“What is that?” Lia cried.
“A guardian of the lake.”
An old memory surfaced, foggy around the edges. One where her mother had told her a story about the guardians of Glace Lake. They were supposed to be beautiful fish that protected the lake. But as Lia stared into the reptilian eye of the monster lurking beneath the ice... she knew it was something far more insidious.
Dahlia leaned forward on the horse, almost lying on its neck to keep up with Loshika. They needed to get off this icenow.
An eerie hum seemed to vibrate through the air.
The beast disappeared into the inky water below.
That scared her even worse.
“Faster!” Loshika screamed.
Serenity—herastrylle—screeched and swooped overhead as if to urge her faster.
A flash of red rushed at them a moment before the beast slammed into the ice. Lia screamed as the horse shied away, galloping harder. Her stomach dropped as the ice webbed beneath them but held.
The beast disappeared.
It was going to ram the ice again.
“Get to the bank.”
Commotion in the distance caught her attention. Five warriors sprinted along the Mirror Bridge in their direction. Not good but a problem for later.
Horror dawned as streaks of color sped in their direction.
More monsters.
Lia gritted her teeth, her fingers shaking as she held the reins. “Just a little faster,” she said in the horse’s ear. “You can do it.”
It seemed the mount knew the danger the beasts portended because it somehow picked up a little more speed. More monsters slammed against the ice, more cracks appearing like glimmering spiderwebs.
They were going to make it. Gone was the deep black water. They were almost to the bank.
Just a bit farther.
She urged the horse after Loshika when a neon green streak cut them off and crashed through the ice. The horse screamed, losing its footing as it redirected them. Lia hung on for dear life as they skidded over the lake toward the beast.
Not good. Not good.
The monster bared its long fangs at them, its scales glittering in the fading light. It swiped its thick tails at them... just as the spiked hooves of the horse found purchase. Lia lurched to the side, one of the beast’s scaled tails catching her arm. Dull pain radiated from the spot as she scrambled to stay on the horse.
With trembling arms and thighs, she righted herself, noting the bloody gash on her bicep.
The monster hissed, using its claw-tipped front fins to slide across the ice, much like a seal.
“Not today,” Dahlia growled as the horse ran for the bank.
Serenity dove at the reptile, distracting the green monster.
Loshika screamed as a purple lizard broke through the ice near the bank right in front of her horse before disappearing into the shallow water below. They had slid right into its trap. Water rose to the giantess’ waist as the horse battled to find purchase and get to the shore.
Lia tore her blade from the hidden sheath in her pocket, gaining on her friend as the purple beast sprang.
This was not how they would die today.
