Chapter Twenty-Seven
Neith
I put Betty on the floor. Unfortunately, bullets won’t make a difference in this situation, mainly because I don’t know what I’m aiming for yet. I need to find out where the heart is. That’s the only part of the creature that stays solid when it shifts to sand. Every now and then, the sand shifts and swirls before the creature reforms again, and it’s this that I need to pay attention to. The heart can’t shift and reform, so the sand moves around it. If I can spot it, then I’ll know what I’m aiming for.
“I love you, Azael, but it would be really helpful if you were two swords right now,” I mutter under my breath.
I shouldn’t be surprised when Azael seems to do what I’ve asked and splits himself into two, allowing me to have a sword in each hand and keeping me armed from both sides.
I don’t have time to thank him though because the creature is obviously bored of waiting for us to do something and charges toward us. Well, more specifically, me.
“Are we really going to just leave her to fight it alone?” I hear one of the team members that I’m not that familiar with ask Kylen.
“Yes,” Kylen replies simply, with no inflection in his voice at all. He is completely emotionless and thinks that he is sending me to my death.
What I don’t understand is why. The whole point of the Choosing is to prove who is the better team for me, and by him making sure that no one helps me in a situation such as this, all he is doing is ensuring that I don’t get picked for his team. Why did he call the Choosing if he didn’t want me on his team?
Unless it’s not about that? Unless it’s about me dying.
Asael buzzes angrily in my hand, and I know he’s admonishing me for not paying attention. It turns out that was the right thing to do because I barely manage to dodge the big meaty fist heading in my direction. I know that I’m not going to get any help from Kylen and the team, so I don’t waste any more time thinking about them. I only risk losing my life if I do.
I swing using one of my swords at the fist, but before my swords make contact, the creature dissolves into sand and then re-forms again, and therein lies the problem. How can you kill something that you can’t actually strike? I decide to go on the defensive and strike out wildly; it may look like I have absolutely no skill by doing this, but every time that I swing at him, he dissolves into said and then re-forms again, which means I should be able to find the solid heart.
It's not easy keeping an eye on the swinging limbs and tail, all while trying to look for the heart. I can hear the others arguing and one of them laughing at my expense, clearly thinking that I have no idea what I’m doing.
I ignore it all.
It seems like it takes forever, but finally I see it, the heart. It’s not where a human heart is because, of course, it’s not, that would make it far too easy to know how to kill it. Instead, it’s in his third eye that’s slightly off center in the middle of his forehead and at least twenty-five fucking feet up. There is absolutely no way that I can throw one of my Asael swords that accurately, which means I’m going to have to fucking climb him, and while he is big, he is not big enough that he’s going to lose sight of me climbing him if he were it would mean that I could get up to his heart and stab it so much easier.
I pull a little bit on that place of magic inside me, asking it to give me more speed. That is the only way that I’m going to pull this off. I’ve also got to get up there quickly enough that he doesn’t re-form, and I fall to the floor. I frown, actually, now that I’m thinking about it I really don’t think this plan is going to work. I don’t have another one though, so I may as well try this, I can’t kill him any other way, and I doubt that he’s going to get bored and decide to call it a day.
My magic surprises me when it answers, and I grin, swords in hand, as I rush toward the creature. As I get closer I will Asael to disappear so that I can climb up the creature. Fortunately, I have always been good at climbing, and the creature is obviously not used to the things that it attacks, running toward it instead of away from it because it seems to freeze in place.
I have no idea how long his momentary pause is going to last, but I’m not going to waste this opportunity. Within moments and far quicker than I should be able to move, I reach his leg and start to pull myself up. I’m at about waist height when it must finally click into gear with the creature that I’m climbing him, and he suddenly becomes sand.
I land with a thump on the sand, sliding down the edge of a dune and somehow managing to slice my back on what must be the only rock in that whole damn desert. The pain zings through my system but quickly disappears into a dull throb that I can easily ignore.
As soon as I’ve stopped, I race back toward the creature that has appeared closer than I think that it meant to, and once again, I start to climb. I have to try, if I don’t then I’m going to die, because there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that this creature wants to kill me and that the Draconian Team won’t help me because of orders from Kylen.
Coen clearly can’t help. I know that he physically can’t help because I know him, one of our most favorite things was to fight alongside each other. Plus, there is absolutely no way that he would let me be in this much danger and not help me fight. He has that in common with Dimitri, or had. Dimitri would be down there encouraging Kylen right now.
There was a time when Dimitri would have snapped his neck without thought of the consequences.
