“Well, if we’d kept on hiding, your precious guts would be spread all over this swamp right now, wouldn’t they?” Algar fires back.
Her nostrils flare as she glares at him, shaking her head.
“Rynthea, listen to me.” I grab her arm and force her attention on me. “You need to aim for the gills. A monster that size must have lots of them, and they’re probably close to its hearts. If you can strike some of the gills, you can weaken it even more and finish it off.”
She stares at me for a fleeting second. When my words sink in, determination settles on her face, and she nods. Stomping past Algar, she charges toward the beast and leaps into the air. Her scythesword swings downward,and the tip lands close to the monster’s ribs, piercing right through one of its gills.
The monster belts out a scream that seems to shake the entire forest.
Tentacles flail as blood oozes down its side.
Algar wrenches me toward him, and there is a sudden drop in my stomach as he teleports us away from the battle area. The ground feels unsteady beneath me as we wind up next to another boulder, this one smaller than the previous.
“Whoa.” I throw my hands out to steady myself again, blinking several times to clear the short spell of dizziness. “I didn’t know people could teleportwithyou.”
“Yeah,” he replies, panting. “Wears me out, though, so I don’t do it often.”
“But you kept telling Thane constantly to use his whispershade in Ruvain, even though you knew it would wear him out. That’s a bit hypocritical, don’t you think?”
“Excuse me. If I hadn’t insisted that he use it, those Ruvainers would be fucking you in a dungeon right now!To death!”
“Orvena help me,” I groan.
The monster howls again, drawing my attention back to the onslaught. I look in its direction. Thane has caught on to what Rynthea is doing as she runs along one of the thicker tentacles before it can descend and penetrates another gill. He swings one of his swords at an angle to stab the set of gills on the other side of its neck.
The monster roars in agony.
Thane and Rynthea don’t relent.
They manage to reach the monster’s shoulders as it throws up all of its remaining tentacles in an attempt to stop them. The two of them bob and weave, look at each other, nod, and then jump off either side, but not without piercing their blades into the creature’s neck. With their descent, the blades drag downward and slide right across the monster’s throat. Two cuts interconnected.
Thane and Rynthea plunge into the gooey water as the cries of the monster cease.The large head topples off and drops into the swamp, causing an even greater splash. The ground quakes when the body of the monster descends backward and slams down.
It’s gone…and so are Thane and Rynthea.
The atmosphere quiets. Water gurgles. My pulse thunders in my ears.
I step around the boulder, waiting with bated breath for them to resurface.
Algar joins me at my side, and our faces seem riddled with the same anxiety. I fear they might be dead. The seconds feel like hours as the swamp water conjures up slow, slimy bubbles.
And then a sharp, loud gasp breaks through the air. Thane has emerged, and right next to him is a massive gold bubble floating on the surface of the water. Rynthea is inside that bubble, and Thane grunts as he holds one hand out to keep her steady while swimming with his other arm to reach the nearest edge.
Algar and I rush over to assist. When Algar offers him a hand, Thane grips it tightly and is hauled out of the water.
As soon as he’s on land, Thane collapses, sucking in deep, rapid breaths. Rynthea is still in the gold bubble, floating on the surface, but the light is fading. Raising a weak hand, Thane grunts as he guides the bubble out of the water. Then his arm falls, the bubble dissolves, and Rynthea drops like a stone on the ground.
“Rynthea?” Algar hurries to her side, giving her a shake. “Are you all right?”
She doesn’t budge.
“The monster’s head landed on her.” Thane flips onto his back with his eyes shut. After a second or two, he sits up. Though he’s weak, he seems fine. He isn’t the one who needs me right now.
I rush to Rynthea’s side.
“Hey. Rynthea. Can you hear me?” When I get no response, I hover my ear above her nose. “She’s not breathing.”
I study her face. Her lips are tinged blue. I press my ears to her chest and listen for a heartbeat. It’s barely there, but there, nonetheless. I sit back on my heels and sigh with relief, glad she’s not dead. Yet.
