the griffin’s whims. He wasn’t letting me leave, and I was positive that if I did somehow skirt around him and hurtle down the mountainside, he would only launch into the sky and scoop me up again.

  So I turned to face the cave. The tip of his beak nudged against my back as he ushered me inside. Once I had neared the back of the cavern, winding around the stalagmites, I stopped and turned around again to face the creature. Planting my hands on my hips, I raised a brow as if to ask him, Now what?

  To my shock, I could’ve sworn that he actually nodded. He gestured with his head toward one of the large, flat rocks at the back of the cave, as if… telling me to sit down?

  Cautiously, I moved to the rock he’d indicated, and sat.

  “What are you?” I whispered, my nose scrunching in confusion.

  The creature stared at me, his beady brown eyes deep and soulful.

  Can he really understand what I’m saying?

  I couldn’t shake the feeling that he understood me. There was something so… sentient about his eyes.

  “What do you want with me?” I whispered.