Thompson - Forest of Lost Souls

I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night .

-Sarah Williams

T ime was irrelevant. Days, nights, sun, moon. Everything mixed, becoming one and the same until I couldnt distinguish if I had been in the forest a matter of days, weeks, or even years. The instant I stepped into this cursed place, my dragon took over, forcing my human self into the shadows .

The forest looked the same as any other I had ever been in, but the atmosphere was heavy, the air dense, as if it were weighted down with all the souls who had been banished here for eternity .

Then, there was the shadow. Whenever it came, it seemed to feed off me, bringing the animal side of me ever closer, while taking those parts of me that made me what I truly was. Each time it came near, I felt a little more of myself go, as if my human side was a flame that flickered, threatening to go out .

It hadnt taken me long to know I needed to move whenever the shadow came. To escape .

I shifted my weight from one claw to the other as I clung to the rock facing at the very top of the mountain. The one place Id found where the shadow had yet to come .

Purgatory, they had named this mountain, and it fit .

From here, I could make out the blurry lights in the spot where I knew Imperium satwhere Claire would be. It was so close, yet so far away it was maddening .

The thought of her was all that kept me from giving in to my dragonfrom letting the human part of myself go. Letting the darkness win .

I closed my eyes, remembering the first time she flew with me, arms tight around my neck. Everything felt right when she was near me. I felt whole .

I stretched my wings, and let the wind catch beneath them as I replayed the memories over and over, hoping I would be able to keep them forever. I thought of her blue eyes, the way her dark hair danced in the wind, and of her smile that always seemed to warm me from the inside out .

As long as I can remember Claire, I will be able to fight against the magic here, I promised myself .

At that last moment, before I stepped into the forest, shed promised she would find a way to save me. I was certain she didnt know she was already doing exactly thatif only by replaying the picture of her face in my mind constantly to remind myself of whatand whoI truly was. Dragon, yes. But also a human. A human who was desperately trying to hold onto not only his mind, but also his heart .

Even if my heart is still with her .

The rumble of falling rocks made me open my eyes. They hadnt fallen in front of me, but were sliding a distance away as somethingor rather, someone, appeared, scrambling up the mountain .

I screamed, letting out a shriek of rage that only a dragon could make when I saw him .

Yeah, yeah, Victor said, hitting the side of his jeans with his hands to knock off the dirt. Im ecstatic to see you, too. Id hoped youd be gone by now. So much for that wish .

Im dreaming. He should be dead. Why isnt he dead? And how is it hes still human? No human form can survive in this place. I dont know how long Ive been here, but Ive barely held onto my mind, much less a human skin. I shot flames at the ground in front of him, blocking him from coming any closer .

Ass, he spat in true Victor fashion, dispelling any notion I was having a nightmare. He was indeed realtoo real for my liking .

Shit. I should have hit him, not the ground, I thought, taking another breath. I wouldnt be so nice this time, I decided .

Before you get all pissy, youre going to want to listen, he said, scowling as he crossed his arms. Theres a way out, but it will cost you. And just for the record, you dont know everything. Not by a long shot .

T rust me, well find what were looking for in here, Lacy said. I knew she meant to be convincing, but the way she was biting her lip made me wonder .

Okay, I replied as I followed her into Imperiums library. I was willing to give anything a shot. We needed information on how to break Logan free from the Forest of Lost Souls, and it made sense that the library would be the place to find what we needed .

Let me handle this, she whispered. She pushed the big double doors open .

We made our way toward the librarians desk where Aeolith watched us approach, her huge, bottomless black eyes narrowed in suspicion .

Hi, we need some of the journals from Imperiums first years of operation, Lacy said. Where would we find those? When the librarian only stared, she added quickly, Were doing research for history class. Tests are coming up, you know. We want to be ready .

After an excruciating moment of silence that made me wonder if the fairy was going to bother answering us at all, she finally spoke, though when she did, she bared her teeth, letting us know she wasnt happy about telling us anything. There is nothing up here that old, she told us in her musical voice. What youre looking for is below. She nodded to a narrow door in the corner of the room, half-hidden by a bookcase, a Restricted sign over the opening .

Is it all right if we go down there? I asked, uncertain, half-hoping shed offer to find the books for us, though by the scowl on her face, I knew that wasnt going to happen .

The librarian looked thoughtful for a second. He has eaten recently. He should betolerable, she said, more to herself. She looked directly at me. Mind the bat. She bit off each syllable as if to let me know she held an intense dislike for winged rodents. Then she turned her attention to her desk, pointedly ignoring us as we left and made our way to the corner .

Bats? Lacy hissed under her breath. I dont like bats. I had a friend once who got one tangled in her hair. They had to cut it to get it out. Ive heard they bite, too. And what if its still hungry ?

Her voice trailed off as we started down the dank spiral staircase that led us farther and farther down .

Its too well-lit for bats, I said in an effort to be reassuring. Wherever we were going, there was electricity. Every few yards, a bare bulb was burning, giving enough light to show the way until we made it to the next. And we arent going to be the only ones down here either, so thats a plus. Music blared a few feet below us .

Someone is a Backstreet Boys fan. I recognize the beat, Lacy said as we reached the bottom step. The music abruptly ceased .

The next thing I knew Lacy was grabbed, her head twisted to the side as some crazed lunatic poised a set of sharp fangs at her throat. His eyes were wild, feverish .