Chapter 46 #2
His fist wraps tightly around the hilt as he slows his pace.
If he continues forward at that speed, they will likely all jump him faster than he can move.
I remain still, tucking myself into a small pocket of shadows while Larkin remains completely visible.
The only thing separating me from Larkin is the alleyway filled with deadly creatures.
The streets around us are silent, and all I can hear is the shaky breaths escaping my burning lungs.
Larkin’s eyes are wide, yet he’s patient and calm, no fear showing behind his dark eyes—only determination.
I know we will have to fight these creatures to get him across the path, but from what I’ve seen, Larkin can take these beasts out alone if he has to.
Two of the beings crane their necks around the passage, and Larkin smiles, waving at them sarcastically to make it painfully clear that their cover is blown.
A scream rattles the air around us, and they barrel out from the passage toward Larkin.
Their long claws grip the cobblestones, and through the distance, I can hear their teeth smashing together.
Fear grips my chest, and I sprint in his direction.
Just keep moving, I tell myself. If you stop fighting, they will strike.
Larkin’s sword collides with a claw as all six of the resurrected creatures begin to surround him.
I hear Silas and Oak racing behind me, but they won’t reach Larkin as fast as I will.
I pull my axe upward, slashing through one of the creatures blocking me from Larkin.
A hissing scream rattles my ears, but I charge forward.
His sword clangs against the massive claws as he fights them off.
In the near distance, I hear more claws tearing at the ground, and I know we will soon be outnumbered, as we have been for most of the night.
I strike down another creature and can finally see Larkin’s face.
He’s focused and steady but covered in dark blood.
I turn my gaze to the creature on my left and move my axe around me, an extension of my arm.
I work in perfect unison with my weapon, and I no longer feel the weight of the beautiful metal, only the determination to get us past this final stretch alive.
More resurrected beings and creatures round the corner as Silas and Oak join me on the opposite side of Larkin.
Finally, I think in my mind.
“Sorry,” Silas says, never fully pausing.
They both immediately begin fighting, and in that moment, I feel triumph. We are going to mow these things down and continue on our way to save Fen.
I slash through another beast and raise my gaze to see Larkin doing the same. Our eyes meet, and he shoots me a quick smile through the smeared blood.
A tall creature steps between us, facing Larkin, and I see his body go unnaturally still. As the additional creatures surround us, it makes it increasingly difficult to fight and keep my eyes on Larkin, but he’s not moving.
Why isn’t he moving?
“Spiridon,” I hear Silas scream.
I spin and duck the claws of the beasts, doing everything in my power to get to Larkin. A new motivation drives me, and I have to see what he’s doing. Silas moves beside me and strikes the creature down, allowing me time to peer through the chaos.
“Go,” Silas shouts to me. “Get to him.”
Larkin stands completely still, gazing into the eyes of the creature before him.
I can tell from the back of the creature that it was once a Wielder—a Lumor Wielder from the white hair that still peppers its head in various places.
The color has completely drained from his face, and the brilliant sword trembles in his hand.
Fuck.
That resurrected creature is someone he knew.
I grind my teeth and push forward. “Larkin,” I yell, trying to penetrate his frozen state. “Don’t stop moving.”
But he remains still.
I’m closing the distance between us, but it’s not fast enough.
If he doesn’t move… I shake the thought from my mind and snarl like the beasts around me. My legs threaten to give out, and my lungs burn, but that doesn’t stop me. I move like a creature of the night, desperate to aid my friend.
Behind Larkin, I see a creature step out from a nearby pocket of shadows. Dread fills me as Larkin remains planted, unmoving, only staring at the creature that hisses and stalks in his direction.
“Larkin, behind you,” I scream, causing my lungs to burn more.
He acts as if he can’t hear me.
It’s as if he is completely numb right now, and I can’t imagine the horrors he’s experiencing.
I remember how it felt the first time I saw Barlowe: his altered yet familiar face, the way he moved, the way he growled.
But mostly, it was that he didn’t recognize me.
My brother looked into my eyes and was willing to kill me without a second thought.
That hurt me more than any physical blows he could have landed.
It was horrifying and has been burned into my memories, haunting me every time I close my eyes.
I refuse to stand by and let Larkin die.
With one swipe of my axe, I take down another creature, splitting it in two at the waist. I ignore the twitching body beneath me and leap over it, taking one step closer to Larkin. I send a surge of power toward them and push myself faster.
“Move,” I continue to scream. “Please, Larkin. Move.”
A new threat looms before me, and my vision blurs with the panic and tears streaming from my eyes.
Through the creature’s lanky arms, I spot Larkin, only staring forward, while the monster behind him raises a claw, poised to drive it into the back of Larkin’s head.
The black nail glints in the moonlight like a blade, and a sob escapes my throat.
I hear Silas and Oak behind me, fighting fiercely to push forward, but just as I feared, we are outnumbered. My axe clangs against the creature’s claw before me, and I don’t dare send another surge of power their way for fear I would hit Larkin.
No.
No.
I momentarily stun the creature with a blow to its long, gray leg, just as I see the threat behind Larkin beginning to lower its claw toward his head. My entire world moves in slow motion as the claw slices through the air, and a scream that rattles the mountains around us escapes my throat.