Chapter 3 #3
Sombar did not answer with words. He answered with violence.
He crossed the vast distance of the hall in three impossible strides.
The scarred leader raised his fists, preparing to strike, but he was far too slow.
Sombar's hand shot forward. He gripped the leader by the throat, lifting the massive brute off the floor with a single hand.
The leader choked, his legs kicking uselessly in the air.
Sombar hurled the heavy monster across the room.
The brute flew through the air and crashed directly into a marble statue.
The stone shattered on impact, a cloud of dust rising as the leader collapsed into the rubble, unmoving.
The remaining four monsters roared in unison, abandoning me to rush the Shadow Prince. I slumped against the pillar, sliding down until I hit the floor. I pulled my knees to my chest, covering my ears, tears streaming down my face as the slaughter began.
The one - horned male swung a massive, heavy fist aimed directly at Sombar’s jaw.
Sombar simply caught the fist in his open palm.
The sharp, sickening crack of breaking bones rang out.
The male screamed in agony. Sombar twisted the broken hand, forcing the brute to his knees, before driving a heavy, armored knee directly into the monster's face. The brute dropped to the floorstones.
The two males attacking from the flanks tried to tackle him simultaneously.
Sombar's form blurred. For a fraction of a second, he turned into a thick, swirling mass of dark mist. The two brutes collided with each other, grasping at empty air.
Sombar solidified directly behind them. He grabbed the backs of their thick necks and slammed their skulls together.
The hollow, brutal thud echoed loudly. Both monsters dropped like heavy stones.
The final male, the one who held my hair, backed away.
His small eyes darted around the ruined hall, taking in the broken bodies of his companions.
He turned and ran toward the broken doorway.
Sombar lifted his hand. A thick, solid tendril of pure darkness shot from his palm.
It wrapped around the fleeing monster’s ankle, acting like a physical whip.
Sombar yanked his arm back. The brute fell hard, his chin slamming against the floorboards.
Sombar walked over to him, his heavy boots crunching on the splintered wood.
He placed his boot squarely on the monster’s back, pinning him to the ground, and pressed down until a sharp crack signaled the breaking of ribs. The monster whimpered and fell silent.
The Obsidian Atrium went utterly quiet. I sat frozen against the pillar, my chest heaving with frantic, ragged breaths.
My wrists ached where they gripped me. My scalp burned.
I stared at the carnage. Five massive, lethal predators lay unconscious or broken on the floor, dismantled in a matter of seconds.
Sombar turned slowly. His chest expanded and contracted with heavy, controlled breaths.
The mist curling off his broad shoulders was agitated, whipping around his form in dark, erratic waves.
His silver eyes found me huddled in the dust. The terrifying, blinding fury in his gaze instantly melted, replaced by a profound, piercing distress.
He crossed the room, avoiding the unconscious bodies, and dropped to his knees right in front of me.
He ignored the dust coating his dark armor.
He reached out, his massive hands hovering inches from my trembling shoulders, hesitant, as if he feared his own touch might break me further.
"Bria," he rasped, his deep voice carrying a raw, painful edge. "Are you hurt?"
I shook my head rapidly, my teeth chattering from the receding adrenaline and the freezing cold of the room. "No," I sobbed, the word scraping against my dry throat. "They just... they grabbed me."
Sombar’s jaw clenched tight. The muscles jumped beneath his dark skin.
He closed the final gap and slid his massive arms around my body.
He scooped my entire body into his arms, lifting me from the floor with zero effort.
I weighed nothing to him. I collapsed against his broad, solid chest, hiding my face in the curve of his armored shoulder.
He smelled of dark spice, raw ozone, and the electric scent of spent magic.
I wrapped my arms around his thick neck, clinging to him like a lifeline in a raging storm.
He held me securely, pressing his face into the crown of my hair.
"I have you," he whispered, the low vibration of his voice settling deep into my bones, anchoring my frantic pulse.
"I swear to you, Bria. No one will ever touch you again.
" He tightened his grip, shielding me from the ruined hall and the broken monsters on the floor.
The air around us rippled. The heavy, dark mist rolled off his armor, expanding rapidly to engulf us both.
The cold stone of the Obsidian Atrium faded away.
The broken doors and the scattered dust vanished.
We dissolved together into the pure, silent darkness, leaving the world far behind.