Page 4 of Between Ghosts and Gods

“Apologies, I have to go.” She bobbed her head in a brief bow, as quick yet polite as she could manage, and ran down the stairs, out of the dormitory and around the side of the building until she reached the spot where she had seen the human disappear.

Into the shadow forest.

Kasu had not been in the under-realm long enough to remember when the forest had been cut back to make way for Camellia House and the servant dormitory, but she had the distinct impression that the trees did. They crowded against the back of the building, as though trying to reclaim the land they had once lost. On stormy nights, Kasu could hear the branches tap, tap, tapping against the roof as if asking for entry. There were not many places in Ghost City where nature still ruled and the darkness was overwhelming, but the shadow forest was one of them. You could get lost for ever beneath its boughs. Or at least until your form faded away into nothingness.

If the forest was dangerous for ghosts and demons, Kasu could only imagine how deadly it would be for a human. She had to find him. It was her duty. Heavenly Principle number thirty-one: Show care and consideration to those weaker than you. Number fifty-six: Protect the living, for all life is sacred.

Nowhere in the Heavenly Principles did it say to abandon innocent mortals if they ran into scary, dark forests. Besides, she had to know how a living human had entered Ghost City in the first place.

Gathering all her courage, Kasu stepped between the trees.

Chapter Four Arun

Ever since he had left the royal palace, Arun had been running.

Low-hanging branches snatched at his clothes. Strange noises drowned out the sound of his own footsteps and the pounding of his heart. The forest was … whispering. Groaning. Cackling. Hissing at him as he sprinted beneath the crimson leaves. If he looked closely, he could see faces protruding from the tree trunks. Watching him through hollow eyes.

“Blood, fresh blooooood,” they groaned. Or perhaps that was merely the sound of the wind through the leaves.

A shadow moved in the corner of his vision. At first, he wasn’t sure if it was just the swaying branches or if something was pursuing him. Arun quickened his pace, but that only made things worse. The shadow darted from side to side, almost too quick to catch. One moment it was on his left, the next, it was to his right.

Whatever it was, it was close and getting closer.

Digging his heels into the soil, he came to a stop in front of a large, flat boulder and drew his sword.

“I know you’re following me! Show yourself!” He tried to sound steadier than he felt. Like a hero in a storybook about to battle against the forces of evil.

“A human in the under-realm!” A voice emerged from the darkness. It was soft and sensuous and giddy with excitement. “A human here! In Ghost City!”

“Who are you?” Arun shouted. “Show yourself!”

The thing obliged.

A scream escaped Arun’s lips as it lunged at him faster than he had expected. One second it was a few feet away, the next it was right in front of his face. Arun barely managed to raise his sword in time to deflect its sharp claws. The thing pounced again, forcing him to retreat to the top of the boulder.

“There’s no escaping from me now, meat.” It paced around him like a shark circling its prey.

The creature was some sort of monstrous cat, much larger than the ones that lived in the palace kitchens. It was about the size of a small pony, or perhaps a large wolf. Though its fur could roughly be described as black, it was more accurate to say that its body was made of a darkness that was sometimes solid and other times not. It sported a pair of tails that coiled around each other like snakes, and its glowing eyes were dotted with bright white pupils and golden irises that reminded Arun of the shape of frogspawn.

Demon, his heart thundered.

As Arun readied himself for another blow, the girl from the dormitory burst into the clearing.

“Ruo!” She stopped short at the sight of them. They must have seemed an odd pair indeed: Arun standing atop the boulder with his sword raised like a statue on a podium, and the cat-creature below him gnashing its teeth. “What are you doing here?”

The corners of the cat’s mouth curved into an all too human grin.

“Kasu! Good timing! Help me kill this human and I’ll give you one of his fingers!”

“Ruo!”

“All right, all right! You can have a whole hand, five fingers and all!”

“Let him go!”

“An arm, then!”

“We’re not eating the human!”