19. Lora #2
The metal ripped free from my flesh and soared back toward Zaivareth’s curling fingers.
All traces of amusement had drained from his face, replaced by that cold determination again.
Lethal energy radiated from him, like a shadow prowler who’d suddenly lost interest in toying with its prey, intent on delivering the killing blow.
“Hadrien!” Someone screamed. “Hadrien, stop!”
“I didn’t sign up for this!” Hadrien howled, his voice shrill with panic.
But I couldn’t allow myself to be distracted again. The prince thrust his hand forward and metal soared toward me. I forced up a weak shield, barely deflecting the attack. Fresh pain flared in my shoulder from the effort.
A different kind of shriek cut across the clamor, one of sheer terror. Against my better judgment, I risked a glance—and froze.
At the clearing’s edge, a leathery beast threw itself onto Hadrien, knocking him onto his back.
The hulking rift-hound was covered in mottled hide, and its four powerful legs ended in sharp claws.
An extra limb protruded from its back, ending in a bladed hook large enough to slice through flesh and bone.
A hook-shredder. I’d heard stories but never seen one myself. It was larger and sturdier than the ash-maw, more muscle than grace. It opened its unnaturally wide jaw, displaying several rows of teeth.
I stared in horror as the monster bit clean through Hadrien’s head. His flailing arms crumpled to the ground, and the beast tore into his remains.
Another hook-shredder joined the first, snapping at the fallen moon master, wrenching away a leg.
Beyond the pair, a purple shimmer split the air.
Dread coiled in my gut. That hadn’t been there when we’d made camp.
The violet tear widened, growing before my eyes, and more beasts crawled through.
Moon’s mercy, this was bad.
My head whipped toward the prince. A flicker of revulsion broke through his composed features as he watched the beasts devour the moon master’s corpse.
He met my gaze, his expression hardening.
Understanding passed between us.
I lifted a brow. “Truce?”
He gave a firm nod, jaw tight, eyes dark with determination. “Truce.”
We raised our hands, wielding our magic against the beasts. An uneasy alliance born of pure survival.
I threw up an ice shield between a monster and a wounded moon guard crawling across the dirt. As the beast slammed into my barrier, I drove ice shards into its exposed flank. Thankfully, the hide wasn’t the thicker kind, and my spikes tore through flesh and muscle.
The creature’s howl split the air, high and guttural.
Pulling more water from the river, I thrust a jagged ice spear straight through the beast’s throat. Black blood sprayed across the crawling guard as the monster collapsed, gurgling its last breath.
Zaivareth thrust both hands forward, launching a glowing blade straight through a hook-shredder’s chest. The beast’s shriek cut off as it toppled sideways, smoke curling from the gaping wound.
A monster lunged straight for Erion at the center of the clearing. Eyes wide with terror, he twisted his hands, producing nothing more than useless wisps of flame. Rika stepped in front of him, slamming a block of ice into the creature, knocking it aside.
Guards and pirates scrambled together, side by side, back to back.
All earlier animosity dissolved in the shared drive for survival.
A dozen hook-shredders swarmed the clearing, and more were still pouring through.
The fight roared around us—shouts tearing through smoke, flames flaring, the wet crunch of claws meeting flesh.
We couldn’t flee, the monsters would be upon us in an instant. The only way out was to kill them all.
One hook-shredder crouched low, claws digging into the ground as its hook launched at a pirate, shredding through her upper arm. She screamed and turned to run, but the hook tore into her back, piercing through and bursting from her chest.
Chilling dread prickled my skin. I poured it into my cold wielding, freezing water to ice around the hook-shredder’s legs. As it crumpled, I drove jagged shards through its neck.
The prince faced a beast head-on, too occupied to notice a larger hook-shredder lunging at him from behind, its claws extended.
I slammed a block of ice into its skull and leapt into the air as the creature crashed at our feet.
The ice shattered into a glittering spray around us.
Landing atop the beast, I seized the meaty joint beneath the hook, holding it fast so it couldn’t stab into Zaivareth.
With my free hand, I drove an ice spike into the creature’s brain.
The prince felled his own beast just in time to turn and face me.
My chest heaved with heavy breaths as I released my grip on the hook, letting it fall slack to the side. Glittering ice speckles still rained down around me as I stepped off the corpse.
The prince stared at me, something fierce burning in his eyes. Was he… impressed? Grateful even? He should be. I’d just saved his life.
His gaze flicked past my shoulder, eyes widening.
He flung out a hand and grabbed my wrist, yanking me toward him. I spun, and my back collided with his chest. His arm wrapped tight around my waist while his other hand shot out in front of us. Burning metal drove straight through the skull of the hook-shredder barreling toward us.
The beast collapsed at our feet, its brain seared through.
Zaivareth’s chest heaved against my back, each breath tickling my ear. His arm stayed entwined around my waist, pressing me against him. Tingling heat prickled across my skin as his scent filled my lungs—a musky aroma tinged with fire and smoke.
What in the twisted deep was this? He was the salt-cursed sun prince. I had to pull myself together and seize control of the situation.
But before I could pry myself free, another monster stampeded toward us.