Chapter 6: Rude Awakening
The flash from the gun didn't feel real.
Even in the dream, Jamie remembered that much. The sudden burst of white-orange light, the deafening crack that followed, the confusion of movement around him—it all seemed to happen somewhere else, to someone else. There was no sense of being inside his own body anymore. Instead, Jamie watched the moment unfold from some impossible place outside himself, looking in on a scene that felt more like a movie than the final seconds of his life.
He wanted to do something. Run. Scream. Fight back. Anything. But Jamie wasn't in control of what happened. He never had been, no matter how much he liked to pretend otherwise.
Save her…
He’d tried, but failed.
The darkness began at the edges of his vision and slowly worked its way inward, swallowing pieces of the world as it came. Shapes disappeared first, then movement, then light itself until there was nothing left but an ever-shrinking point surrounded by black. Jamie fought against it with everything he had, desperately trying to hold on to that final sliver of reality, but there was nothing to grab onto. His body wouldn't respond. He couldn't feel his hands or his legs. He couldn't even tell whether he was breathing anymore.
Then the last of the light disappeared. Nothingness took its place.
That was the part Jamie found most terrifying.
There was no pain anymore, but somehow that made it worse. Pain would have meant he still had a body capable of feeling it. Instead, there was no sound, no warmth, no cold, no sense of weight or movement. There wasn't even a heartbeat thudding somewhere in his chest to remind him that he was alive. Jamie existed in an endless void without knowing how or why, and as the seconds stretched into something that could just as easily have been minutes—or hours—he began to understand what had happened.
He was dead.
Was this all there was? Nothingness?
Jamie wanted to scream at the realization, but there was no mouth with which to make the sound. He wanted to run, but there were no legs beneath him. He wanted to wake up from this nightmare and discover that none of it had happened, but somewhere beneath the panic he knew there would be no waking up. Whatever Jamie had been before the gun went off was gone, and all that remained was some small, terrified piece of him suspended in the dark.
Beside the dying campfire, Jamie tossed beneath her blanket. Her face tightened as she slept, one hand clutching unconsciously at the bedroll while Ember lay nearby, unaware of the nightmare unfolding only a few feet away.
In the dream, Jamie continued to fall through nothing.
He couldn't tell whether he was moving anymore. Without sight, sound, or a body to give him some point of reference, even the idea of movement had become meaningless. There was only the darkness and the growing certainty that this was all there would ever be.
Until it wasn't.
Somewhere in the distance, a light appeared.
At first it was so faint that Jamie wasn't certain it was really there. A tiny pinprick against an infinity of black, no larger than a distant star. Yet after so long with nothing to see, that single point of light became the most beautiful thing Jamie had ever witnessed.
He reached for it instinctively, although he had no hands. He tried to move toward it, although he had no legs. Whether Jamie was actually drawing closer or the light was coming to him, he couldn't tell. All he knew was that it grew brighter, spreading slowly through the darkness until something Jamie hadn't realized he'd lost began to return.
Warmth.
Not the heat of a fire or sunlight against his skin. This was different. Softer. It seemed to pass through him rather than touch him, surrounding whatever remained of Jamie with a sensation so gentle that the terror which had consumed him began to loosen its grip.
At the darkest moment of his existence, Jamie had found a beacon.
A promise that maybe—somehow—this wasn't the end.
The light continued to grow until it surrounded him completely, and within its brilliance Jamie began to make out a shape. The silhouette of a woman stood somewhere ahead of him, indistinct at first, her features hidden behind the radiance surrounding her. Jamie couldn't see her face yet, but something about her was familiar. Something buried beneath the panic and confusion recognized her before his mind could put a name to what he was seeing.
The Goddess.
Jamie tried to move toward her, and suddenly the light rushed forward.
A single word washed over him.
It wasn't spoken. Jamie didn't hear a voice, nor did the word seem to come from the woman waiting within the light. It simply appeared inside him, carrying with it a sensation so powerful that for the first time since the gun had gone off, Jamie stopped fighting.
Peace.
The fear vanished.
Jamie felt himself becoming still as the warmth surrounded him, the last remnants of the darkness falling away. There was no body here anymore, no pain or fear, and for one impossible moment, not even the certainty that he was Jamie Blake seemed to matter.
Jamie Blake was just a name, nothing more. A collection of sounds given to him at birth. That wasn’t the core of self.
He could feel his soul being guided now, carried gently toward something he couldn't see or understand. He didn't know where he was going, but somehow he knew who was guiding him.
By her.
By the Goddess.
The last of Jamie's fear faded as an impossible calm settled over him. He stopped fighting, stopped questioning, and allowed himself to be carried wherever she intended. Then he felt something change around him, as though his soul itself had been wrapped in warmth and carefully placed into stasis.
