43

The ride was eerily silent, no one of them talking. Regan had so much to say, but she couldn't say anything that'd give out things about herself. And for some reason, Artemis's servant didn't look trusting.

"Where are we going?" she finally broke the silence. It was like everyone knew, except her. The frustration from it was building up.

"To a safe place," Artemis replied cryptically. She was sitting in front of her. The servant was looking at them both, her expression confused as well. But she said nothing. It was getting on Regan's nerves. Safe, safe. What did that even mean?

No one of them was going to speak, so Regan just stared out of the window, at the moving landscape. It was a forest, to be specific, a dense, lush forest. She'd prefer to go out and breathe the fresh air, but she had no choice over it. 

She didn't know what to feel. To feel happy was foreign. Maybe if she'd really be to a better place, maybe that time.... she'd feel genuinely happy.

Suddenly, the carriage came to a stop and Regan flinched. "Why it stopped?" she immediately asked, her hand reaching for the dagger beneath her cloak.

The servant looked startled too while Artemis remained calm, "The dragon's probably drinking water or something. It's normal."

Regan didn't know if she should believe that or not. She was still wary of Sirius's intentions. How did he just....let her go? So nonchalantly, so easily, but with such intense look in his eyes? Something didn't add up.

The creature outside let out sharp hisses and Regan knew that something wasn't right. "I'll go check," she said hastily, her hand reaching for the door's handle and stepping out before anyone could protest.

What she saw was bone-chilling. They were in an opening, and the creature wasn't drinking water at some stream. Instead, it had let the carriage go, and was now fighting against a group of monstrous creatures, with torn flesh and snarling teeth. Their skin was green, tainted with blood and dirt. Regan had never seen something so disgusting and terrifying before. 

The creature was breathing fire at them, its claws trying to slay at the attackers. But they were a lot and they were advancing towards Regan and the carriage itself now.

"Oh my God!" Regan exclaimed, her eyes wide with horror at the chaotic scene. They were outnumbering the dragon-creature. She had to do something. Quickly.

"What's wrong-" Artemis began, but her voice cut off as she peeked out the window and heard the guttural sounds of the beasts. She immediately was out of the carriage, along with the servant.

"What the hell do you want?" Regan yelled at the monsters, her hand clutching the knife.

They hissed at her, already forgetting the dragon creature who was now laying on the grass, its breaths shallow.

"Stay away from us," Regan ordered, her voice surprisingly firm as she stepped in front of the carriage, pointing the dagger at them. But they didn't seem to care or mind her threat

They only laughed, revealing their rotten teeth. They circled them, closing in quickly. "You're ours now, pretty one," one of them snickered, licking its lips. "You're going to be a fun plaything!"

Another one sneered, "Look, the little girl thinks she can fight!"

Artemis and the servant backed away, leaving Regan there. "I'm not a little girl," she spat at the creatures, feeling a surge of anger. But she knew what their intentions were, they were hungry, not just in the first meaning of the word.

"Let's just get out of here," Artemis whispered at the servant. She didn't know what Regan's powers could do, but she didn't want the servant to know of them. Not just because it was Sirius's order, but Viggo could easily learn it too from her, and then, who knows what he'd do?

Regan felt a pang of fear and hurt as she watched them retreat. The monsters hadn't really been focused at them. But she knew that it was a two sided-knife. If they stayed, her powers would be discovered. If they left, she didn't know how she could survive.

"B-but...." her voice trailed off as she watched them disappear in the woods. Why did it have to be like that? Was it Sirius's plan? To make her think he let her be, just for these creatures to kill her? No, she was stronger that that.

"See, your friends left you," another monster laughed, lunging forward, its eyes gleaming with malice.

But before it could advance further, she didn't know how she did it, but she did it. She shot a fireball at it, the monster being thrown away and getting slammed against the tree.

