Fierce Winds and Fiery Dragons (Dusky Hollows: Book 1)

Chapter 9

  Carrie awoke to Sparky's muffled cries and strong hands pulling her out of bed in the middle of the night. She couldn't see who was dragging her out or what was going on. It took a moment after awakening to realize what was happening.

  She started yelling, “Mom! Help! Mom!”

  “Carrie, are you okay?” She heard Sparky's voice in her mind.

  “I'm fine.” Carrie twisted and turned, “I just can't get away.”

  Something happened. There was no flash, no sound, nothing to warn her of the change. Just the smell of a damp forest where her bedroom used to be. One moment she was struggling in her bedroom where a night light lit the edge of her bookshelves, the next she was in a mist wondering what had happened.

  The hands let go, and Carrie dropped to the ground. She stood and turned to see who had grabbed her, but there was no one there. And worst of all, there was no Sparky either. “Mom?” Carrie didn't say it too loud. It was more of a tentative question that she sent into the mist where it echoed. “Sparky?”

  She turned in a circle. The entire world seemed to be made of fog and she was standing on a mossy patch under a cedar tree. The hill sloped, but she couldn't tell how steep in was.

  Carrie shivered. She was barefoot and wearing her pajamas. It would have been nice if they had given her a coat, but whoever grabbed her couldn't be bothered with niceties. She started to wonder if they'd dropped her on accident, and then she wondered if they'd be back.

  She ran. Her bare feet hurt with every step, but Carrie was frightened enough to ignore the pain and keep on running.

  It wasn't until she'd already changed directions twice that it occurred to her that maybe there was a portal that brought her to this world, and maybe she could only get back and forth from the very place where she entered. But it was too late.

  Carrie walked and walked, her sleeves catching on branches, her feet cut by small rocks and bits of wood. Walking down the slope, Carrie heard the sound of a river or waterfall somewhere in the distance. She moved diagonally to the sound of the water. “Ow, ow, ow, ow” With every step, her tender feet landed on something uncomfortable. At least the ground was warmer than home.

  A shadow raced by, almost like a flicker in the corner of her eye. Carrie turned, trying to see. She was knocked over, tackled by something furry and large. Her face was in a pile of leaves and twigs, and she could taste the ground. “Bleh.” Spitting out dirt, Carrie pulled herself up and tried to find her attacker, but the forest was quiet.

  “Hello?” Her voice shook, barely above a whisper. Angry at herself for sounding so frightened, Carrie brushed off her pajama bottoms, her favorite pink princess pajama bottoms, which were now covered in mud.

  A face peered out from behind a tree and growled, showing long canine teeth. Carrie stepped back cautiously. One foot at a time, she moved slowly away, trying to put distance between herself and the snarling beast. It was nothing like any animal she'd ever seen with a snout like a pig, but human eyes, intelligent eyes, and long furry arms that ended with furry fingers.

  The creature moved forward as Carrie moved back, stalking her. She turned to run. Before she could take two steps, something had pushed her down. The animal stood on top of her snapping his teeth at her ear and snarling. Three more of the beasts came from out of the trees where they'd been hiding. Two carried weapons. “Don't move.”

  She could barely understand the words. They came out as a growl, but they were real words. “Who are you?”

  Carrie waited for some kind of answer, but she found her arms being held back and strong cords wrapping around her wrists. When she pulled away, one of the creatures snarled and pushed her down. She banged her knee on a stump. A hand wrapped around her throat and she felt herself choking. Until that moment she'd been more angry than afraid. As she lost consciousness, she wondered if her dad would miss her.