And then—
Jamie!
Her eyes snapped open.
Almost as quickly as they did, the dream began to fall apart.
No.
Jamie reached for it instinctively, desperate to hold on to whatever she'd just seen. The gunshot. The darkness. The light. Her. For one fleeting moment, it all seemed important—something she needed to remember—but the harder Jamie tried to grasp the pieces, the faster they slipped away. Within seconds, the dream had dissolved into ghostly echoes hovering just beyond the reach of a complete thought.
What? Jamie snapped, far more harshly than she'd intended.
Danger.
That single word cleared away the last remnants of sleep.
Jamie went completely still.
The warning hung over her head like an executioner's blade, and suddenly the darkness surrounding their little camp felt very different than it had when she'd gone to sleep. The fire had burned down to a faint orange glow, leaving the trees beyond it as little more than black shapes. Jamie couldn't see anything moving between them, but that didn't mean something wasn't there.
“What? Where? How many?” Jamie whispered, the questions tumbling out before she remembered that whispering was still considerably louder than simply sending the thoughts to Ember.
Six. Very dangerous.
Ember's golden eyes remained fixed on Jamie, but her ears told a different story. Both were turned toward the forest, locked on something Jamie couldn't hear yet.
A cold knot formed in her stomach.
Six.
Jamie slowly reached toward the sword she'd left beside the bedroll, careful not to make any sudden movements as Ember continued listening.
Four are weak, Ember sent.
Jamie wrapped her fingers around the sword's grip.
One is strong.
Her other hand found her wand. Jamie quickly buckled both weapons onto her hips where they belonged, then immediately wanted to curse. Those four stupid points she'd banked weren't going to do a damn bit of good right now, and it was far too late to start experimenting with a new offensive or defensive spell.
Other than healing wounds, Jamie's wand was all but useless in a fight. Unless she wanted to try field dressing one of the six people apparently hunting them, there wasn't much it could do for her. Jamie didn't need the Help menu to know that probably wasn't going to work.
She slipped on her boots in a matter of seconds. The rest of her armor would take longer, and until she knew exactly what they were dealing with, Jamie wasn't willing to make that kind of noise.
Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
Then Ember's three tails went rigid.
One is deadly.
That was when Jamie finally saw movement.
Someone was following the river.
The figure was still far enough away that Jamie couldn't make out much more than a dark shape moving along the water's edge, but whoever it was wasn't wandering aimlessly through the forest. They were searching.
Jamie's first instinct was simple: run.
She and Ember still had enough distance to disappear into the trees. Between Ember's senses and Jamie's new puma form, Jamie was reasonably confident they could put a lot of ground between themselves and whoever was approaching.
Except there were six of them.
And Jamie could only see one.
I see the one by the water, Jamie sent, remembering this time to keep her mouth shut. Where are the others?
Ember's ears shifted, turning toward the darkness to their west.
One goblin is circling around us, she sent. He is cutting off our escape.
Jamie's stomach tightened.
So much for running.
The other four are following the woodline straight toward us, Ember added quickly. That is where the two most dangerous ones are.
Jamie stared into the darkness, suddenly much more interested in every shadow between the trees.
Goblins?
Yes. All goblins.
Well, crap. Guess the days of fighting slimes are over.
With a renewed sense of urgency, Jamie pulled her leather cuirass over her head and tightened the straps. Normally, she would have taken the time to make sure everything sat exactly where it was supposed to, but this wasn't exactly a normal morning. Comfortable would have to settle for good enough to keep something pointy out of my organs.
Her rucksack was mostly packed already. Jamie grabbed it, hauled it onto her shoulders, and cinched the straps tight before looking down at the last two things beside the dying fire.
Her bedroll and cloak. She hesitated for half a second.
Acceptable losses.
We're making our escape through the woods, Jamie sent.
Right.
Jamie took off with Ember beside her.
They moved as quickly as they dared, trying to balance speed against the considerable disadvantage of announcing their location to every goblin in the forest. Jamie slipped between trees, stepped over exposed roots, and avoided the thickest patches of brush whenever she could. Ember had a much easier time of it, her smaller body flowing through the undergrowth with irritating ease.
Jamie did not.
The rucksack bounced against her back with every stride, the weight throwing off her balance just enough to make running through an unfamiliar forest in near darkness considerably more exciting than she would have preferred.
A branch whipped across her cuirass. Jamie ducked beneath another and kept going.
He hears us.
Ember's warning came so suddenly that Jamie nearly stumbled.
Who?
The goblin ahead. He knows we are coming.