“Not fucking now,” my inner voice admonishes me, and for once, I concede that she is most likely right.
Since the creature is more aware of what I’m doing now this time, I call Asael to me as a single sword, briefly thinking that I can’t wait to show the guys the new tricks that I learned with him before I refocus. It’s somewhat reassuring that my innate need to go off on tangents is so ingrained that even in life-or-death situations, I still talk absolute bollocks.
Since Asael has listened to some of my suggestions already, I’m hoping that he’s going to be able to listen to what I’m going to ask him now. As I start to climb, I throw him as far away from me and the creature as possible and ask him to light up as he did in the water when I was being attacked by the kelpies.
The creature once again freezes as Asael lights up, he must be using some of his own magic to keep himself going because there is no way that I could throw him that far. My plan works though, and the creature is so distracted by my awesome, amazing, and favorite sword, that this time, I manage to get halfway between its hips and its shoulder before it realizes what I’ve done and once again dissipates. I’m higher up this time, but the sand sort of falls away beneath me enough that I can ride it down, so my landing isn’t as hard. As soon as I’ve got my bearings I’m running again. I call Asael to me while I run toward the creature.
The creature hasn’t found me, it’s reformed with its back to me, and I only have a few moments before it finds me again I start to climb, an idea coming to me.
“I don’t suppose that there is anything more distracting that you can do?” I ask Asael, and he buzzes in my hand. I get an image of what we just did in my mind, and I instinctively know that he wants me to throw him again.
I’m at a weird angle, so I’m not going to be able to throw it as hard as I would like, but I get the sense that he just needs a little bit of help with the momentum, and then he can take care of the rest. Holding on with one hand, I pull my other one back and throw. He takes off, starting to glow again, and then surprises me as he zig zags through the air, moving upwards and making the creature swipe at him.
I smile proudly. I don’t know what kind of treats enchanted swords like, but Asael is about to get all of them when we finally get back to the castle. Not wanting to waste the opportunity that he’s giving me, I start to climb again, moving as quickly as I can and hoping that I’m not going to run out of upper body strength before I get to the top. I get right up to around the same height as I did a moment ago before his body starts to sift.
For fuck sake.
My magic swells slightly, and I try to understand what it’s trying to tell me because I know that it’s trying to tell me something. The voices are practically buzzing with excitement and anger, although they seem to be keeping their volume to the minimum, and I know that it’s because they don’t want to distract me. I do find it interesting that the spirit guides haven’t shown up, but I am equally glad that they haven’t. I imagine that there would be a lot of questions if they did appear, which makes me think that they aren’t appearing on purpose.
Focus.
The body is falling away underneath me, and using the last bit of firmness under my feet, I trust my instincts completely as I push off into what looks like complete thin air.
I really fucking hope that the instincts that are telling me that he’s going to reform over here are right because otherwise, I’m going to land on my fucking face, and it’s going to really hurt. I position myself so that I can grab hold of whatever I land on, and I have never been so relieved to feel fabric underneath my fingers as my hands clench into fists and I hang on, my feet scrambling for purchase.
The creature is turning around, and Asael is nowhere in sight, so I’m going to assume that the creature has no idea that I’m on him, and that’s why he’s looking around; he’s trying to find me. Using all of my strength, I try to move as quickly as I can. I am running out of ways to distract the creature enough that I can get on him. I’m pretty sure that was the last trick that Asael had up his sleeve, and without someone else to help me take the creature down, I am running out of options.
Excitement thrums throw my veins, I know it shouldn’t, but I love shit like this. I could die at any moment, and yet, my body is practically vibrating with excitement, and I can’t help but find it fun.
More proof that I am not sane.
As I get to his shoulder, he suddenly stops moving, and I do as well. I am literally standing on the big fuckers shoulder. I am so close to the heart, but I can’t move. He’s stopped, his clothing is thinner up here, and I’ve got a horrible feeling that he has only stopped because he can feel me. If I move, then he’s going to feel me, and then it’s all fucking over.
However, on the other hand, this may be the closest that I’m going to get and he’s not going to stay still for long. I weigh up my options. There is no way that I can throw Asael from this angle and hit his third eye. I’m on his freaking shoulder. I hear a voice shouting, but I can’t make out the words since I’m so far away. Whatever has been shouted though makes the voices shout and resonate with anger. They aren’t happy at all.
Within moments I realize why, as the giant head turns in my direction. I run toward it. This is definitely my last chance to get this close, and I have to at least try. I call Asael to me in his double sword form as I carry on running. I say a quick prayer to whatever deity decides to listen that I’m going to make it.
