Chapter 29
FARRAH, ZIG, AND I RAN downstream, away from the pool, and found a line of stepping stones that weren’t completely submerged, to cross to the other bank. Once on the other side, we whistled to Aven and Rylan and began our approach.
“You two get the support staff out of here, then start with the back row of squires and guards. I’ll take care of Lord Ethan.”
“Okay. Good plan,” Zig said, hands on his knees. “Just try not to get killed.”
“You too,” I said. “And try not to steal anything.”
“No promises.” Zig’s usual smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Seriously, be careful. That thing is… monstrous.”
“I’ll be fine. You two go before this gets worse. And, Zig, no magic rings.”
His smile turned genuine. “That was one time, and I was eight.” He turned to Farrah. “Ready, partner?”
She pursed her lips. “Yes. Let’s go.”
They shook hands, and then they crept to the camp, ushering the noncombatant members of the retinue onto horses and sending them to safety.
I rolled my shoulders, unsheathed my sword, and headed into the fray.
Aven shot arrows from the other side of the river, focusing on bouncing them off the heads that were trained on Lord Ethan’s group.
Rylan stood in the water, gathering waves with his magic and pushing them at the snake body in an attempt to nudge it back under the waterfall.
Okay. The heads were directed elsewhere—time to hero.
“It’s distracted!” Lord Ethan yelled over the chaos. “Charge it!”
Oh ancients, no!
I ran forward, darting between the lines of squires and guards, knocking aside their swords and pikes, until I could reach Lord Ethan at the front.
“No!” I yelled. “Don’t do that! Run!”
“Don’t listen to her! She just wants to steal our victory!”
“I don’t want you all to die!”
Lord Ethan swung his sword, and I brought mine up barely in time for the blades to clang against each other.
“What are you doing? I’m trying to save you!”
“You’re trying to interfere!”
One of the heads swerved toward us and opened its mouth.
I expected another roar, but instead I was met with a focused jet of water.
I ducked and rolled out of the way just in time, the intense stream slamming into trees, splintering them to pieces.
Shards of the trunks and branches flew in all directions.
Okay. No. Because what? I didn’t know it could do that! I’d thought we were only dealing with many heads, and teeth, and the possibility of a lethal tail. I didn’t know this was basically a water dragon.
Obviously, neither did Lord Ethan’s followers, because they all turned tail and ran. Yay. Great. One mission accomplished.
I gained my feet on shaky legs and staggered back to a stunned Lord Ethan. I grabbed his arm. His mustache was wet and uncurling, his blond hair plastered to his head and neck. His eyes were glassy.
“What is that thing?” I yelled.
“I thought this was the Elder Beast’s realm,” he replied, dazed. “But we must have read the key wrong.”
“No shit!”
“I think it’s the Hydra.”
“I don’t care!” I shook him and he flailed, as lax as a rag doll. “Where is the Elder Beast on the map? Can you show me?”
The Hydra roared again. Aven continued firing arrows, but they bounced harmlessly off its scaled armor and only seemed to annoy it.
Rylan did his best to manipulate the water, but it had little effect.
He switched to balls of fire, but they only aggravated the Hydra more.
We needed to get out of there. We needed to run.
But my quest wasn’t over.
“Where is the Elder Beast?” I yelled again.
One of the heads bent low and snapped at Aven.
They barely managed to dive out of the way.
Another shot a glob of snot out of its nostril toward Rylan, and the blob landed at his feet, splattering all over him.
The head pointed in our direction opened its maw, and another rapid froth of water shot out.
I tackled Lord Ethan, flattening him to the ground.
I shook him again, my hands gripping his surcoat, because we were losing. We would lose again. Against this thing.
“Tell me!” I demanded.
Lord Ethan’s eyes snapped open, and he sat up, grasping my arm, his fingers digging into my flesh, almost as hard as I held him. I yanked him to standing, and he wavered on his feet. “Don’t wake them up, Ellinore.”
“Just tell me where the Elder Beast is!”
Lord Ethan squeezed his eyes shut.
I caught movement in the corner of my eye and managed to shove Lord Ethan away as another current of water erupted from the mouth of one of the heads, shooting between us. The stream was too quick, and the outer edge of the spray clipped my side, knocking me backward like a puppet with no strings.
I struck the ground harder than I ever had in my life, the air whooshing out of my lungs. My head connected solidly with the dirt, and the world went dark.