Chapter 34
No Good Options
I set a steady pace toward where Horn's Rest supposedly waited.
The terrain began to change as we approached a series of low hills. I sent worms ahead, spreading them through a passage in the hills to scout for threats.
"Stop!"
"What is it?" Sadie asked.
"There are some vibrations ahead," I replied, focusing on the information flowing through the worm network.
"How large?" Zo asked, her hand tightening on her axe.
"...big, there is a group of them, just lounging in the pass."
"Shit," Zo muttered.
"Can we go around?" Sadie asked, already studying the terrain.
I shook my head. "The hills extend for miles in both directions. Going around would cost us hours, maybe the entire day."
"And put us out in the open when the Long Dark falls," Zo added grimly.
We all understood what that meant.
"Can you tell what kind of big bads they are?" Sadie asked.
“No… not from here.”
We stood in silence for a moment, each weighing our limited options.
"We could try circling to their southern side," I finally said. "The pack is smaller there. If we're careful, maybe we can slip past without being noticed."
Zo and Sadie exchanged a look. Neither loved the idea, but no one had anything better.
"South it is," Zo said.
We moved toward a gap in the hills that might offer a path around the monster-infested pass. The route would be longer, and less direct, but potentially safer.
I should have known better.
Nothing in this frozen hell was ever safe.
We moved south, seeking a path around the pack.
Thirty minutes later, we found a winding path through a maze of boulders. We moved quietly, with our weapons ready.
"This might actually work," Zo whispered as we navigated between two massive rocks.
The worms pulsed a warning through my nervous system.
"Get down," I hissed.
We dropped to a crouch behind a boulder as a drake passed overhead, its wings extended as it glided between the rocks.
"Their drakes…" Sadie whispered when the drake had passed. "They're not just resting here. This is their den."
"Fantastic," Mabel muttered. "Just what we needed. Territorial lizards with anger management problems."
We waited until the scout drake had moved on, then continued through the boulder field, moving slower now, checking the sky before each exposed crossing.
The path began to open up, revealing a clear route, exactly what we needed. I sent worms ahead to confirm it was safe.
There was more movement. Another drake, this one on the ground, prowling between the rocks ahead. It was alone, but directly in our path.
"Change of plans, follow me," I said quietly.
We backtracked and found a branching path that angled off towards the side. The new route was less direct but seemed clear of immediate threats.
Until it wasn't.
"Fuck… two more," I reported as the worms detected movement ahead. "Moving slowly, in the same direction we are. They haven't spotted us just yet, but they're blocking our path."
"This is getting ridiculous," Zo muttered.
We doubled back again, searching for alternatives.
Time bled away with every detour.
"The entire area is crawling with them! It isn’t just one pack, but several."
We hid behind a boulder and paused to catch our breath.
"We need to figure something else out, and fast."
"We could go back to the cave. It protected us last night. We could wait another day, try again tomorrow." Sadie suggested.
I considered the option, but Cedric's memories supplied the counterargument. "Packs won't just abandon a good hunting ground. If anything, more drakes will arrive tomorrow, drawn by the carcass."
"He's right, turning back doesn't solve the problem…"
"So what then?" Sadie asked. "We can't fight six drakes at once. We can't go around them. And waiting them out isn’t an option."
"What if we did fight through?"
"Did you miss the part about six drakes?" Mabel asked incredulously. "I know you're tough, axe-lady, but that's suicide."
"Not all at once," Zo clarified. "But maybe we could separate one or two at a time."
I stared at her, seeing where her thoughts were heading. "You want to pick them off?"
Zo nodded.
"Do you know the best way to kill them?" she asked me, her eyes sharp. "Does your... consumed memory include information about their weaknesses?"
Yes… it did. Cedric had killed drakes.
"Yes, I know exactly how to kill them."
I closed my eyes, letting Cedric's memories surface. When I spoke, my voice carried the gruff cadence he used for new recruits. “The weakness is the underbelly,” I explained. “But getting under them is suicide. The second weak point is beneath the jaw, its scales are thin there."
"And the third?" Sadie asked when I paused.
"At the base of the skull, there's a gap between its scales."
"Sounds simple enough," Zo said.
"Drakes are fast, aggressive, and aware of their vulnerabilities. They keep their heads low, their backs protected. Circling around them is almost impossible, their speed and reach make getting around them suicidal."
"Unless the drake is distracted," Sadie observed.
Zo grinned. "I'll be the bait. My Origin is literally designed for taking hits."
"I'll go for the kill," I said.
"I'll provide support," Sadie said.
"And I," Mabel announced grandly, extending from my collar, "will be the eyes in the back of your woefully inadequate human head. You're welcome in advance for saving your life. Again."
We had a plan.
"Let's isolate one of them," I said.
We moved with a new purpose. No more aimless circling, no more hoping for clear paths. We were hunting them now.
I sent worms in expanding waves, searching for targets.
The scouts found one within twenty minutes.
A lone drake prowling between boulders, maybe fifty meters from the nearest pack members. Young, based on its size—three meters, give or take—old enough to be dangerous, young enough to be reckless.
I signaled the others and described the situation.
Zo was the first to move.
She approached the drake's hunting ground from the opposite direction. When she reached her position, she stepped into the open deliberately, making no attempt to hide.
The drake noticed her at once. Its head snapped up, nostrils flaring.
Sadie took position on a nearby boulder overlooking the frozen arena. Light gathered in her hands. The drake began moving toward Zo, its body lowering into a crouch.
Zo held her ground. Her axe was in her hands, her stance relaxed but ready. She wasn't afraid.
I reached my position behind the drake, hidden in the shadow of a boulder, maybe ten meters from its exposed back. The drake needed to commit to its attack. It needed to focus entirely on Zo, as if everything else didn't exist.
Zo took a deliberate step forward, then swung her axe in a wide arc… drawing attention to herself.
The drake lunged.
Zo blocked it with her axe, the force of the blow driving her back a step. Power flooded into her from the impact.
I didn't watch the exchange. I was already moving.
The moment the drake committed to its second attack, its back turned fully toward my position. The gap at the base of its skull was exposed, vulnerable, waiting. I crossed the distance in a heartbeat.
My speed was enhanced. The worm-sword formed in my grip. The drake sensed me, but it was too late. I drove the blade into the base of its skull. My sword punched through the thinned scales, sinking deep into the creature’s brain.
It crashed to the ground, dead.
I landed beside it, my heart pounding, the worm-sword still buried in the creature's skull.
Then Zo laughed. "Holy shit. That actually fucking worked."