10 Chapter 10-Land of Nod/Adah

As they walked up to the mountain, its shadows greased over the smooth backs of hills and fluttered across the valley clumped with icy pine. Both marvelled at its beauty as they kept on walking up, fearing what lay ahead. A thirst for journey and charm awakened in her heart and flowed out into the tips of her toes, compelling her to want to run straight into the embrace of the proud mountains. The air was chilling, but they went on and on while the skies darkened.

The acoustic landscape was at once familiar to Catherine. They continued moving up; they didn't dare to stop; she was tired as hell, weary with the burden of long-closed eyes; she could have easily pulled off being a walking zombie, dead on the inside but subconsciously awake.

However, when they reached the peak, both were speechless. She stood atop the rocky surface and lifted her arms in accomplishment. Clouds swirled around her in an icy greeting and snow coated the mountain top. Her eyes began to water as the wind whipped her hair across her face. When she looked down at the dizzying drop, nothing met her eye but polished clouds, concealing the glory of their landscape below. She settled down and both heard the air-splitting sounds of a creature waking up from hibernation.

"What was that?" Sean asked her in a panic. He couldn't believe his eyes. He didn't want to. Not only that, but he never saw something like that, like in his horrible nightmares. But that was only because his brain always woke him up before such a horrific image covered his mind. And now he was seeing something his eyes wouldn't ever be able to erase. The creature of his nightmare. How is that even possible? Maybe this was just his illusion, or the darkness was inside his mind right now that maybe it earned him an awareness of his fear.

"I've never seen one before, but my friend Fae Warrior once told me that there was a prophecy keeper here in the cold mountain, a creature of the night. "A Lamia Aegeus." She answered him back in the same manner of amazement, yet entertained.

"Fae Warrior? Grassland,?" responded Sean, eyes rattling back and forth in a perfunctory scan for the creature, eyes opened wide as he stared off into the distance.

"Later Sean, I'll explain it later," Catherine replied. Which was senseless if the only feeling she heard was that of the creature. She allowed her eyes to roam along the small, icy hills and canyons, following snowy creek beds and bare trees. Her eyes sketched the line of the horizon and paused on the broad mountains towering above it.

"Okay, fine! What is Lamia Aegeus? " He asked. He looked at her and saw that she too was nervous, too intimidated to catch the surprise in his tone.

"The Fae said that the Lamia Aegeus was a creature that was once a child-eating monster that in later centuries was regarded as a type of night-haunting demon."

The creature looks like a dark, scaly half-snake, half-woman. It has scaly arms and red fiery eyes. The Lamia Aegeus has been ascribed serpentine qualities. In ancient legend, Lamia Aegeus was a woman of fantastic beauty until a god cursed her. Her once-glamorous visage was twisted to horrific ugliness to fit her newfound craving for children's blood, but she more or less kept a human form. She was, however, renowned for wearing a skirt of snakeskin that covered her legs. It had a foul odour coming from its mouth and has been pointed out as a possible common keeper of the prophecy coin.

"Sean there! Looked! " She was beyond scared, pointing to the creature with a look of disdain. This was also confusing her even more. She had never seen anything like this before. The stiffness in her muscles tells her she's been worrying about something else, though.

Prophecy coins?" He asked again. Still, being worried was preferable to being terrified, which he was until earlier.

"Later, I'll explain it later," Catherine said. She knew of no way to regulate her actions other than to be rational.

The creature drifts. It has returned from its hibernation, and it has a sensation in its numbed body. It was like a thousand spikes poking beneath its scales. Its eyelids were crusted and heavy, and the palate of its mouth chafed like sand against its tongue. It took a tentative sniff. A scent tells a tale that reeks of humans. It groans, tapping its claw against the chilly floor while trying to stand up.

When it attacked Catherine faster than the frigid wind, it bit into her arm!

She thrashes around, attempting to break its grasp. A hot, burning, and unbearable throb radiates from the spot on her right upper arm as its teeth are in.

She wiggled her fingers, lifting it up and down as she heard the demonic moan of the Lamia Aegeus.

too busy focusing on clasping her arms to keep the rest of her blood in her body where it belongs. It halted as the Lamia Aegeus unleashed its teeth, far away from her now-bleeding arm. The creature strokes its disgusting right scaly hand across Catherine's arm in amazement. "I will enjoy draining your blood, little one, watching it drain the life out of you." It warns her while stroking its face.

Its breath was rancid. It smells like a deadly chemical! The creature continues to rub her hands, sneering clearly in its face, yet its words penetrate something deep within Catherine, and suddenly, she can feel her fire snap inside. Her head was buzzing and her eyes darkened.

What was happening to her? She asked herself. This was scary. She felt something so familiar, but she couldn't put a finger on it. And she doesn't know if it's instinctive or just the firefight reflex kicking in since running wasn't an option. However, Catherine didn't wait for it too much longer.

Taking advantage of its momentary distraction, she yanks its wrist mid-stroke as hard as she can, drawing it into her mouth, and with all her strength, she bites down on the spot she thinks where its vein lies.

Catherine's teeth roughly piece its scaly skin and warm blood flows into her mouth. The creature gapes at her. I was surprised by my unexpected action. Shockingly, there was something else that surprised her, and that was the taste of Lamia Aegeus's blood. It was bitter-rich-minty and at the same time hot-fiery while being smooth and thick like honey.