Another firebird dove through the gap.
Straight at me.
Training took over. I drew my knife, dropped into a fighting stance. The creature was huge, its wingspan blocking out everything else.
I waited. Let it commit. Let it get close enough that I could see the intelligence in its eyes, the cruel hunger.
Then I moved.
Under the talons, inside its guard. My knife found the soft tissue beneath its wing joint. I dragged the blade down, opening a gash that fountained blood. The firebird shrieked, trying to pull away.
I went with it. Held onto my embedded knife and let its movement carry me upward. My free hand found another target, the vulnerable spot where neck met body. I drove my fist into it, felt cartilage give.
The creature's beak swung toward me. Massive. Designed to crush bone.
I released my knife and dropped. Hit the ground hard, rolled. The beak snapped shut on empty air.
The firebird was wounded. Bleeding. But not done. It turned, focusing on me with single-minded intensity.
Fire built in its throat. I could see the glow, feel the heat gathering.
I dove behind a rock formation as fire washed over my previous position. The heat was intense even through stone. The smell of burnt hair filled my nostrils. My own.
The firebird landed. Stalking me now, moving around the rock with predatory patience.
I gripped my second knife. One chance. I had to make it count.
It rounded the corner. Beak open. Fire building again.
I threw.
The blade tumbled end over end and buried itself in the firebird's eye. The creature reared back, screaming. I didn't wait. I launched myself at it, grabbed my first knife still embedded in its wing, and drove it into the thing's throat.
Blood sprayed, hot and thick. Coated my hands, my face, my chest. The firebird collapsed, taking me down with it.
I rolled clear. Came up breathing hard, covered in gore.
Nyx roared.
The sound shook the rocks. Primal. Furious. Absolutely terrifying.
The remaining firebirds scattered. Their screeches faded into the distance as they fled whatever they'd heard in that roar.
Silence fell.
My legs were shaking. Adrenaline crashed through my system, making my hands tremble, my vision blurred at the edges. I'd killed it. Actually killed a monster the size of a small airplane.
Pride surged through me. Fierce and hot.
Then pain hit.
My shoulder. My side. Fire racing along nerve endings, sharp and immediate. I looked down. My leathers were shredded. Blood welled from gashes, dark and viscous.
The firebird's talons had caught me. I hadn't even felt it during the fight.
"Lexa."
Nyx's voice. When had he gotten so close?
