A City of Flames (Book 1 of ACOF)

"What a great day to shit oneself to death, don't you think?" My second oldest brother whispers beside me.

I roll my eyes and turn to face him. "Careful Illias, your sarcasm could get you killed, and then you'll be shitting yourself postmortem."

His thick dark brows bunch together as he huffs, cutting a gaze towards the woods in front of us. A broken sapling blocks our pathway, making it merely impossible to jump over the height of it, yet excellent when it comes to hiding from whatever creatures lie ahead of us.

"Why is it that you drag me out on every hunting escapade of yours?" He groans quietly as the morning spring sunlight streams through branches and high trees. "Why can't you ask Iker to do this instead?"

"Iker..." Being two years older than me could not tell whether it was day or night most of the time. "Iker is dreadful when it comes to moral support, unlike you. Besides, you're my favorite out of the three." I smile. Illias was known as the lenient one. He could never say no to my offers on getting him cans of paint for his canvases if he tagged along.

He scoffs, brown doe eyes find my light blue ones. "Now you are outright lying—"

I lift a hand to silence him and listen carefully as the bushes to my right rustle in the distance.

"What? What is it? Should I start running?" Illias asks. The lining on his dusted tunic fray at the edges.

My eyes search every thicket surrounding us. "Where did you set the trap?"

"Trap? I was supposed to set a trap?"

I turn my head slowly and grit my teeth. "I asked you yesterday!"

He gulps, short chestnut curls fall across his forehead, just about touching his brows. "Oh, we really are going to die, aren't we?"

It's a possibility, yes, but will I tell him? No, I won't. "I'll just have to catch it a different way," I say and rise to my feet. Birds scatter towards the skies, and the wind blows wisps of my hair across, dark and eerie.

I pull the cloak down from my head and draw two daggers out of the leather sheath strapped around my corset. I wait five short seconds before a crack of a branch comes from my side, and I whisper, "Now... you can run."

On cue, Illias takes off in the opposite direction as a Rumen catapults out of the bushes, heading to the main forests. I waste no time leaping over the sapling. One of the blades warms against my non-gloved hand as my boots sink into the crusted grass. I pass darker branches, lichens, and shrubs as the Rumen screeches in the distance.

Pausing in the middle when it's no longer in sight, I keep my grip steady and bring the dagger to the side of my head.

Rumen's rely on scent and hearing. With the body of a long snake, slim... grime to the touch and the wings of a bat, humans knew better than to face them. I was that one idiot... facing them. They have no sight except slits at both sides of where eyes should be but their screech? A deathly sound no one should ever experience at proximity.

I don't intend on killing one. My primary purpose is trapping, even if a Rumen is one of the hardest to catch due to its fast agility. Yet, a simple nick to their scales on their back would render them weak.

More birds flee from their nests, and I wait... I wait for any movement, any noise to show the Rumen is still lurking through the depths of the woods.