Chapter 19
Brynn
Cenric slammed Brynn into the shelter of the burning storehouse before the serpent struck. He covered her body with his, the shield raised over them.
It missed, its teeth smashing into the ground instead. The creature let off a bellow of anger, clawed foot smashing into the burning roof as if to bat it away.
“The beach,” Brynn panted. “We need to get to the beach.”
Cenric had lost his spear but held onto his shield. He grabbed her arm with his free hand, pulling her after him.
The serpent turned at a sound, red eyes fixed on something on the other side of the buildings.
Brynn gathered power and lashed a strike for its face. Her spell cut into the creature’s snout, sending black blood spurting free.
The creature roared and spun. Red eyes fixed on her. It didn’t speak and she was grateful. She wasn’t sure she could take the creature taunting her on top of everything else.
Shouts and cries rose from the other side of the building. It sounded like a group of Valdari were trying to attack the beast.
Fools. Brave and utter fools.
The serpent turned with a hiss, lunging for the unseen people on the far side of the building. The creature lunged and there came wet crunching sounds as screams erupted once again.
Gritting her teeth in frustration, Brynn pulled Cenric to a stop. “Jormanthar!” she shouted. “Serpent!”
The scaly body lashed back and forth on the opposite side of the storehouse, busy attacking the men who had dared attack it.
Brynn had hoped for a head start, but she would need the creature to be close for her plan to work. For a neck as thick as that, she would need power and focus and as little distance as possible.
If it had been any other enemy, she could have whipped it with hundreds of tiny cuts and weakened it either for her own attack or for spearmen. Because the serpent and its skin healed instantly, she had to give more effort.
Brynn gathered as much power as she dared and sent a lash for the creature’s exposed back. Her spell ripped into its hide, leaving a great gash in the dark brown scales.
Squealing, the creature’s head swept up, fixing on Brynn once more.
Brynn and Cenric started running again, heading toward the beach.
The serpent didn’t follow. It blinked at them with those glowing red eyes.
How hard could this be?
Brynn sent another lash of power for the serpent’s jaw. Jormanthar jolted, hissing as its mandible split, then repaired itself.
“Come on!” Brynn shouted. “Chase me, you wretch!”
Cenric snatched up a rock and hurled it at the creature’s head. He missed, but the stone bounced off the serpent’s large back.
The serpent let off a low growl, shifting toward them. The thing seemed more annoyed than anything else. It lumbered in their direction.
The creature had been feeding and its belly distended. Even though it had only been taking a bite or two out of its prey, those bites had added up.
Getting chased by the monsters had been terrifyingly easy back under the Grandfather Yew. Brynn hadn’t thought getting the serpent to follow her would be this difficult.
Jormanthar let off a low rumble. It lunged, tromping through the burning remains of the storehouse that had blocked the way between them.
Brynn and Cenric backed away, watching to make sure the creature followed.
Brynn cast another spell at the beast, shearing cuts along its nose. The beast sneezed, shaking its head and snapping at the air.
It cleared the broken remains of the storehouse, illuminated by the light of the burning buildings.
The creature wasn’t formed quite like any Brynn had seen before.
It had a long neck and a head that swiveled in all directions like an eel.
But it had scales and tiny legs, almost like it had been a common lizard that had far outgrown its intended size.
The creature’s proportions were off, much like Wulfwir.
Jormanthar was not so much a serpent as a frightened child’s idea of one.
Brynn and Cenric reached the sand beyond the wooden buildings, the beach lined with burning ships and scattered corpses. The sea was in sight, less than a hundred paces off.
Jormanthar growled and stopped, nostrils flaring at the sight of the black waves at their backs.
It’s afraid of the sea, Brynn realized with a surge of hope. Perhaps her plan was onto something, not just desperation.
“Be moving!” Cenric bellowed back at the thing. “Let’s go!”
Jormanthar hissed in response, head swaying.
Movement up the beach caught Brynn’s attention. A gaggle of men carrying spears and axes charged down the sand, thumping their weapons against their shields.
“Not now!” Brynn cursed. “Idiots!”
Jormanthar swung its head in the direction of the men.
“That will be Ovrek,” Cenric muttered.
“How can you tell?” Brynn cast him a sideways glance.
“He’ll want to fight the greatest beast. I’d hoped we’d be able to deal with the serpent before he realized where we’d gone.”
“He’s going to get himself killed.” Brynn’s fists clenched, her frustration mounting. “He’d have a better chance of defeating the Wulfwir.”
“A glorious death is better than an ignominious life,” Cenric said.
“I almost had it!” Brynn watched as the serpent cocked its head, swaying in the direction of Ovrek’s line of warriors. “What are their spears and axes going to do to this thing?”
Cenric observed as the beast withdrew, moving toward the line of warriors. “You want it near the water?”
“I’m going to try and use the ka in the water to work a spell,” Brynn explained.
Cenric considered the advancing Valdari. “They might be able to flush it this way.”
“You know they won’t.” Brynn sent another lash toward the beast. Her spell ripped along its back and even in the dark she saw blood splatter the sand. The creature growled, continuing toward the line of men.
Ovrek drew his warriors into formation, creating a shieldwall. It was a good formation. Most of the men had managed to acquire weapons. They must anticipate being able to attack it the way they would an enemy army, but it seemed none of them accounted for just how quickly it would heal.
Had Hróarr not told them? Or perhaps Ovrek had simply not wanted to listen.
“You seem to be striking it from this distance,” Cenric pointed out.
“I need it to come closer,” Brynn said. “The strength of the spell I’ll need to cut all the way through that neck in one blow…” She groaned with frustration. “I’m not sure I’ll be able to do it at all, but definitely not from a hundred paces or more.”
Cenric was silent for a moment, watching as the serpent drew closer to Ovrek’s line. The warriors formed a solid formation, spears bristling from between their shields. Jormanthar would batter through them like sticks.
A volley of javelins broke from the shieldwall. Most of them went wide, missing the beast entirely. A few struck the creature, but it shook itself and the javelins fell loose as if they were nothing but thistles.
“I’ll bring it to you.”
“Cenric?” Brynn’s chest tightened.
Cenric pecked her cheek. “Get ready. I’ll get the serpent.” He pulled away from her, running up the beach.
Brynn’s hands grasped after him instinctively, but she forced herself not to protest. Cenric trusted her, she needed to trust him.
Even though her heart seemed to be clawing its way up her throat, Brynn turned.
She ripped off her boots, letting them flop away onto the sand.
She tore off her wool stockings and shed her leg wraps.
Fortunately, they came off much faster than they went on.
Pebbles jabbed at her soles and cold water stung her shins as she rushed into the surf.
“Please, please, please,” Brynn prayed, glancing toward the moon. “Eponine, please. Llyr, please.” It was not her most eloquent or thought-out petition, but hopefully the gods wouldn’t mind under the circumstances.
As the water touched her skin, Brynn pulled at the ka she had always sensed in the waves. Power rushed into her in a great torrent, mending the cuts and bruises from the past hour and surging strength through every sinew.
As she watched her husband rushing back up the beach, Brynn kept whispering “Please, please, please.”
Her plan seemed to be working so far, but she could only hope it would be enough and that she wouldn’t miss. That was assuming Cenric was successful.