I grab the green pen from my bag. I quickly scribble two eyes onto the page.

  "Luna! Luna!" Valor says as he snaps his fingers in front of my face.

  I'm pulled back into the moment. Hazel and Marina sit next to the fire. We decided to make a camp. The forest isn't such a great spot to stay, but the next town or city is far out. I look up.

  "What?" I ask.

  "You've been working on that drawing for quite some time now. Why don't you take a break?" He replies.

  I gaze back down at the drawing. It looks like a five-year-old went crazy with a pen. It's supposed to be a drawing of the monsters we encountered in Raven'sFlight. I'll admit that I have always sucked at drawing. I can do a pretty damn good stick figure though.

  "We saw an entirely new species out there! One that hasn't been documented yet. We also discovered what happened to the residents there. This is extremely important," I say.

  Valor takes the book away from me.

  "Luna, you're still bleeding. Take care of yourself then you can have this back," he calmly says.

  "Fine!" I groan.

  I grab a cloth from my bag and use it to wipe away the blood.

  "Okay, Valor, I want my book back!" I say to him.

  He tosses it towards me. I catch the book midair.

  "Well, since we discovered these things and lived to tell about it, how about naming these monstrosities?" I suggest.

  "How about...ShadowDwellers?" Hazel adds.

  "I like that," I say.

  I write out the name under my terrible drawing. I unfold my map. We're halfway there. There have been a lot of ups and downs along the way, but we still did it. I lay down and pull the blanket over me. It's much easier to fall asleep tonight.

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

  Hazel wakes me up at dawn. We continue our journey. I can't believe we're already halfway there. I check the map. We have two paths ahead. We could continue down the road, of course, but that will take longer, or we can travel through the cave in front of us. The cave will be a much shorter path.

  Hazel trips as we enter. Valor catches her before she falls. I look back to see a tripwire on the ground. In a second walls block both the entrance and the exit.

  "It was a trap!" Marina says.

  The cave walls on the left and right start closing in on us.

  "Find a way out of here!" Valor yells to me.

  We're surrounded. There is no way out...I guess we'll have to make one. Valor puts his hands on the enclosing walls. He's trying to slow them down.

  I focus on a spot where the stone is crumbling that's in one of the walls. I draw my sword. I slam the handle of it into it.

  "Luna, back up," Valor tells me as he steps in front of me.

  He kicks it with all the force he has. The wall crumbles. I move further into the cave. We're not in danger anymore...for now at least.

  "Prepare yourselves. Someone set up that trap and they are probably nearby," I say.

  The exit is only a few feet away. Hazel goes through it first. Someone grabs her and holds a dagger to her neck. It's another elf. A woman with two kids stands behind him. More elves emerge from the forest.

  "Who are you? Did you come from Raven'sFlight?" He asks.

  "We did. Please, just let her go," I respond.

  "No, not until I can confirm who you are. You see, those things took over Raven'sFlight. We set that trap for them should they ever come this way. We didn't believe him...thought he was crazy," the elf rambles.

  The trauma from what happened in the city must have gotten to him. I grab the journal from my bag.

  "Was this his?" I ask.

  "Yeah, he carried it everywhere," he replies.

  "Who are you?" I ask.

  "We're the few who escaped. We've been waiting here just in case those things decided to migrate. That way we could take them out."

  A sound from the trees causes me to look up. The elf begins to cut Hazel's neck. An arrow flies from the tree above me. It hits the elf in the eye. Blood splatters all over Hazel. A familiar face leaps from the tree.

  "Flynn?!" I yell.

  He lands on the ground and helps Hazel up. The other elves don't put up a fight.

  "I think an apology would be nice. I'd also appreciate a thank you, you know?" Flynn says.

  "An apology? Fine, thanks for absolutely nothing! What did I say to you? Do you really want to die today?" I yell at him.

  "Look, I've changed," he says.

  "Get out of my sight!" I scream.

  "Listen to me! If I didn't care why would I save you? I'm sorry for what I did," he says.

  "Luna, we're going to need as much help as we

  can get. Maybe you should let him stay," Marina says.

  "Tie him up and take his weapons. He gets them back when he proves to me that he truly changed," I say.

  Marina and Valor disarm him and tie his hands. One wrong move and I will kill him.