But Harry and the rest boys arrived just in time. Arrows flew across all direction, snapping through the air with frantic speed. Shafts struck fur, flesh, horn. Some bounced off uselessly. Some sank shallow. One buried itself near the leopard head's eye and drew a furious snarl. The beast roared, the sound splitting into seven overlapping cries. Its grip loosened.
Collins dropped. He hit the ground hard, rolling once, twice, clutching his stomach as blood soaked through his tunic. The beast let go of him completely and turned to the rest of the boys.
"Whoa!" the human head boomed, laughter dripping from every word. "The gods gave me a lot of food today." Its heads moved in a slow circle, eyes counting, measuring. Tongues flicked. Teeth clicked together.
He counted them with his eyes. "Thirteen animals for my meal."
"Hahahaha."
The laughter echoed through the forest, bouncing off trunks and leaves, crawling under the boys' skin. Then the beast lunged at them.
It attacked with its horn and tail, the movements wild and devastating. The elephant head swung first. The horn cut through the air and struck three boys at once. Their bodies lifted and slammed into trees with dull, hollow sounds. Branches snapped. Leaves rained down.
The tail followed, a blur of muscle and fury. It swept low and high, catching legs, ribs, backs. One boy spun through the air like a broken doll. Another hit a tree headfirst and dropped without a sound.
Harry felt the wind of it rush past his face as he rolled aside. Bark exploded inches from his head. Pain screamed through his shoulder where a flying body struck him. He gasped but forced himself up, eyes burning, breath ragged.
Around him, boys cried out. Some shouted names. Some didn't shout at all. But Collins saw an opportunity.
The beast was busy with the boys. Its heads snapped in different directions, overwhelmed by movement and noise. Collins pushed himself up, teeth clenched so hard his jaw shook. Blood blurred his vision, but he forced his legs to move.
He ran.
He stepped on a tree trunk, using it as leverage. His foot slipped, then caught. He flew upward, propelled by desperation more than strength. His hands closed around his sword. He swung with everything he had left.
The blade flashed. The dog head fell off. It hit the ground with a wet thud, rolling once before stopping. Blood sprayed across leaves and bark. The severed head's eyes were still open, its mouth frozen in a half-snarl.
For a heartbeat, the forest went silent. Harry was the first to see it. "What have you done, Collins?" he growled, horror ripping through his voice.
The beast froze for a brief second. All six remaining heads went still. The laughter vanished. The human face twisted, not with pain, but with something darker. Something colder.
"You have made the worst mistake of your life," he hissed. The air felt heavier. The ground seemed to sink beneath their feet. Then it lunged at Collins once again.
This time, the snake head raised up. It struck. Collins dodged, barely. The fangs missed his throat by inches and slammed into the tree behind him, cracking bark like glass. He stumbled, tried to regain balance.
But the beast struck quickly again. This time faster. This time stronger. The snake head twisted midair and sank its fangs into Collins' shoulder. Flesh gave way. The bite landed deep.
Collins screamed. Then the sound cut off. His body stiffened instantly. His sword dropped. His eyes went wide, then empty. The color drained from his face as if something had been pulled out of him. He collapsed onto the forest floor, unmoving.
Not dead. But still. The boys gasped. One fat one among them, Sammy, let out a broken sob. His legs shook violently. Warmth spread down his trousers, darkening the fabric. "Is he dead?" he asked, his voice thin and cracking.
No one answered him. The beast turned toward them. This time, it didn't exchange words. Its remaining heads lowered. Its muscles tightened. Its breathing changed. Something about it felt wrong now. Bigger. Denser. More dangerous.
"He cut the wrong head," Harry breathed. His chest rose and fell rapidly. "Now the beast is more powerful." The beast lunged at them.
One by one, it routed them, charging, striking, flinging bodies aside like debris. A horn caught one boy and crushed his ribs. A tail smashed another into the ground so hard the earth shook. Screams filled the air, then broke apart, swallowed by chaos.
"Run," Harry echoed. They burst into a sprint. Branches whipped at their faces. Roots grabbed at their feet. Breath burned in their lungs as they scattered, no longer a group, just frightened bodies fleeing through trees.
The beast chased after them. Its steps thundered behind them, relentless, closing the distance. Leaves and branches exploded in its wake. Its roar chased them, loud enough to shake their bones.
Sammy couldn't run as fast as the others. Fear made his feet tremble. His legs felt heavy, unresponsive. He tripped over a root and fell hard, palms scraping against the dirt. He tried to get up, sobbing, crawling instead.
The ground shook. The beast overtook him.
The elephant head lowered and grabbed him with its horn, lifting him screaming into the air. His arms flailed uselessly. His cries cut off as the snake head struck.
The fangs sank in. Sammy went still immediately. His face drained of color. Then he fell down like a dead person.
Harry and the eleven others ran to a hiding. Their breath came heavy, tearing at their chests. "We have to figure out the right head," Cole said.
Harry paused, forcing air into his lungs. "Which head among the heads could be its right head?" The thought struck hard. Sharp. "This test was built to test our IQ."
Larry turned to him. "What are you talking about?" Harry pointed at him. "You have a human head because you are human." Larry frowned. "What does that have to do with this?"
Cole's eyes widened. "Therefore, the beast will have a lion head because it is a lion." "Exactly," Harry said. "We cut off the lion head." No one spoke. They only nodded.
"But what if you're wrong?" Max asked. Harry looked at him. "Then we are all dead."
Silence swallowed them.
Leaves quivered above as something massive shifted nearby. A low growl rolled through the forest, slow, measured. Not charging. Waiting. As if it were listening.
Sweat slid into Harry's eyes, burning. His fingers trembled on the weapon's grip, slick despite how tightly he held it. He wiped his palm on his trousers and tightened his hold again. Diagrams flashed through his mind. Lessons. Fen's calm voice, always saying less than he knew. Tests never screamed their answers.
A branch snapped.
Every head snapped toward the sound. One boy clamped a hand over his mouth, choking back a sob. Another's spear rattled softly as his grip tightened, knuckles pale.
"We don't get a second mistake," Cole whispered.
Harry nodded once. His throat felt raw. He leaned closer, voice barely a breath. "We distract it. Keep its other heads watching. I go for the lion."
"What if it sees you?" Larry breathed. Harry didn't answer. He adjusted his stance instead. The growl came again. Closer. Heavier.
The ground pulsed beneath their feet. Harry rose from the hiding, slow, deliberate. His legs screamed to run. He didn't. A shadow shifted between the trees, and the leaves stilled, as if the forest itself was holding its breath.