Chapter 40: Taxes

Liliana’s POV

I chase what beast that is into the forest beyond, running across trees and tearing through branches. I see its tail as it speeds through the thick covers of the trees and I pick up speed.

Hah! I’ve got you now!

Or maybe not.

My legs kick against a knotted branch and I tip over, my face landing on the ground and my body on spiders. I had spoken too soon.

I look up, ready to pick up my race again and suddenly I see nothing. It is gone. The rogue wolf, the black wolf, gone. Damn! I smash my fist into the soft soil underneath me and let out a string of curses that would have mom rolling in her grave. I almost caught up with the rogue wolf or black wolf or whatever it is called.

There is a hiss of what I suppose is a reptile. I glance around watching the stems of trees rise to the sky. I gaze at it, the night clouds up high and through little spaces see the moon's ambient light sparkling down on the grounds.

My eyes face down again and what I thought to be a branch tur