24. Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter twenty-four
Before I have time to think, my instincts take over, and I spin to see Cayzenn running back toward the other two and the four snarling wolf-like creatures at their backs.
The animals are unlike anything I've ever seen, with long, pointed snouts, serrated tusks, and dark, wiry fur covering their tall, thick bodies.
Razor-sharp talons that look capable of shredding flesh make horrific sounds when they leap from the cliff to the stone ledge.
It's their soulless, shadowy eyes that terrify me more than anything, though. Even from here, I can see there's no white, no pupil, just pits of inky black.
Cayzenn rushes past a crouching Djalira, yelling for both of us to hurry up and get across before he and Nav plant their feet, conjuring swords and a shield from thin air to face the creatures head on.
When I glance at Djalira, she's frozen in fear, staring at the beasts stalking toward her partner with bared teeth. Ignoring my intuition demanding I run in the opposite direction, I hurry to her side, trying not to draw the attention of whatever those things are.
"We have to move," I say softly.
"I can't. I can't leave Nav. I can't lose him.
" Her whimper becomes a scream when one of the animals lunges, stopping just short of the shimmering protection holding them at bay for now, though the two men are losing ground.
Her scream has Nav daring a split-second glance in her direction, looking panicked when he sees we haven't moved and she's still crouched low, reaching for him.
I have to break through the shock and get her out of here.
"I know it's hard, but we have to get across so they can follow.
We're targets out here, and he'll be distracted worrying about you.
The only thing we can do to help is get off this tree and call the others back so they can fight or shield. "
Finally, she looks up, resolve shining through the tears running down her cheeks as she grasps my outstretched hand.
I pull her up, and we start to walk quickly and carefully, desperately trying not to listen to the snarls and grunts behind us.
Clearly, the magic hasn't deterred those creatures, and after travelling all day, neither Wielder will be at full strength, so how long can they hold them off? The thought spurs me on, and I quicken my pace, glancing back every now and then to make sure Djalira hasn’t stopped.
With less than a quarter of the way to go, we notice a huge part of the trunk is crumbling on one side.
Chunks of the trunk flake off, falling with a splash and disappearing under the turbulent white waters below.
Hugging the opposite side as much as I dare, I'm about to warn Djalira to do the same when Cayzenn yells in pain, and I turn to see one of the beasts sinking its teeth into his leather-covered forearm.
How the hell did that thing get through his shield?
Without realizing I made the decision to move, I’m running, slipping and staggering on uneven wood I have no right to be this careless with.
Guess all the dance training paid off, because I manage to keep my balance, despite the reckless pace.
I'm past Djalira and less than ten feet from Cayzenn when he thrusts a dagger up into the wolf’s throat, ripping his arm free with a pained yell and aiming a powerful kick at its shoulder, making contact with such force, it flies off the edge and explodes into a cloud of dark ash.
There's no blood or bone or gore of any type, just black scraps being swept away in the wind.
With an ear-splitting screech like metal grating against metal, Nav partially pulls his sword from the belly of the second animal, and it falls, his blade dissolving the second it loses contact with his palm.
There's no time for relief when the other two creatures lunge forward as Cayzenn raises a new shield.
"Get the fuck out of here," he roars when he sees me, golden blood dripping from his wrist. What was I thinking, coming back? I can't conjure a weapon or a shield, and my ritual dagger will be more like a toothpick than a weapon.
Before I can berate myself further, another thundering crack has Nav screaming Djalira's name.
I whirl around, not seeing her anywhere.
Oh gods, did she fall? That's when I see her dangling from the base of a broken branch, right where the rotten part was.
For the second time in as many minutes, I take off running, aiming for the rougher parts, where the bark is easier for my boots to grip.
When I make it to the spot where she's hanging, I skid to my knees, trying to figure out how to get her up. “Are you ok?” I have to yell over the pounding in my ears and rush of the water. Djalira doesn’t look up but manages a small nod.
A quick glance over my shoulder tells me I'm on my own. Nav is pinned under one of those creatures, fighting to get free while Cayzenn shields them, preventing tusks and snapping teeth from piercing skin while not repelling the beasts entirely.
I have to trust they'll be ok and keep all my focus on the terrified Remedy healer hanging precariously by her pack on a branch that doesn't exactly look sturdy.
What do I do? There's no way I can get close enough to grab her, and if I try, the extra weight might snap it before she can swing herself up.
The bag slips an inch, and she shrieks. Ok, no time to strategize.
I need to get her back on this tree now.
"Does your protective gear have belt loops?
" I call, and she nods again. Well, that's something to work with at least. Rummaging in my bag, I find the length of rope Drea gave me after I mentioned slipping on that tree wall.
"We need to secure you before you can slip your arms out of your straps.
