She landed on a half-submerged tree trunk, checking Finn's progress. As far as she'd come, it wasn't going to be enough. He was too close to the finish line, and her path forward too broken.
Damn. Not good.
Raider had a third of the course left. She could abandon the plan, make for the finish line. Maybe she'd beat Finn. It was unlikely.
Graydon wasn't far away, battling it out with the drones, his face almost feral as he took down one after another. His very success meaning more and more drones swarmed him, giving the rest of them a breather.
She glanced at the water. There was one way to pull Finn's attention away from winning. It was a bit drastic.
She thought the chances of success were good anyway.
He was her protector. What would he do if she put her life in danger? Would he give up the fight to save her ass?
There was really one way to find out.
Two drones rose behind her, their camouflage nearly perfect. Just the slightest wavering in the air alerting her to their existence.
Kira took a deep breath. This was going to hurt, but there was nothing for it.
Graydon looked over from where he was fighting. His eyes widened, his mouth opening on a warning.
Satisfaction filled Kira. He'd been so sure he'd win. Guess he'd thought wrong.
Several things happened at once.
A powerful mind brushed hers, tainting it with the feeling of metallic ice and acidic rain. She jerked, everything in her stilling,
A large force hit her. A powerful jaw clamped around her accompanied by the familiar pain of being shot in the back.
She had no time to process before lethal teeth bore down.
Desperate, Kira reached for the broken bits of power nestled inside her.
The jagged, damaged pieces of her soul fought to answer. They were a thorny, tangle of vines as they uncurled. She coughed blood as they ripped through her.
A small, barely functional bubble sprang into existence around her, protecting her as the creature tried to crush her.
She caught a terrifying glimpse down the creature's throat.
In response, Kira rammed the wooden sword into its mouth, aiming for the back of its throat. It spit her out.
She sailed through the air, strong arms catching her moments later.
"You’re definitely a source of trouble. I regret our bet," Graydon said into her ear.
"Not my fault," Kira managed to get out. Her ribs protested each movement, every word reminding her she'd almost been eaten. Her insides felt like a razor blade had been taken to them, a consequence of the small amount of power she’d used.
Graydon lowered her to her feet until water licked at her boots.
"What is that?" Kira asked, peering up at the creature.
It looked like the ancient ancestor of a Chinese dragon crossed with its avian cousin. It had a serpentine body which lay half-submerged in the water. Horns curled from its head, and feathers rose in a crest behind its head and jaw. Long whiskers trailed from its snout, adding to the beard-like whiskers under its chin.
Edged in blue with a red mane, it was a thing of beauty. Sleek and lethal, it rose above them, bugling a challenge at the sky. It had powerful forelegs tipped with deadly talons, and fins meant to cut through water along its side.
"It's alu-ong," Graydon said grimly, not taking his eyes off the creature. "Barely more than a baby."
"You consider that a baby?" Kira asked in disbelief. No wonder they insisted on seeing her as a child if they counted that giant creature an infant. Their definition of what constituted a baby was seriously off.
