chaper six

Chapter  six

 

 

 

  I took an involuntary step backwards, pure terror radiated off the creature in waves. NightMare reared, whipping her long fleshy tail.

Her fur was jet black with spidery white stripes that looked like scars, her mane stood up and moved on its own like fire. Instead of hoofs she had paws with long sharpened claws.

Flapping her bony bat-like wings that looked like they had been shredded by some other horrible creature, NightMare took a step forward, I took a leap backwards.

“It’s alright, she is probably more scared of you then you are of her” Tony said

“That is not a horse” I managed to breath, I was certain that they could all here my heart pounding against my ribs like a drum.

“No not a horse she’s my horse!” Hailey said pretending to be offended.

NightMare whinnied making a puff of black smoke rise up from her flaring nostrils until it died away into thin air.

“It’s alright, the Wolfbane won’t hurt you, she is one of us” Hailey said waking up to the creature and stroking her fiery mane.

“That thing-sorry horse cannot possibly be afraid of me!” I exclaimed after catching my breath.

These kids were obviously not completely crazy, and if they were, I was crazy with them.

NightMare turned and cocked her head at me and stroked the hamster shavings that were used as her bedding. Her eyes had no white in them, only pale red with a darker red pupil that glowed faintly behind those big eyelashes. There was something gentle and innocent in her big eyes and something scared that said ‘please, don’t harm me, I’m not just a beast I can be your friend’

A sudden rush of elation hit me, it was all so amazing! I couldn’t believe any of this was real; it was an adventure most people wait their whole lives for but never get!

“Alright, I’m convinced, you’re not insane” I said, still sounding awestruck.

“Yay! I’m sane!” Hailey laughed

“No, no, I’m pretty sure you are insane, Hailey” Tony joked.

Nick motioned for me to follow him as he started walking towards the forgery area.

“Pretty cool, huh?” He asked

“It’s amazing!” I gushed “It must have taken forever to find this place, and build all this!”

“It actually used to be an old Magician’s hideout, were pretty sure he built the room by magic but when we defeated him we rebuilt the place into out hidey-hole” Nick said dropping a few small logs into the pit.

“How did you guys find NightMare?” I asked, and Nick told me, it was a long story and whilst he told it he kindled a fire, dropped in a silver pendant that looked like a scale and let it heat up.

I would tell you the story but now is not the time for it, don’t worry you’ll hear it soon enough.

Nick used a shovel to scoop the scale out of the fire and plopped it down on the cinderblocks. He used a toothpick to write ‘Alexis Wolfbane’ on it.

He then hung it on a silver chain with two other symbols and handed it to me.

“What is it?” I asked I noticed it was the same thing Tony and Hailey were wearing, Nick kept his hidden.

“The claw wrapped in thorns is the symbol of the banes; the interlocking moons are the symbol of the hunter and the hunted” Nick explained.

There was a big sapphire set in-between the two crescent moons, “What's the sapphire for?” I asked

“It was Hailey’s idea we all have a different stone, mine is topaz, Tony’s is amethyst and Hailey’s is emerald”

“Oh, ok so I guess you stole the stones too?” I asked laughingly.

“Yep” Nick laughed “Hailey’s right though, it’s a small price to pay for us keeping the world safe”