Otherwise, you'll fall." Djalira’s eyes widen, and I mentally curse myself for being so stupid.
"I won't let you. I promise, I'm going to pull you up just as soon as you’re free of that pack. "
I offer up a silent prayer to the Goddess, making sure I have hold of one end of the rope as I toss the other end. My aim is so shit, it doesn't even get close the first few times, so I throw it onto the branch and drag it back until it dangles close to where her arms are wrapped tight.
"Can you get this through the belt loops within reach?"
"I can't let go. I'll fall. The pack won't hold my weight. Please, I’m slipping." Her gaze drops to the rushing water below, and she squeezes her eyes shut as tears trickle down her cheeks.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
How do I get her out of this with her letting go? Another desperate glance to the two men fighting, and I know they won't make it to us before she loses strength in her arms. There's no sign of the rest of the squad, and calling out is pointless when I can barely hear Djalira from three feet away.
This is all on me.
I have to get to her. I won’t be able to reach, even flat on my stomach.
And if I do, there's no way I'll have the strength or leverage to pull her up like that.
Shaking so hard, I have to press both palms into the smooth, honeyed wood to steady myself, I try to draw on the tree's strength. Wait—the tree. I can feel it.
"How’s your magic?" I ask hurriedly. "Mine isn't strong enough, but can you use yours to stabilize this section of the trunk?
I can feel life in it, around the rot. If you can, it should hold me so I can get to you.
" Djalira’s tears slow, and she looks at me with a spark of hope.
Taking a shaky breath, she calls on her magic, and pale green flows from her fingertips, climbing up into the wet, rotting part of the tree separating us.
At first, nothing happens, then the wood changes from a dark brown to light amber.
"Keep going, it's working," I call excitedly, and she pushes another surge of power.
Wrapping my end of the rope around my waist a few times, I test the newly restored wood, grateful when it holds for every tentative step.
Ignoring the sharp pain when I drop to my knees, I reach down to clumsily wrap the free end of the rope around Djalira, securing her as best I can.
“Are you ready? Let’s get you free of that bag.
” I give her a smile more confident than I feel when she grits her teeth and slowly lets go to slip her left arm through the shoulder strap, quickly returning it to the branch.
"Perfect. Now do the same with the other so we can get you up here. "
"If I take the other strap off, the pack will fall," she shouts, and, as if to prove her point, it slides a few inches.
"Don't worry about it. We can find you spare clothes. You have to drop it, or it will drag you down too." I can't keep the note of panic out of my voice as she slips back with the weight of it hanging off one shoulder now.
"You don't understand. It's not my stuff. It's our medi-pack. We'll lose all our supplies."
"It doesn't matter. Better to lose it than you. Come on, please. Let it go before you fall." My eyes dart down the length of our makeshift bridge then back to her. "Nav needs you."
Her eyes flare, just like I hoped. Hearing his name is enough to jolt her into action, and she rips her arm free.
The loaded pack drops like a stone, disappearing with a splash.
Heart pounding, I do my best to brace and reach down to grip her forearms, one at a time.
When she lets go of the branch, the weight on the rope around my waist is a shock, but somehow, between the two of us, we manage to haul her up just as Cayzenn and Nav land on either side of me and drag her onto the width of the trunk.
I let out a sigh of relief they're all ok.
The feeling is short-lived, though, when I look up to see a snarling wolf less than ten feet away, ripping through the last of the lingering shield with its teeth.
Wait, it looks to be…devouring the magic?
The silvery substance disappears into the creature's mouth as it advances on us, talons gouging deep into the wood, fangs bared and dripping.
It leaps for me, and I stumble backward, managing to protect my head before I slam into the hard surface, immediately grabbing at the rough bark to make sure I don't tumble off the edge. A low snarl rumbles, its dark eyes fixated me as I slowly inch away.
Now that it's so close, I can see beneath the wiry black fur to strange, semi-transparent skin with what looks like black smoke billowing underneath.
Cayzenn's voice is barely above a whisper.
"Don't move until I say. I'm going to throw up another shield, but when I do, it's probably going to attack, so I need you to be ready. "
Nodding almost imperceptibly, I shift my weight onto the balls of my feet, ready to jump up when he says the word. Something slices the air, clattering down and dissolving. The squad must've finally come back to see what was taking so long.
Conjured arrows bounce harmlessly off the patch of hard, shiny scales covering the animals back and chest. What the fuck are these creatures? And more importantly, how do you kill them?
As if in answer, the tip of a long silvery arrow hits the wolf between the eyes with a loud thunk, and it detonates into a thick cloud of rancid ash, smelling of rot and decay. Cayzenn grabs my hand, hauling me to my feet, and we race after Djalira and Nav to the safety of the riverbank.