Well, stealth had been nice while it lasted. Jamie pushed harder.
The trees opened slightly ahead, moonlight filtering through the canopy just enough for her new eyes to pick out movement between two trunks.
There.
A figure turned toward them.
Short. Maybe four feet tall. Lean, almost wiry. Long pointed ears stuck out from either side of its head, and in its hands was something Jamie recognized immediately.
A bow.
The goblin was already reaching for an arrow.
Oh, hell no.
Jamie broke into a sprint.
“Analyze.”
The spell snapped into place as she ran.
STATUS SCREEN
Name: KibbRace: Woodland GoblinSex: MaleLv.: 6Class: Archer
Jamie registered the important parts instantly before dismissing the screen.
Time seemed to slow.
The goblin's hand closed around an arrow and pulled it free of the quiver.
Jamie was still too far away for a sword strike. There wasn't time to think through half a dozen possibilities or debate which one was best. Instinct took over, and the right move—the one most likely to keep her and Ember alive—became crystal clear.
Mana surged through her body.
Jamie didn't stop running.
Her left foot barely touched the ground before her right carried her another stride forward. Her body pitched lower as the transformation swept through her, bones shifting and muscles rearranging themselves in motion.
Right foot.
Left—
Paw.
Her weight dropped toward the forest floor as tawny fur raced across her changing body.
The goblin nocked its arrow.
Then Ember attacked.
One Siphon spell after another slammed into the goblin. There was no blood, no wound, but each impact struck with the force of an invisible bullet, making Kibb's body jerk violently as Ember hammered him again and again.
Jamie felt the stolen stats hit her almost immediately.
Strength flooded into her transformed muscles. Her paws dug harder into the earth. The forest blurred around her as her already considerable speed increased.
The goblin was stunned for only a fraction of a second.
It was all Jamie needed. She launched herself at him.
Kibb barely managed to raise the bow before a hundred-plus pounds of charging puma crashed into his chest. Jamie's forepaws struck first, claws punching through leather armor and sinking deep into the flesh beneath.
The bow flew aside.
Jamie felt exactly how deep her claws had gone. Those wounds might kill him eventually. That wasn't why she'd used them.
The goblin's instincts took over. Kibb recoiled from the animal suddenly on top of him, desperately trying to pull himself away.
The movement exposed his neck. Jamie's instincts took over too.
Her jaws snapped shut.
Kibb screamed.
Jamie tore backward.
Flesh gave way between her teeth.
Hot blood flooded her mouth.
The taste disturbed her.
What disturbed Jamie even more was the savage rush of satisfaction that came with it—the animal part of her mind recognizing that she'd caught her prey, that she'd bitten exactly where she was supposed to bite.
But neither of those things would haunt Jamie as much as the scream. It had begun in Kibb's mouth.
Then Jamie tore out his throat.
For one impossible instant, the sound continued.
Only now it came through the gaping wound she'd made in his neck—a wet, broken noise escaping from a place where no sound should ever have come from.
Jamie and the goblin crashed to the forest floor together.
Kibb twitched beneath her. Then stopped. A heartbeat later, Jamie felt experience pour into her.
The System's cold confirmation of something she already knew.
Kibb was dead.
Jamie barely had time to register the experience pouring into her before something slammed into her side. The impact came from nowhere, a shield catching her across the shoulder and chest with enough force to rip her claws free of Kibb and send her tumbling across the forest floor. Leaves and dirt scattered beneath her as she rolled once, twice, before finally coming to a stop several yards away.
For a moment Jamie lay stunned, struggling to understand what had happened. Pain radiated through her ribs and shoulder, and the coppery taste of Kibb's blood still filled her mouth. Then Ember's frightened voice punched through the ringing in her ears.
Jamie!
She forced herself back onto her paws. Her legs trembled beneath her, partly from the impact and partly from everything that had just happened, but she wasn't about to lie there waiting for the next attack. When Jamie raised her head, she found another goblin standing over Kibb's body.
This one was considerably larger than the archer she'd just killed, with broader shoulders and heavier armor covering most of his body. A large round shield filled one hand, while a short sword remained sheathed at his hip. Jamie's attention barely touched the sword. Her eyes were fixed on the shield that had just sent her flying and the goblin standing between her and any hope of escape.
A growl rolled from deep inside Jamie's chest as her lips pulled back from bloodstained teeth. The goblin looked directly into her eyes, and whatever he saw there seemed to tell him everything he needed to know. His expression hardened as Jamie cast Analyze.
STATUS SCREEN
Name: GrackRace: Woodland GoblinSex: MaleLv.: 14Class: Shieldbearer
Level fourteen. More than twice Kibb's level and considerably higher than Jamie's own. She didn't have time to dwell on what that meant. Grack was already moving, planting one foot behind the other as he brought his shield around to cover most of his body.
