Chapter 44 Bechora #2
The creature's head snapped toward me, and that massive hand shot forward. I threw myself to the side, still holding the shield in place, just as it smacked into the ground where I’d just been.
The impact cracked the earth, sending a shockwave through the ground that knocked several of us off our feet.
Flames wrapped around my arms in a violent surge, the last of the airborne monsters being snatched from the air by the one in front of me.
“Hit it together!” Lark bellowed, already charging forward. He shifted mid-stride, body expanding into that massive elephant form again as he slammed into one of the creature's legs.
It staggered, stumbling back a few steps and giving us an opening.
Magic flew from every direction—lightning cracking through the air, water slamming into its joints—shifters transformed, sinking in teeth and claws anywhere they could reach.
I narrowed my focus, forcing everything I had into the fire coiling around my arm and sent it flying.
The creature lashed out, another limb sweeping across the clearing and sending students flying.
One didn’t get back up. My chest tightened, but I shoved it down.
I pivoted, unleashing another blast of fire straight for its chest, as it turned toward Lark.
That drew the monstrosity’s attention back to me.
Lark took the opening, barreling into its legs from behind.
A strong gust of wind blew past me with enough force to nearly take me off my feet.
The creature stumbled backward, and Lark slammed into its legs again, just as another furious gust of wind slammed into the thing’s chest. It tipped over, limbs flailing as it went down, slamming into the ground and rocking the earth beneath our feet.
The shifters didn’t hesitate, tearing into it with a viciousness that should have alarmed me.
Around me, the casters of our remaining group seemed to bunch together and press forward as they poured everything they had into destroying that thing .
I fell into step beside them, pulling the waning power from my overused inner well, and forcing my flames to wrap around anything on the creature they could reach.
Its chest heaved once, twice, before its limbs settled, and it didn’t move again.
Slowly, we withdrew into a tight circle, all of us eyeing the thing over our shoulders for any signs of life.
My body swayed, the edges of my vision darkening as it started to crumble to dust.
My knees buckled, but a firm hand gripped my bicep and kept me upright. Turning my head slowly and blinking to try and clear the encroaching darkness from my vision, I saw Lark beside me, lips pressed into a grim line.
“Don’t pass out,” he muttered.
Around us, what was left of our team leaned against each other, barely managing to stay on their feet.
We were… maybe half of what we started with.
Blood coated the ground, thick enough to leave muddy patches in the densely packed dirt.
Even with Lark holding me up, my body swayed forward, wanting to collapse.
A low, rumbling pulse kicked up around us, and I tensed, bracing for another wave.
One I knew would take us out in our current state.
Instead, the world shimmered around us, that same twisting sensation creeping over my body again.
My feet hit the stone floor of the dining hall hard enough to jar my teeth. We were back. We’d passed the trial.
Lark helped me into my chair before turning away to return to wherever he’d been seated before the trial.
Around me, survivors from other teams were slowly starting to appear.
My gaze searched each of their faces, hoping to find Shadrie, or Miles, or one of my mates.
My chest grew tighter with each student who wasn’t them.
Until, finally, they appeared as a group.
“Thank, fuck, we ended up on the same team,” Shadrie muttered as she collapsed into the chair beside me. “Kind of fucked you weren’t with us though, B.”
I tensed at her words, wondering if perhaps I hadn’t been separated from them by chance, after all.
“So, you’re telling me Vallynn and Dante were with your group, too?” I asked when we were all finally settled back in my and Shadrie’s dorm room, after cleaning up.
“Yeah, and not for nothing, B. They were pretty useful to have,” she replied. “I’m not taking their side in this thing between you, but I can’t lie and say I wasn’t glad to have them on the team.”
“I can’t believe you were the only one not grouped with us,” Miles added. “But if you were separated so the Dean could kidnap you, then why did you make it through?”
“I don’t know,” I sighed. “Maybe they weren’t trying to take me alive. Meara was in my group, and she tried to kill me during the third wave. I’m not sure she wouldn’t have managed it in the chaos, when the fourth started before the third ended, if that thing hadn’t gotten her first.”
Archer let out a low growl, and his hand tightened on my calf where he held it.
“It would make sense that they want you dead if they really do know what you are and about the prophecy,” Miles said.
“That’s what I’m starting to worry about. We still have tomorrow's trial and no idea what it is or how the teams will be split up.”
We lapsed into silence after that. None of us sure how to even begin to make a plan.
After a while, I felt myself starting to doze against Zypher’s side, and I let him pull me to my feet and lead me to bed.
I couldn’t control what the final trial would bring, but even I knew I needed to be rested if I had any hope of surviving it.