Rhyan rushed to stand before me, his breath coming short. I reached for his shoulders, my fingers pressing into the leather of his armor. His green eyes fell on mine, blazing with light. There was something desperate in the way he looked at me. Like he was memorizing my face.
“You’ll come back,” I said breathlessly.
His jaw tightened. “I will always come back for you.” He reached for my neck, his fingers brushing softly against my skin. Then I felt him grip the chain I wore, his hand sliding down toward the clear, white vadati stone. He pressed it into my palm, and leaned into me, his breath against my ear.
“Be ready,” he commanded. This was the voice of an apprentice now, ordering me to follow the chain of command.“The gryphon won’t fit inside. I’ll fight my way to the cave’s mouth, get as close as I can. When I call for you, come.”
I nodded. “Be careful.”
He pressed his fist to his chest, his knuckles brushing against mine. “Mekara.’’
“Rakame,” I whispered back. My throat felt too tight for words.
And then he was gone, his figure swallowed by the darkness beyond the cave.
CHAPTER TWELVE
LYRIANA
I stared at the snowflakes tumbling inside the mouth of the cave, my heart pounding. Rhyan was no longer visible.
“Fuck!” Dario slammed his fist into the wall. “Fuck!”
“He’ll be back,” I said, my throat tight. One akadim could be life-ending. And Rhyan was surrounded by them. Vorakh or not, he wasn’t immortal. Not in his current body.
“He will,” Meera whispered. “He’s strong.”
I nodded, biting my lip to keep it from shaking, but worry seized every inch of my body.
“Here,” Aiden said, handing me a torch.
I gripped it so tightly my fingernails dug into my palm. I stared down at the vadati now hanging over my chest, clear and dormant. And as the seconds passed, it remained so.
An entire minute came and went, a sick feeling welling deep inside me. Still, the vadati was silent.
“We need to move closer,” Dario said, his eyes on the stone. His face filled with determination as he raised his sword, and jerked his chin at Aiden. “Be ready, we don’t know what’s out there.” His eyes met mine and we instinctively stepped in, our bodies shoulder to shoulder, our swords out and ready to protect our people.
“Stay close to me,” I ordered Meera. “No matter what.”
I started to hold my breath, my hand nearly slipping down the length of the torch with sweat. Then a familiar squawk that ended in a roar drowned out the growls of the akadim.
The gryphon.
“Lyriana!” Blue light from the vadati emanated against my armor and filled the cave.
“Rhyan,” I yelled, my hand tightening around the hilt of my blade. I turned to Dario. “We’re coming.”
“No. Wait!” Rhyan roared, the sounds of battle, grunts and growls filling the stone.
“Rhyan?” I asked.
“Himai!” He commanded just as a gust of wind filled with snow blew into the cave. A low growl echoed against the walls and a dark shadow filled the entrance. The akadim’s outstretched claws reached for us as it began to roar, its eyes glowing red. It was massive. A giant even amongst akadim. There was no way I could reach its heart. I wasn’t even sure I could cut off its arms.
It rushed forward, and Meera screamed. I raised my sword, my hand shaking and pushed Meera behind me. I aimed for my hit, but my sword bounced off its skin. And I fell back onto my ass.
Meera’s arms wrapped around me from behind, lifting me up as I scrambled to my feet, reaching for my sword.
The akadim roared, its teeth gnashing, its claws nearly reaching where Meera and I stood. And then it stopped, and stilled, eyes widened in horror as something ripped through its heart.