“Bulwark!”
Mana flashed across the shield and spread briefly over Grack's armor before disappearing. He lowered his center of gravity behind it, bracing himself for whatever Jamie did next. He wasn't advancing, but Jamie was too shaken and angry to wonder why. All she knew was that there was another goblin in front of her, Ember was behind her somewhere, and she wasn't going down without a fight.
Before Jamie could decide whether charging Grack was actually a good idea, a sharp yelp from behind her made the decision irrelevant. Jamie's head snapped around as vines erupted from the forest floor around Ember, twisting around her legs and body faster than the Kitsune could escape. Ember fought against them, managing to pull one of her three tails free before another vine curled around it while several more wrapped around her middle and pinned her against the ground.
Jamie!
Fear turned to anger so quickly Jamie barely felt the transition. She was still reeling from the violence of what she'd done to Kibb and the shield strike that had sent her tumbling through the dirt, but seeing Ember trapped burned straight through all of it. Jamie's ears flattened against her head as another growl built in her chest, deeper than the first.
Beyond Grack stood another goblin, this one smaller than Grack and dressed in layered hides and cloth rather than heavy armor. Feathers, beads, and little carved pieces of wood hung from her clothing, while one hand gripped a crooked wooden staff. The other remained extended toward Ember, fingers curled as though physically holding the vines in place.
Whoever this goblin was, she'd taken Ember completely out of the fight. If Jamie had any hope of getting them both out of here alive, that made her the priority.
Jamie cast Analyze.
STATUS SCREEN
Name: EriyRace: Woodland GoblinSex: FemaleLv.: 10Class: Shaman
Jamie dismissed the screen almost as quickly as it appeared. Level ten was all she really cared about, along with confirmation that Eriy was responsible for the vines wrapped around Ember.
That was enough.
Jamie's claws dug into the earth as she shifted her weight forward. Grack and Kibb disappeared from her thoughts as every predatory instinct in her puma body locked onto the goblin threatening Ember. There was no debate about what came next.
She was going after Eriy.
Jamie had barely started forward when three arrows struck the ground in rapid succession directly in front of her paws.
Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.
Jamie recoiled. Three more goblins had appeared among the trees, each carrying a bow remarkably similar to Kibb's. More importantly, all three already had another arrow nocked, their bowstrings drawn and their weapons pointed directly at her.
She froze.
Jamie's eyes moved from the three shafts buried inches from her paws to the goblins who had fired them. Her anger didn't disappear, but the urge to charge Eriy did.
There was nowhere to go.
Her gaze flicked toward Ember, still struggling against the vines, and Jamie searched desperately for something—anything—that might get them both out of this. Nothing presented itself. She wasn't leaving Ember behind, and charging Eriy would only get her killed before she could reach her.
Jamie looked back at the three arrows pointed at her and felt the last of her hope slip away.
So this was it.
Strangely, once she accepted that, some of the fear went with it. Jamie couldn't control what happened next, but she could control how she faced it. She straightened on all four paws and lifted her head, refusing to give the goblins the satisfaction of seeing her cower.
It felt disturbingly like standing in front of a firing squad.
Jamie closed her eyes.
I'm sorry, Ember.
She waited for the bowstrings.
Nothing.
Jamie kept her eyes closed for another second before confusion finally overcame fear. When she opened them again, the three archers were exactly where they'd been, arrows still trained on her.
But they hadn't fired.
Grack hadn't moved either. He remained planted in front of Kibb's body, shield raised and positioned between Jamie and Eriy, while Eriy continued holding Ember in the vines without doing anything else to her.
What the hell?
Were they toying with them?
Jamie didn't understand what they were waiting for, but she wasn't about to test their patience. They had Ember, and as long as those three bows remained trained on her, there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it. A low, threatening rumble escaped her throat as she looked from one goblin to the next, searching for some change in the stalemate.
None came.
The stalemate held. Ember struggled against the vines while Jamie searched desperately for an opening, but the goblins seemed content to wait her out.
For several long seconds, neither side moved.
Then Grack broke the silence.
“Lady Dryad,” he said carefully. “We are not here to harm you. We were sent to bring you to safety.”
The words hit Jamie harder than his shield ever could.
For one stunned heartbeat, she couldn't make sense of them. Hope came first, followed immediately by relief. Then mistrust crashed into both as Jamie searched Grack's face for some sign that this was a trick.
Beneath all three, something colder began to take shape.
Jamie's eyes drifted toward the body lying behind Grack's shield.
Kibb.