Of course, they don’t fucking listen to me. They never have before, and I have screamed for them to help me in the past, so why would now be any different?
His giant hand plucks me off of his shoulder, and he throws me.
This is going to hurt like a mother fucker. I was really fucking high up, and he’s thrown me hard. I’m going to die. There is no way that I’m going to be able to survive this. What may be worse is that it’s going to be broadcast to most supernaturals in most of the realms, and then I’m going to come back after going to the Darkness Friend, and I have no idea what the consequences of that are going to be.
I can only imagine that they aren’t going to be good.
The other problem is that I can still feel Raiden’s magic inside me. He said that it shouldn’t still be there, but it is, and we never got a chance to look at why. Which means I have absolutely no idea what problems having it there and dying are going to cause. Maybe it will be a case of my magic overriding his because I no longer need it?
All of these thoughts fly through my mind in a split second as I hurtle through the air. It’s probably thanks to the number of times that I have been thrown through the air to my impending death that I’m able to stay so calm. I don’t yell, I don’t scream, I don’t even flap my arms. I know that this is going to hurt like a mother fucker, and I know that I’m going to die from it.
I brace myself for impact. Willing my swords to disappear so I don’t stab myself when I land. I’m going to try to roll, but going at this speed it’s not going to be fucking easy, and it is a pretty pointless thing to try. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t even try, but my magic is there. I can feel it. It has given me extra speed and strength, and I’m hoping that somehow that’s going to translate into this situation, and I’m going to be able to absorb the impact in some way.
My hope doesn’t take away the fear though.
As the ground rushes up to meet me, I can’t help it; fear floods me, and I brace myself for pain and squeeze my eyes shut.
I hit something, but the pain doesn’t come. Instead, an intense feeling of safety comes over me, my heart beating with the complete opposite of the fear that was just flooding my system.
I know that feeling.
My eyes pop open, and I look up at an absolutely furious Coen; his back is to his team, and I’m cradled in his arms. His eyes are studying my face, looking over me to see if I’m hurt in any way. His nostrils flare slightly as a murderous glint enters his eye, and I know without a doubt in my mind that he’s scented the blood from the slice on my back.
“I’ve got you, Love,” he says so incredibly quietly that I only know what he’s saying because I’m staring so intently at his mouth and can read his lips.
He reluctantly puts me down. I don’t want him to put me down, it’s been so fucking long since I’ve been in his arms, and I miss him so fucking much. I don’t know what he sees in my expression, but his eyes fill with anguish, and he starts to lift his arms as if he’s going to wrap me in them again before he drops them. His hands clenching tightly at his side.
I know that he’s stopped himself because of the cunt, and anger burns through me. He smirks, clearly seeing how angry it makes me and his eyes beg me to help him. Before I can say anything to him, before I can reassure him that I will do absolutely everything in my power to find out how Kylen is controlling him and that I’m on it and I’ve got him, before I can say any of that, Kylen yells furiously, making Coen turn around immediately although the hatred that flares to life in his eyes sends a shiver down my spine.
Coen is truly terrifying, and I would hate to be on his bad side. Under normal circumstances, he is stronger than he should be, and even with his dragon locked down like he is, Coen is still absolutely formidable.
I move with him, turning to face Kylen as well. I need to watch how they interact so that I can find out how Kylen is controlling Coen. Unfortunately, that means that my only real chance to do that is during our tasks for the Choosing, and since he’s decided that I am the one who is going to be doing the tasks, that means that I’m going to have to get really good at multitasking.
We are still being attacked though, and I make sure that I keep one eye on the creature who seems to be gearing up for another attack. I am not going to have long to watch this interaction before I need to fight off the creature again and figure out my next plan of attack.
“Coen, get back here now,” he orders. I watch them both closely, and Kylen’s hand subconsciously moves to the chain around his neck as he adds with a dark menace to his voice, “Remember your place.”
Coen growls, his eyes darting to the necklace.
Okay, so that’s the thing I need to get my hands on and destroy. Thank you very much. I have absolutely no doubt that I’m right. They both interacted with it in some way, while Kylen was threatening Coen. It’s at least a start. I’m good at taking things that don’t belong to me, and I am pretty confident that I can get my hands on that necklace without alerting Kylen to the fact that it’s gone.
Well, he won’t notice straight away, at least. Hopefully, by the time that he does notice, it will be too late; Coen will be free, and judging from the hatred in Coen’s eyes, I guess that Kylen will be in a lot of pain.