29. Lost #3
Sorcha wasn’t listening. Noctis had vanished again, but the absence of dread told her the hound was safe.
The urge to move deeper into the city gripped her, an unshakable instinct leading her into the heart of the ruins.
She looked through the upstairs windows.
That was when she saw it. A large circular structure stood in the distance, held up by towering pillars.
Its massive walls loomed, untouched by time or ruin.
It looked impenetrable, a fortress hidden within the city’s remains.
That was where she needed to go.
Sorcha whispered to the others, “I need to get to a building farther in the city.”
Kyron stared at her as if she had lost her mind. “Are you insane? There are hundreds of them and only three of us. If we don’t leave now, we’re dead.” He glanced toward Maelan for support.
Maelan looked between them, hesitating before turning to Sorcha. “Why should we risk our lives to go further? What aren’t you telling us?”
Sorcha tried to think of a way to explain it but all she could say was, “I have a feeling I need to go there.”
Kyron threw his hands up, whispering angrily, “A feeling? Sorcha, you want us to head into a dead infested city over a feeling?”
“Yes.” Sorcha straightened, her decision made. She moved toward the doorway and peered out, scanning the area. The coast was clear. “I’m going. You can get out of here while you still can, but I have to go.”
She stepped into the shadows before they could stop her.
Maelan cursed under his breath and moved quickly, following behind her. A moment later, he poked his head back inside the doorway and gestured. “Come on.”
Kyron exhaled, jaw tightening before he followed. “I should have followed orders, but no, not me,” he muttered under his breath. “Why not?”
They kept to the shadows, slipping between crumbling buildings, careful to avoid the streaks of moonlight.
The cold air swirled around them, carrying the distant snarls of the creatures.
As they rounded another corner, the dome came into view, rising above the ruins in eerie brilliance.
Moonstones shimmered where the structure met the pillars its intricate carvings tracing the surface like veins of light.
Flowers and vines twisted around the stone, a delicate contrast to the destruction surrounding them.
The building stood intact, and it had reminded Sorcha of the Library in Lumora.
She could feel the pull of it, even stronger now.
Then a sudden crash shattered the silence.
Sorcha’s breath caught as she spun around to see Kyron was gone.
Her heart pounded as she spotted him below, sprawled in a deep hole hidden beneath brush and debris.
He must have fallen straight through. The impact had knocked loose the stones around him, the clatter of rocks echoing through the ruins.
Maelan was already at the edge, reaching down as Kyron struggled to climb out.
Sorcha dropped to her knees and grabbed his other arm, bracing herself to pull.
Then came the howls and screams through the night, nails scraping against stone as they moved.
Rubble and debris came falling down from building as the creatures moved.
“Help me up!” Kyron’s voice was tight with panic.
Sorcha pulled hard, trying to keep her grip steady. Kyron scrambled, feet kicking against loose rock. With one final desperate yank from Maelan, they hauled him over the edge just as the first glowing eyes appeared in the distance.
Dozens of them, charging straight at them.
“We have to get inside that building,” Sorcha said, turning toward it.
They took off running. Their footsteps thundered across the rubble and Sorcha risked a glance over her shoulder, she saw them closing in.
They were fast, leaping off building and over one another.
She knew they wouldn’t make it. Digging her heels into the ground, she turned facing them head on.
Her hands moved, as fingers traced patterns through the air as she whispered the words under her breath.
Magic stirred at her fingertips, heat swelling in her palms, but the creatures were nearly upon her.
A moment later, fire erupted from her hands.
The explosion of flame and light blasted through the air, sending a shockwave outward.
The creatures shrieked as the force slammed into them, bodies thrown back in a tangled mess of limbs.
Smoke and embers rose from the scorched ground where the fire had struck.
“Run!” Maelan’s voice cut through the haze, and she turned, feet pounding against the stone as she caught up with them.
They reached the stairs, Sorcha nearly tripping in her haste as she slammed into the door, fists hammering against the wood.
“Open!” she gasped, throwing her weight against it. “Please!”
Kyron and Maelan shoved at the door desperate to get inside.
Maelan let out a yell as one of the creatures latched onto his calf.
He gritted his teeth and tore his rapier free and plunged it straight through the creature’s eye.
The thing let out a scream as Maelan ripped it free, taking the eye with him.
But more were coming still, swarming up the steps.
Sorcha unsheathed her sword lunging forward when suddenly the ground beneath them gave way.