The other monsters hissed, their fangs elongating. Regan felt a boost of power rise within her and she continued to summon her own powers, which surprisingly manifested in a way that served well. Chains made of fire appeared from her palms and they swiftly reached the monsters, wrapping around their twisted bodies.

They roared in pain, the sound scaring the birds away. The chains could've been made just of fire or scorching metal, but either, it was burning the monsters flesh. Regan smiled at herself, at least there was something worth from these powers. She could defend herself.

She managed to control the chains with her hands, making them coil and throw the monsters apart like ragdolls. They were high in number but she had to keep going.

Suddenly, something grabbed her from behind and threw her on the cold grass with a thud. Regan hissed in pain. It was one of the beasts, holding her down with a vice-like grip. It was laughing, enjoying the fight. She brought her knee up and kicked the creature off her. 

Regan coughed and shoved the creature away further with her legs. "You bastard," she hissed, her voice shaking with rage. Before the beast would attack again, Regan lunged forward and slammed it hard on the face. The creature groaned and stumbled backward, giving her an opening. Regan grabbed the creature's arm and twisted it sharply, hearing a satisfying crack. The beast snarled in agony as she forced it to the ground and held its arm against the dirt.

"You're outnumbered, woman," Another monster hissed behind her, that one was the first who had spoken, and looked more well-built than the others.

Regan let go of the one she had attacked and turned behind, "Stay away from me," she spat.

The creature laughed and reached for her, but it stopped midway when the sound of gunshot scared the crows away. Regan's heart skipped a beat as the creature collapsed on the ground.

She realized the other monsters were being shot as well, by invisible weapons or people. They were all targeted, falling one by one.

Regan's eyes searched for the source of the shooting, but she couldn't see anything in the dense woods and greenery that surrounded her. And she just realized then that the dragon-like creature was gone, either itself, or either by some means.

She couldn't stay here anymore, one thing was for sure: she wasn't the target. She thanked whoever helped her and quickly got out of the opening.

She ran towards the directions where there were less sounds of gunshot. Where could Artemis and the servant be? Regan couldn't help but feel a pang of hurt. Why did these people have servants if they didn't trust them? She was left alone to fight these disgusting creatures all by herself.

But she had to admit, it was exhilarating. Having powers felt for once like freedom, like a gift, instead of something to be exploited by Sirius or feared by herself. She sprinted through the forest, the wind whipping her cloak and hair behind her as she dodged low hanging branches and leaped over small streams.

The sound of the gunshots grew fader, until she thankfully couldn't hear anything from it. Regan halted in her steps to collect her breath and sat down on a fallen trunk.

"Cornelia?" Artemis's voice called out from somewhere in the distance, breaking the eerie silence that had followed the battle.

Regan's heart pounded in her chest as she called back, "Here!" she said hopefully. There had been little to no chance of finding Artemis again but the voice was clear and it was definitely her sister's.

Artemis and the servant emerged from the trees, their expressions a mix of relief and concern. "What happened?" Artemis rushed over, her eyes scanning Regan for any injuries.

"Those things attacked," Regan said, panting, "But someone was shooting at them. I think they're gone now."

Artemis's eyes searched the woods nervously, "Whoever it was, we need to get out of here before they appear again. And the carriage is gone now, damn it!" She looked at Regan, her eyes filled with regret. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you."

Regan's eyes widened, "Protect me? I can take care of myself!" she snapped. "Besides, you and your servant were the ones running away!"

Artemis was at loss of words, she knew what she had done had been an act of cowardice, but she couldn't afford Regan's powers being discovered. "You can't blame us," she replied defensively, "These creatures exist only in those lands. Where I live, there are no such monsters."

"So you live in some paradise?" Regan said sarcastically, standing up from the tree trunk, "Let's just leave from here."

Artemis nodded, knowing that leaving without a carriage was going to complicate things. "We'll have to walk to the city," she said, "And then....then we get you to the guardians. They'll know what to do."

"The guardians?" Regan

and the servant echoed together.

"Never mind," Artemis said quickly, "It'll be a safe place.