“Razorven,” Lana choked out.
“More make-believe nightmares?” Jax was the only one to answer her.
The creatures’ shining red eyes and the black hairs standing along the spines of their white bodies were enough to make me want to flee. That was before seeing their slitted tongues whipping through the air.
One of them hissed, its tongue snapping out before it moved closer, the others following, echoing the terrifying hissing noise until I almost had to cover my ears. We waited, unmoving to see if the creatures would leave us alone.
The shrill cry from earlier sounded again, only this time, it was much closer.
One of the strox landed with a thud to the side of us, and a razorven tilted its head, as if ready to watch the entertainment.
Two more thuds sounded behind me, and I stiffened atop my horse.
Just like that, we were surrounded, with absolutely zero chance of making it out alive.
Chapter 15
Lana
Fuck. Fuck.Fuck.
The only thing that could make this any worse was if Thames himself showed up.
“We should turn around,” Ian whispered. “We can’t win against five razorvenandthree strox. It’s suicide.”
“We can do this,” I whispered back angrily. “We don’t leave here without the journal. We need those answers.”
Kade glanced at me, then nodded once. I made eye contact with Ian next, then Jax. All were in agreement, albeit reluctantly, and readying themselves to attack.
Slowly, the beasts crept forward, taking their time while they assessed their prey. Their tongues flicking out, licking their lips as they made their way toward us.
A thought tingled in my mind. “Kade?” I flexed my hands. “Want to try something crazy?”
He looked down to where I pooled my light in my palms. This time it felt easier, like every time I called on my magic, it became more a part of me. The connection to it strengthened with each use. I wasn’t quite sure how it worked when my magic exploded out of me, but Kade’s shadows were almost like a faucet, pouring from him when he used them. I imagined my own magicworking in the same way. Breathing deeply, I searched for the connection to my well of light and let the warmth spread over my body.
“Strox first, then razorven,” I suggested. “I think the strox are the deadlier opponents.”
“You think?” Jax asked, shaking his head. “Fingers crossed, I guess.”
I cursed under my breath, trying to remember anything I could from the nightmarish children’s tales that might help us. “Don’t touch the razorvens spines,” I shivered. “They’re poisonous.”
“Fates above, anything else?” Jax’s voice hitched. “Just so we’re clear, I’ll be sitting out next time, princess.”
“Get behind me,” Kade ordered Ian and Jax, refocusing us. He stepped forward, holding his hands out toward mine while his shadows pooled around him. I put my hands up, hoping my light magic infused with his shadows like I wanted.
Slowly, our magics collided, the shadows and light swirled together, creating a force strong enough to momentarily hold back the strox from advancing any farther. I gasped, staring in awe at the shield-like blockade. It didn’t last long though, as strox flew forward and a crack appeared in our magical barrier.
My light waned, blinking out.
“Lana,” Kade shouted.
I reached for my magic again, the energy draining from me too quickly, but I pushed harder. One of the strox was almost directly in front of me when light and shadows collided again. This time, their intertwined magical barrier held, withstanding the force of the strox relentlessly pushing against it. After a minute or two, the strox cawed in anger and returned to the sky, flying south, deeper into the forest.
“Yes,” I shouted. Our magic was stronger together, but my light magic flickered again.
A few of the razorven in front of us hissed, retreating slightly as the onslaught of magic cascaded over the area. A magical shower of light and shadows fell from the sky, fizzling after an extraordinary display of magic.
“Whoa,” Jax whispered, his tone almost reverent.
