“I see it,” Cirrus muttered, rising to his feet, his hand instinctively reaching for his cutlass.
Lewis squinted, adjusting his glasses. “What is it? A fish?”
Owen’s face was taut, his voice a gavel of certainty. “That’s not a fish.”
40
The lagoon erupted in a violent explosion of water as a monstrous form surged from the depths, sending waves slamming onto the shore. A guttural hiss rattled through the clearing, primal and menacing.
Vivienne’s breath caught as she beheld the creature—a Zhalak. She’d seen illustrations of it in the Anthology of Legendary Creatures, but she never considered they existed outside the realm of myth.
The monstrous reptilian stood taller than any horse, its elongated head tapering into a snout lined with rows of gleaming, serrated teeth. Iridescent blue-green scales shimmered in the sunlight, shifting like liquid metal as it moved. A serpentine body rippled with muscle, its powerful limbs ending in curved talons that carved furrows into the damp earth.
“GET BACK!” Owen roared, steel ringing as he unsheathed his sword.
The Zhalak struck with terrifying speed, its massive jaws snapping inches from Vivienne’s face. The force of the near-miss sent a burst of hot wind against her skin, the snap of its teeth cracking through the air like lightning.
Cirrus was already moving. His cutlass gleamed in an arc of silver as he threw himself between her and the beast, the sharp clash of metal against fangs ringing through the clearing. The creature reared back, hissing, its predatory gaze shifting toward the man who dared to challenge it.
"Move! NOW!" Cirrus barked, shoving Vivienne toward Lewis.
She scrambled backward, gripping Lewis's arm as they staggered away. Cirrus and Owen fought like twin blurs of steel and instinct, ducking and slashing as the Zhalak snapped and charged.
“At least it’s stuck in the water,” Lewis panted. “Right?”
The words had barely left his lips when the Zhalak coiled its body, muscles tensing like a spring. With a powerful thrust of its limbs, it launched itself from the lagoon, water cascading from its glistening scales.
It landed on solid ground.
“WELL, SHIT,” Lewis gasped, staggering backward.
Vivienne’s heart thundered against her ribs.It shouldn’t be able to move like that!The creature’s long, muscular legs propelled it forward in a blur, a nightmarish fusion of snake and panther, deadly and impossibly fast.
“GO!” Owen bellowed. “HIGHER GROUND—NOW!”
Vivienne seized Lewis’s wrist, yanking him toward the mountainside. The terrain was uneven, loose rock crumbling beneath their scrambling hands and feet as they clawed their way up. Below them, Cirrus and Owen stood their ground, steel flashing as they battled the monstrous predator.
The Zhalak’s scales shimmered, shifting colors to match its surroundings. Its edges blurred, a living mirage against the rainforest’s emerald backdrop.
It lunged.
Owen barely sidestepped in time, the creature’s jaws snapping shut near his arm.
Cirrus struck, his cutlass carving a deep gash along the beast’s side. The Zhalak hissed, coiling back before pouncing again, unrelenting.
This isn’t working.They were barely holding it at bay. Vivienne’s mind raced. They couldn’t outrun it. They couldn’t overpower it. A spark of an idea ignited—the hallucinogenic flowers sneezing their vivid pollen into the air.That could work.
She dashed down the mountainside, ripping her handkerchief from where it was tied to her pack, and sprinted past Cirrus and Owen.
"Vivienne, NO!" Cirrus roared.
Owen tried to grab her, but she slipped past, narrowly avoiding the Zhalak’s tail as it whipped around, gouging deep trenches into the ground.
"Keep it distracted!" she commanded, wrapping the handkerchief over her nose and mouth.
Without waiting for a response, she lunged toward the vibrant, oversized flowers lining the clearing’s edge. With one swift slash of her dagger, she cut through their thick stalks, releasing their overwhelming, saccharine scent.
Behind her, Cirrus and Owen shouted, but she was already moving—arms full of the vivid blooms.
