Chapter 23 #2
Students holler and call out around us, their voices barely audible above the wind, and I scan the landscape that spans far in all directions.
Endless lush forest covers the land far around us, and massive rocky mountains sit to our left.
In the distance to our right, I can only just see a dark blur against the horizon, like a smudge of ink in my vision.
“That there is the shadow city where Queen Krosia’s palace is situated,” Raith explains, pointing at the inky blur like he can read my thoughts. “It may seem small from here, but the entire city is a huge fortress of stone and shadows.”
I squint, staring into the distance, and the longer I look I swear I can see the inky blob moving. “Are the shadows made from the queen’s power?”
Raith’s body stiffens. “Yes. Queen Krosia is the main reason our forces have lasted this long. Without her magic protecting the city, I fear we would have been overrun a long time ago.”
“But what about the other originals? Surely the group of you would be able to hold things together,” I say.
“Krosia was the first human called to the shadow realm,” Raith answers simply. “She is more powerful than any one of us.”
“And that’s a good thing, right?” I ask, not really sure why he sounds so serious.
He’s silent for a moment. “We all have our place in this war.” It’s all he says, then he turns from the city, and Kazer places his back to the horizon as we face the other students.
For the next while, Raith gives instructions to the students, teaching them different flight maneuvers.
Then everyone breaks off, practicing what he’s taught them.
There are more screams as a couple students lose their perches and pitch to the ground below, but most of the students manage to stay seated on their creatures.
I enjoy the ride, relishing the feeling of the wind brushing against me, and the clean crisp air, but I grasp tighter to Raith when he leads Kazer into the clouds, and the other students are momentarily out of sight.
“All right, sunshine, you’re up,” Raith rumbles as Kazer evens off again, and we cruise inside the gray puffs.
“What?”
“Call for your beast,” Raith tells me. “Remember to focus your mind.”
We haven’t seen anything to indicate my animali is around, and I’m pretty skeptical about the guys’ plan, but I close my eyes anyway and try to concentrate.
Okay, Shade, this is your last chance to find your creature before the games.
Say something enticing. “Hey, beastie,” I call out with my mind.
“I would be so grateful if you would bond with me, so I don’t die a miserable, painful death.
” Okay, so it’s a pathetic attempt, but I don’t know what else I’m supposed to say.
Honestly, if the beast is smart, they’ll hear my plea and hightail it in the opposite direction.
I’m not exactly a winning match, and if we have to battle, I’ll probably get us both killed.
There’s silence for a few minutes, and I open my eyes. “You know, on the bright side at least I won’t be leading some poor creature to their death,” I point out.
“Focus, mate,” Raith tells me. “We’re not leavin’ until you hear somethin’.”
Sighing, I close my eyes again. I’m pretty sure this whole exercise is futile, but if it makes Raith happy then I’ll keep at it.
Taking a deep breath, I focus my thoughts again.
Okay, what to say… “You know, there’s more where those toffee apples came from, and I promise I’m good company! I give great tummy rubs, and—”
“Flee, human.” The words are soft and distant, like an echo traveling through a canyon, and I have to strain my ears to even make out what’s been said.
A sense of urgency flows over me, and I snap my eyes open.
There’s a flash of black in the clouds up ahead.
I glimpse the tip of a dark wing before it disappears from sight. What the—?
Raith tenses, his muscles hardening under my fingers.
“What is it?” I ask, that sense of urgency continuing to flow over me.
“Flee. Flee now!” the strange voice rasps insistently again in my mind.
“Hold on!” Raith shouts at me, and his shadows that are binding us to Kazer’s back band tighter as Kazer veers around, away from where I’d seen the black creature.
“Raith,” I call out, my heart racing as my instincts blare a warning at me. I don’t know who spoke to me, but something tells me we need to get out of here right now.
“Keep your head down and you’ll be fine,” Raith tells me as Kazer picks up speed, the animali tucking his wings in tight as he soars toward where we left the other students.
One of Raith’s hands releases Kazer’s mane, and Raith draws his sword just as dark figures appear on either side of us, materializing from the clouds.
“Fuck. They’re Xalgrith warriors!” Raith shouts, and I gasp, clinging to him.
Horrified, I gape as monstrous scaled beasts come into view.
Creatures with thick, curved necks, massive spined wings, and two sharp clawed paws descend on us.
They’re…They’re like small dragons, I note.
With long horns on their scaled heads and vicious fangs, the creatures remind me of smaller versions of some of the dragons I’ve read about in my favorite dragon rider books. Oh crap, I hope they can’t shoot fire.
Riding atop the beasts are gangly beings dressed in plates of off-white armor that covers most of their bodies. The only bare skin I can see is the being’s wrists, and I stare at the translucent skin that reveals veins of white blood and bone. The cum monsters.
