Chapter 32 #2
Noru pivoted on powerful haunches, allowing Hook to stab him as he fixed that horrible, one-eyed gaze on me. His jaws opened wide, and my heart seized. Not enough time?—
Tom lunged forward from my side, screaming at the top of his lungs. “Come on, you overgrown lizard!” he snarled, hurling himself straight at the beast, his sword held high. And I didn’t even have time to scream as Noru clamped down with a sickening crunch, snapping him in half in a single bite.
“No!” I shrieked, horror arcing through my veins. But, as the crocodile lowered, preparing to charge once again, I was ready. Tom’s sacrifice had given me the precious few seconds I’d needed.
I let out every bit of magic I had, slamming it into him in an all-out mental assault. It felt like ramming my skull into a brick wall, but I kept pushing anyway. Those terrible, red eyes appeared in my mind’s eye, and I stared right into them, blasting him with a single, desperate command.
Stop.
Stop.
STOP!
In the split second before he would’ve reached me, Noru froze. His entire body trembled, limbs seizing up as my magic found purchase in his mind. His rancid breath washed over my face as he let out a hiss, but there he stood, rage giving way to raw terror as his muscles stopped responding.
“James!” I screamed, voice tearing raw. “Finish it!”
He didn’t hesitate, lunging, blade in hand. With one final slash across Noru’s throat and through the thick artery, the monster’s eyes rolled. I could sense the fury and bloodlust fade along with his lifeforce as a river of blood gushed everywhere, bathing Hook’s boots in crimson.
The croc collapsed in a thunderous crash, his jaws slacking open.
A strangled gasp escaped as Tom’s upper half tumbled out, a mangled and broken mess, but I could sense the faintest flicker of life.
My head pounded, and I sucked in a gasping breath as I dashed forward, but Hook was already there, dropping to his knees beside our crewmate.
Tom let out a rattling breath as a thin trail of blood trickled from his lips. He looked at Hook, eyes clouded with pain.
“Xander,” he croaked, fingertips glowing with energy as he threw his hand sideways.
Summoning the last of his magic, a stream of energy arced through the air, flowing directly into Xander’s fallen form. The first mate coughed, regaining consciousness, but Tom had nothing left.
“Tom!” I choked, tears streaming down my face as Hook cradled the dying man. Tom’s eyes flickered to Hook’s.
“Kill me before it’s too late,” he whispered, voice shaking. “You need to be the one to do it.”
“No,” Hook rasped. “I can’t do it, Tom.”
“Cap…let this be the last thing I do for my crew. Please.” Tom’s hand flopped weakly against Hook’s coat. “End it.”
Pain twisted Hook’s features, and, for a moment I thought he’d refuse. But Tom’s pleading gaze was unwavering. Hook swallowed, then pulled him close, setting his blade at Tom’s throat. It was over in a single, merciful slash.
Hook stood, face carved from stone as he sheathed his blade, then ripped into Noru’s massive belly with his iron hook. After several gruesome seconds, he tore out the clock, covered in gore, the ticking echoing in the sudden silence.
I pressed a hand to my mouth, swallowing the rising bile.
A snarl echoed from somewhere nearby—then another, and another. The roars of beasts thundered through the cavern, as if Noru’s death had unleashed chaos in its purest form. I felt my senses ignite: dozens of monstrous presences creeping closer, drawn by the bloodshed and the power.
But amid the terror, I felt one single blip of different, foreign magic—something intense, yet recognizable. I pivoted toward Noru’s still-twitching body. Something’s there.
Billy, Paddy, and the others had rushed back at the sound of roaring. “We have to go!” Billy shouted, eyes wild.
“One second!” I cried, stumbling toward Noru’s neck.
My magic flared, guiding me to a jagged shard lodged in the scales.
It was half of an arrow, just barely sticking out above the scales.
The tip pulsed with a faint, golden light, and recognition rolled through me in a wave.
Tink. I tore it free, nearly cutting my hand on the razor-sharp edges.
“Run!” Hook bellowed.
I turned to see a horde of twisted shapes closing in from every direction as their minds pressed in on mine, full of nothing but anger and hate.
“Now!”
“We’ll never outrun them!” Garth hollered over the cacophony of growls and snarls.
Xander took Hook’s hand, scrambling to his feet as Molly charged toward him. “We have no choice,” Hook grunted, his gaze shifting to me. “You good to run?”
I pulled away as he tried throwing an arm under my shoulder. “You’re in worse shape than I am. Let’s move.”
And he had no time to argue as The Fen began to convulse all around us, tremors radiating through the floor. Chunks of glowing opal rained from the ceiling, fracturing on impact. Steam vents burst, spewing clouds of toxic fog. It was as if the entire realm was collapsing in on itself.
We tore through the undergrowth, monsters at our heels, the roaring of beasts echoing, ever-closer, behind us. My heart pounded, fear fueling my tired legs, but a grim resolve settled over me. This was the end of Noru’s reign—and maybe the end of everything else down here, too.
Just as we cleared the final stretch of jungle, the ground shuddered under our feet.
“This way!” Billy led us around a jagged rock outcropping. We ducked through an opening, the roar behind us deafening now—then the world went white with dust and debris.
The minds of a dozen monsters intruded on mine at once, from serpents to wolves to more giant frogs.
And all of them were driven by the same, singular goal of taking their place at the top of the food chain now that Noru was out of the picture.
The fighting had already begun at the innermost layers, and many more were rushing to join them, as if fear of the massive crocodile had been the only thing holding them back from the quest to become the alpha.
I cast my mind out further, probing at the nearly impenetrable wall of brambles and vines between layers. Monsters poured through by the dozen, ripping holes in their mad rush to get to the center.
Holes for us to run through, before The Fen closed them again. Finally, a bit of luck going our way.
There was a path though, and I could feel it, and I knew it would lead us out.
“Follow me!”