Chapter 26
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Briar
My fingers twitched as I let magic build at their tips. In my pocket, the small creature didn’t stir; it probably sensed this thing’s presence. If the basilisk ate me, it would also eat the animal, but if it jumped out now, it would draw the snake’s attention.
The snake’s black head swiveled to the right as someone called my name. It might have been Dromon, but I didn’t respond; any noise could draw an attack.
The basilisk slithered a few feet forward. My foot inched back, but I froze when its tongue lashed out again. This time, it would have connected with my face, but I lifted my hands and slapped it away. The second I did so, the basilisk struck.
Hot breath washed over me, and white fangs filled my vision as the creature closed the distance between us in a flash of black death. It was nearly on me when I punched its nose, and energy erupted out of me as I released a flash of magic.
A jolt ran through my arm and up my shoulder when my punch connected squarely with the creature. I had no idea what that hit or magic would do, but I didn’t have any other options, as I didn’t have time to cast a spell.
I’d spent years teaching myself how to punch, practicing on my mattress and pillows. None of those things were as solid as this creature, and the impact of my blow radiated throughout my body.
The blow and magic didn’t knock the basilisk back, but it did stop its forward momentum. The snake recoiled a few inches, shaking its head as it did so.
I was about to turn and run when the basilisk recovered enough to strike at me again. This time, I dashed to the side in time to avoid its lethal blow.
As it shot past me, I brought my fist down on its neck, smashing its nose into the dirt. Heart thumping and adrenaline turning my body into a quivering mess, I turned and sprinted into the woods.
From behind me, the snake’s body slithered through the woods, brushing aside underbrush and pursuing me with relentless speed. Its wrath vibrated against me in waves that turned my stomach and had my toes digging into the earth as I propelled myself onward.
I was fast, but it was faster. Darting around a large rock, I spotted a fallen stick only a few feet away. I would have preferred a sword, but I snatched the stick up and spun toward the snake as it came over the top of the rock.
When its tongue lashed out, it struck the back of my hand and sliced it open, but it had used the blow as a distraction that I didn’t fall for as the snake kept coming.
The basilisk was nearly on top of me when I jabbed the stick forward; I slammed it into the top of the creature’s mouth, knocking it back as I kept my eyes averted from its gaze.
One of its fangs grazed my forearm when it threw itself downward, but thankfully, it didn’t break the skin. When the creature reeled back, it hissed and shook a head the same size as me.
Don’t look in its eyes. Don’t look in its eyes!
When I turned to run again, an orange blur streaked past me, and an animalistic snarl filled the air. The hair on my nape rose as something thudded behind me; the orange blur crashed into the basilisk’s head before swinging on top of it.
I was about to turn and run back into the woods as these two creatures battled it out, but I froze when I realized Seth was the orange blur.
With my stick gripped in both hands, I spun to help if I could.
I certainly couldn’t let him face this monster alone, even if he believed I was the biggest monster of all.
The basilisk reared back as it tried to dislodge Seth from where he’d perched on its head. The snake snapped wildly at the air as it tried to sink its fangs into Seth’s leg.
Lifting his hands, Seth drove the tips of his eviscerating claws into the basilisk’s eyes, blinding the creature and taking away one of its greatest strengths. The snake released a guttural hiss as Seth pulled back on its eyes, tearing across its head and slicing the snake further open.
It threw its head back and forth like a dog trying to rid itself of fleas, but it couldn’t dislodge Seth. When the underbrush behind me rustled, I hefted my stick as I spun toward the new threat; my shoulders relaxed when Pierce and Lyra exited the woods.
I glanced from them to the basilisk as Seth slid down the side of its head and around to its throat with his claws still embedded in its flesh. Blood poured from the snake and over Seth as his legs dangled in the air.
“He needs help,” I breathed.
“No, he doesn’t,” Lyra said.
I opened my mouth to protest before realizing she was right; the snake’s head had tipped precariously to the side and was losing the attachment to its neck.
When the basilisk spun, its tail lashed out and nearly struck me, but I jumped back in time to avoid it as Lyra leaned against a tree and Pierce covered a yawn.
Still spitting and hissing, the basilisk vanished into the forest with Seth. I moved to go after them, but Pierce stopped me with a single word. “Don’t.”
“But—”
“He’s fine. If you go into the woods after him, he’ll just have to rescue you from something else.”
I bristled at his words. “I was doing fine at holding it off on my own.”
It might have eventually killed me, but I was keeping that monster at bay, something I was proud of, considering I had no formal training. Not to mention, I didn’t have superior strength, reflexes, and senses like a shifter.
I didn’t bother telling them that. Not only did they hate me, but they saw me as weaker and inferior, which was fine by me; I wasn’t trying to impress anyone.
Turning away from them, my eyes widened when Seth stalked out of the woods. Blood dripped from his claws and spattered the orange fur on his chest and hunched shoulders. His pants remained intact, but the tears across his thighs had gotten a little bigger.
He gripped the basilisk’s fangs in his left hand, and his elongated jaw cracked as it shifted back toward normal. When his orange eyes latched onto me, he sneered.