The dragon-like creature on our left banks close to us, and Raith’s shadows shoot out, wrapping around the beast and crushing its wings. The creature falls, unable to flap its wings, and the Xalgrith warrior riding it snarls as it plummets with its creature, disappearing below the clouds.
“Not the dragon!” I cry out instinctively, but Raith ignores me.
The creature on our right takes the opportunity to swoop in close, and Kazer swipes his claws across the creature’s face, tearing across its eyes. The beast screams, thrashing its head, and the Xalgrith warrior jumps from its back before the beast curves away from us.
“Look out!” I yell as the Xalgrith warrior descends, its eyes wide and gleeful as it brings its sword down. Before it can land on Kazer’s back and crash into us, more of Raith’s shadows shoot out, knocking the sword from the Xalgrith’s grasp before Raith slices his blade through its neck.
White blood sprays over us, and I yelp as the thick liquid coats my face, the scent of the stuff making me feel like I’ve just attended a monster orgy without getting any of the fun times. “Crap, I can’t see!” I complain panicked, wiping my face frantically with my fingers.
“You all right?” Raith asks over the wind.
I let out a distressed noise. “No, it’s in my eye!” I yell back, trying desperately to remove the Xalgrith’s blood that’s clinging to my eyelashes. “Oh god, it burns!”
“Don’t worry. It won’t blind you,” Raith tells me. “It’ll only sting a little.”
Raith and I must have different interpretations of ‘it’ll sting a little’ because I feel like my eyeball is being burned out of its socket.
I blink rapidly, and slowly the burning eases, and I’m finally able to see again.
The thick ooze is still under my nails, and I shake my hands, trying to flick it off.
At the same moment, Raith turns toward me, and a thick blob of Xalgrith blood flings right into… his open mouth.
It hits the back of his throat, and he gags, coughing and spluttering. “Fuck, you got it in my mouth,” he croaks, still coughing.
Oops. Trying to be helpful, I whack him on the back, but all I really do is smear white blood between his shoulder blades.
He spits toward the ground, still gagging.
Despite the fact this is not the time to be messing around, I can’t help smirking. “Guess you never learned how to swallow, huh?”
He arches a brow at me, his lips twitching, but we’re both distracted when the sound of screams carries on the wind.
Clearing his throat, Raith urges Kazer to fly faster, and when we exit the cloud cover, my heart almost stops as all amusement drains from my face.
At least another half a dozen Xalgrith warriors are in the sky, flying amongst the students who are scattered across the horizon.
One of the scaly beasts snaps at a smaller bear animali, swallowing its head whole. The student screams, but their cries are cut off as the Xalgrith warrior plunges his sword into her chest, and she falls from his blade, spiraling toward the ground.
No. My heart thunders in my ears as I witness more students fall.
Raith lets out a monstrous cry, and the scattered animali turn, listening to his call. They veer off, angling toward the ground at frightening speeds, heading for the safety of the academy barrier. The students cry out as they desperately hold on, knowing that if they lose their holds, they’ll die.
A Xalgrith’s beast closes in on Ian, but his animali swerves to the side and they only just manage to miss the creature’s jaws.
Down. Down. The group soars lower.
The students’ animali dart and weave as the Xalgrith chase them, the Xalgrith’s larger creatures beating their wings and snapping at the animali with their powerful jaws. A creature appears above us, talons outstretched as the creature attempts to pluck me from Kazer’s back.
I scream and Kazer drops suddenly, the talons barely missing my head.
I’m showered with more blood, and I peer up as the Xalgrith is hurtled from his creature, and the strange dragon-beast is beheaded by a man on a winged bull animali.
Ambrose. The original gives me a grim smile as two more large animali soar from the clouds behind us, and the originals, Germain and Virelle, also come into view fully dressed in battle armor.
The powerful warriors join the fray, and shadows explode in the sky.
Far below, I spot Thane flying on Rinoc, along with Galen and Knox who are also on their beasts. They shepherd the students toward the academy, spreading out to guide them.
“Shade?” Galen’s panicked voice reaches my ears. There aren’t any nicknames this time.
“I’m fine,” I whisper back, though I am definitely not okay.
The battle rages as the originals fight the Xalgrith, and some of the students who are straggling at the back of the group fall from their animali, caught in the fray.
Three more Xalgrith appear, flying toward us, and my heart stutters. “Raith!” I yell.
His shadows twist in the air around us, his features morphing as his inner beast fights for control.
“Do you trust me, sunshine?” he asks, his gruff voice more monster than man.
“Yes,” I rush out, though my throat is choked with fear.
“Good girl,” he rumbles, and he tosses me from Kazer’s back.