14. Zai #2
Something inside me snapped. Flames flared from my palms as I whirled on him. “Stop following me!”
He flinched, his face draining of color. I stormed away, and this time, no footsteps followed.
Finally, some peace. Space to think about my own mess.
I’d barely gone a stone’s throw when a beastly roar shattered the silence. Ashes and embers, that could be nothing other than a monster. And it was close—too close, coming from behind.
Cold dread flooded my veins, but instead of freezing me in place, it sharpened my senses. The countless tales I’d heard about Blightlands all agreed on one thing: monsters were drawn to loud noises. I had to stay quiet.
Every muscle tensed as I reached out with my heat magic, searching for nearby heat signatures.
A loud yelp pierced the air. By the blaze, that yapping fool. Of course he wouldn’t have the wits to stay silent. I should leave him to the beast. He wasn’t my responsibility.
A scream of sheer terror rang out, raw and desperate.
With a growling sigh, I launched into a sprint, cocooning my aching ribs in bolstered resilience.
Kestrel perched atop a boulder, arms windmilling for balance. A massive leathery beast braced its hooves and rammed its thick skull into the rock. Cracks spread across the surface, and Kestrel yelped, his body jolting with the impact.
I popped open the cravik horn at my belt, heating the metal inside until it flowed out at my command. Twirling my fingers, I reshaped it into needle-sharp darts and launched them at the creature. They struck its hide with a series of metallic thwacks—and slid off without leaving even a dent.
Lights above, that hide had to be as thick as drake scales.
The beast swung its elongated head toward me and roared, its mouth splitting far wider than should have been possible. Rows of sharp teeth lined its jaw, two of them longer than my forearm. Even from several paces away, its breath rolled over me, fetid with rot and old blood.
My pulse hammered in my throat as I gathered the glowing metal back. But before I could reshape it into a spear, the monster lunged, its two sharp horns pointed straight at my ribs.
My boots skidded in the mud as I threw myself sideways. The tip of a horn grazed my arm as the creature stormed past.
Cold dread slammed into me. This wasn’t a training session in a controlled environment. This was how people died.
In sheer panic, I darted toward the boulder and jumped, bounding up the rocky crevices in two quick strides before landing beside Kestrel.
The beast’s hooves churned up wet earth as it charged, slamming into the stone beneath our feet.
“Oh, brilliant! So glad to see you again!” Kestrel’s voice came out breathless and high-pitched. “Wish I could’ve offered a nicer place for our reunion. Something cozy, maybe with less mortal peril and—”
He yelped as the beast’s skull rammed the boulder. The stone cracked and split beneath us. Kestrel grabbed my arm, fingers digging deep enough to feel through my leather bracer.
I gathered the metal scattered on the ground and shaped it into a spear. As the beast struck again, I drove the glowing tip straight through its eye, deep into the brain. The creature collapsed with a wet thud, its final breath rattling out in a gust of foul air.
“Crack the mountain!” Kestrel exclaimed. “You killed it!”
With a twist of my wrist, I yanked the spear free. Blood and brain matter clung to the spearhead, sizzling against the glowing surface. The beast lay still, and the tension in my shoulders eased.
My fingers curled as I guided the metal back into the cravik horn and sealed the lid tight over the red-hot mass. Without a word, I slid off the boulder and stalked away.
“Fault and fire, that was incredible!” Kestrel scrambled down from the fractured stone, stumbling to catch up. “You’re amazing! What precision! I’ve never seen anyone wield like that before!”
I glanced at the fool with his golden-brown hair and chipped tooth, his eyes shining with admiration. Of course this peasant from some puny village I’d never even heard of would marvel at the slightest display of magic.
He beamed at me like I’d handed him a bag of gems. “You’re quite terrifying, you know that?
In an all-powerful kind of way. Sun’s glory, the way you melted that metal in a heartbeat!
” His voice rose with excitement, hands gesturing wildly.
“I’ve seen nobles showing off at festivals and prison guards practicing in courtyards. None of them moved like you do.”
I frowned. Was he serious? Nobles performing at festivals were often master wielders, and many guards reached that level as well.
The praise lodged itself beneath my ribs, sending warmth blooming through my chest. But it was nothing more than empty flattery. He was just trying to charm me into letting him tag along.
He bounded up beside me. “I think we should stick together.”
“Shocking,” I growled.
“We make an excellent team. You need me, trust me.”
I halted, pinning him with my most glacial stare. “Why would I need you?”
“I can cook! And obviously, I’ll be the one providing entertainment when we huddle around a campfire at night. All you have to do is protect us from monsters. Actually, you might only need to glare at them. That’d scare them away for sure.”
I narrowed my eyes, the words “leave me alone” hovering at the tip of my tongue. But they wouldn’t come. He was as useful as shattered shale, yet the warmth he’d sparked in my chest refused to fade.
“Just like that!” He pointed at my face, grin widening. “You know what, I think I’ll need to write a song about you.” He snapped his fingers, eyes lighting up. “The tale of how a poor innkeeper from Brillcrest was saved by the mighty and brave—wait—what’s your name?”
“No singing,” I growled, then let out a rough sigh. I’d probably regret this. “Just call me Zai.”