Another step and then both akadim stilled, their nostrils flaring. They sensed me.
No more hiding.
I jumped and I ran, brandishing my sword, and leaping before either could react. I landed on the back of the one nearest, grabbing hold of its neck. My thighs clamped down as I hoisted myself up, climbing as high as I could. He roared, flailing his arms to try and reach me while his companion approached. A claw swiped, and I leaned back, just barely avoiding getting cut. The akadim I’d climbed onto growled, and cursed, stumbling back from his friend. He raised his arms, trying to attack me. But I’d already positioned the blade of my sword, both hands on the hilt. My legs squeezed, and I stabbed down, plunging the blade into his back.
His arms flailed, still trying to reach me. Suddenly, he slammed his back into the wall of the cave. I wheezed on impact, the air flying out of my lungs. His head crashed into my belly.
Gasping, I held on, pushing deeper and twisting the blade.
He stumbled forward, and reared back, but I jumped to the ground, just before he collided with the stone again. I ended up on the ground between his legs, rolling forward to safety. But his friend was waiting. He grabbed my shoulders and hauled me into the air, his claws biting into my flesh. I hissed, feeling blood trickle down my arms.
Fuck—I missed my Bamarian armor.
He bared his teeth, roaring into my face. I tensed, unsure if this would alert the others, or Rhyan. But no one came, and a second later, he slammed me to the ground. I landed on my ass,without enough time to move before he flung himself on top of me.
His weight was crushing. My legs were completely immobilized. Kicking was useless, and I realized with horror that this one had no interest—not yet at least—in killing me, or drinking my blood. He was excited in another way. One clawed hand pressed against my chest, pinning me to the ground, while his other hand fumbled to find between my legs. I reached for my dagger at my hip—the closest weapon I could find and plunged it into his side. It did nothing. He didn’t even flinch. I pulled it out and I plunged again and again and again.
Finally, he reared back, making a garbled sound of pain. I stabbed once more. He slapped me across the face, just before his eyes widened. A heavy thud sounded behind me.
The first akadim was dead—his body falling over. Auriel stepped out from behind him, looking rather pleased with himself. He reached down, and pulled my blade out of his back, then chucked it at the akadim hovering over me.
It pierced him through the shoulder, and I used the moment to withdraw my dagger and plunge it in again, twisting this time, digging deep into his muscle.
Then I reached for the blade still stuck in him, pulling it out. He seemed to realize he should have called for help at that moment. He was too late. I swung, cutting his neck.
He screeched and reared back, clawing at the wound and blade embedded there. I rolled out from beneath him, and jumped to my feet. The akadim sat back on his knees. Auriel approached, a fresh sword between his hands.
And it was at that moment the demon made a fatal mistake— assuming Auriel was the bigger threat and forgetting me.
He attacked him, swiping his claws at Auriel’s arm. Auriel dodged, and just before the akadim could try again, I pulled thesword from his flesh, and lifted it over my head, swinging at his neck one more time.
I lopped through skin and muscle until I hit bone, managing to cut halfway.
Auriel swung next—administering the final blow. His head rolled off.
I grabbed my blades, quickly wiping them on the grass. Auriel dashed toward the cave’s entrance, and pushed the rock aside. My heart thrummed as he vanished into the shadows, and then stuck one hand out, beckoning me inside.
No akadim were nearby. He’d been right.
Darkness filled my vision. I could barely make out Auriel’s silhouette in the shadows.
He took my hand, and led me further in, until we came to the corridor from where I’d escaped. There were several paths that opened up. But I knew the one we needed lay right before us. It sloped up, leading to another darkened corridor—the one that would take us to Rhyan’s alcove, to my weapons. In the distance, a torch flickered faintly. A loud shuddering groan shook the floor beneath us. The walls began to vibrate.
I stumbled, falling into Auriel’s arms. The shaking continued. A rock dislodged from the ceiling, groaning before it fell, nearly crushing us. Then another dropped, this one shattering into tiny pieces by our feet. The smaller rocks skittered across the floor.
I threw my hand over my mouth to keep from yelling.
Another earthquake-like rumbling hit. More rocks loosened and fell. Tiny ones at first. And then there was a crash before the cave’s mouth.
“Fuck,” I hissed. The only exit I knew about was gone—completely covered in rock and debris. The ground seemed to hum, shaking with small aftershocks. And then at last, it stilled. “Gods. Are they all digging at once?” I asked.
I looked around, trying to see as best I could in the dark. We were solidly inside now, well past the entranceway, and not one akadim had appeared. Nor had any seemed to notice that the guards out front were dead.
Auriel’s eyes glowed with a sudden bright green in the dark, and he gasped. “It’s my shard.” He clutched at his chest. “I can feel it. They’ve broken through the final barrier.”
My heart thundered. “How long do we have?”
He shook his head. “Maybe minutes.”
