Olli thrashed in my arms.
“Olli, no. Wait,” I hissed to my little impatient hound. “We have to find the tunnel.”
I summoned my magic to my hands but it wasn’t near full strength. If I used too much too soon I’d be in trouble. I took a deep breath, then pushed just a little out. Golden glitter floated in the air and then shot out in every direction.
I bit my lip and waited.
Nothing.
My magic found nothing.
“SHIT,” I yelled and stomped my foot. Mud splashed halfway up my dress. I groaned. “TEGAN? Tegan, can you feel me? I’m here!”
Olli’s head snapped up. He stared off to the right of us and I saw his nostrils flare as he sniffed. My stomach tightened into knots. His brown and white dipstick tail curled up like a scorpion’s and the fur on his back stood tall. My pulse quickened.
“What is it, baby O? What do you see?” I whispered to him.
His ears perked up, making him look like a mean baby elephant. A low growl rumbled from his chest and it vibrated against my arms.
Shit, shit, shit. Whatever it was, my magic hadn’t picked up on it. So it probably wasn’t a demon.
The bushes rustled and then strange little animals jumped out of it. There had to be a dozen of them and they couldn’t have been more than a foot tall. I frowned. What are you? They stood on two back legs but had two short arms. The underside of them were yellow but the rest was a bright green, they actually almost blended in with the bushes. They looked like snakes with legs and arms. Or like featherless green chickens.
And they just stared at us.
Olli sniffed and growled.
“What the hell are you—”
The one in front lunged for me. It opened its mouth and sharp white teeth glistened in the sunlight. It moved faster than I expected, biting down on my leg before I could move. Its teeth were razor sharp even through my linen dress. I screamed and kicked it away. The other green-snake-chickens hissed and charged from me. I leapt backward and it was all the distraction my hound needed. Olli wiggled and thrashed his way right out of my arms.
He dove toward them, landing in the mud with a thud and a splash. The green-snake-chickens attacked but Olli was fierce. He growled and snatched one in his mouth, shaking it side to side so fast his ears flopped.
“OLLI!” I screamed as the other little monsters jumped on his back.
I reached down and grabbed two off his back with my bare hands and then threw them as hard as I could into a tree. I didn’t relish hurting animals but these green-snake-chickens were attacking us first. And over my dead body would anything hurt my Olli.
Olli pounced on the monsters, tossing a few into the air and trampling the others. He spun in tight circles, slamming his butt into them and knocking them over. When there were only three left, he growled and snarled and they just turned and fled from my little furry monster.
I knelt down and pulled Olli into my lap, running my hands over his fur to make sure he hadn’t gotten injured. But no blood came off on my hands. “Good boy, O. That’s a good boy.”
Thunder rumbled over our heads…except, it didn’t sound quite like thunder.
I frowned and cocked my head to the side. The sky peeking through the towering trees was bright blue. More thunder cracked but it sounded closer. Then another and another. What is that? Olli whined and nestled into my chest with his tail tucked between his legs.
Thunder rumbled again — that’s not thunder. It was…something heavy falling. I looked to my left just as the sound came again…and the puddle of water in the mud beside me rippled.
A memory flashed in my mind.
Before my curse was broken, Bentley had come to the park with Atley and Peabo. The four of us sat on the sofas in The Coven’s Lookout Tower watching movies…movies about giant monster animals…there were like five of them we watched in a row. Jurassic Park or Jurassic World. I remembered it vividly because I had never heard of such creatures.
There was a scene in the first movie that had stuck out to me…the one where the water rippled from the heavy footsteps of the — I gasped. My pulse kicked into overdrive as I watched the puddle. The thuds were growing closer and quicker. Each one made the ground tremble and the water ripple. Oh no. No, no, no. It was the big dinosaur and it was coming.
The…the…the….rex one! The T-Rex!
My body trembled. Olli shook in my arms. I couldn’t tell where it was coming from. And then a huge dark shadow passed over us. I cursed and lunged out from under the shadow — and a massive foot stomped into the mud. Trees were flattened across from me.
This dinosaur towered over me. I barely even reached its knees. It had teeny tiny little arms that just dangled in the air, but I was fairly certain even those were bigger than me.
My breath left me in shaky puffs. My teeth rattled. Every muscle in my body tensed.
It lifted its snout in the air and sniffed – then opened its mouth and roared. The ground shook. Trees swayed and trembled. It smelled me. My stomach turned. Quick, Saffie. THINK. What do I do? You watched those movies. What do I do? I replayed the scenes in my head. The man with the blue eyes and cool hat, Dr. Grant, he told the other characters if they didn’t move the T-Rex couldn’t see them.
That was my plan, my only plan.
I pressed my mouth to Olli’s ear and whispered, “Stay.”
The T-Rex bent down and stuck its nose to the ground right in front of me… my heart stopped. My stomach plummeted. It exhaled and its breath pushed my hair back behind me. I squinted and squeezed Olli for dear life.
Don’t move. Don’t move. Don’t move.
It turned its head and a big yellow eye stared at me.
It can’t see you. That’s what Dr. Grant said. Just stay still.
I held my breath, not willing to even trust that chance. I stood there frozen like a statue. Please Goddess, help me. I thought about using my magic or summoning the dead, but if I was too weak it would only trigger the beast.
My knees wobbled. Nausea bubbled up my throat.
A bird squawked behind it and the T-Rex spun around. I ducked under its tail and then sprinted away. Behind me, it roared and the ground shook. The sound pierced my ears and I hissed. Olli whimpered. I ducked behind a large tree and knelt down. My whole body was trembling wildly. Tears stung my eyes.
Where the hell am I?
Then the bush beside me rustled and my heart sank. I braced myself, locking my body in place — and a bright green dinosaur leapt out in front of me. It wasn’t the T-Rex. This one was shorter and smaller, just a bit taller than me. It had weird ridges on its snout, and eyes that definitely saw me standing there.
My mouth watered.
And then my wings popped out of my back.
This dinosaur screeched. My gaze latched onto its long, sharp teeth as it roared in my face. Olli cried. Big flaps like wings popped out from both sides of its face. I remember th — oh no! I pulled Olli’s face into my chest and spun around just as hot liquid splashed into my back. I hissed as it stung my skin through my dress. My body tingled everywhere it hit me. It roared again and more of that liquid slammed into me.
I screamed and pushed with my magic.
Gold glitter exploded out of me.
The spitting dinosaur screeched. I glanced over my shoulder just in time to see it slam into the tree behind us. But it snarled and lunged back for me without hesitation. I raised my hand and summoned my magic to my palm — the T-Rex lunged forward and caught the spitter mid-air.