Trembling, sweating, he looked over his shoulder at the oak. “You want only to see what is inside.”
“You will open the door,” my voice trailed with the essence of magickal persuasion, “and let me see what secrets are there. You will do this now.”
“Then, come!” he bellowed, stalking across the clearing, over the knobby roots to stand in front of the black, viscous mass. “Watch what power I hold, skald fae,” he hissed. “Then you will get on your knees for me.”
He held both palms up toward the otherworldly mass feeding on the oak tree and whispered in a tongue I did not know. The black mass shimmered and dripped faster, oozing with a grotesque noise of slime slicking away as it slid outward from the trunk’s center.
Goddess above!
As the black film thinned and washed away, there in the darkness of the hollowed-out trunk, several pairs of frightened eyes and pale faces turned up to look at me. The first I recognized was Bes.
Chapter 27
REDVYR
All the fuckinghells in the underworld.
I was going to slit that piece of shit from throat to cock and then rip out his entrails.
I’d nearly charged out of hiding, but Bezaliel caught my arm. It was his smart decision to stay by my side for exactly this reason. Leifkyn, Haslek, and Brohm were in the boughs of the surrounding trees, waiting for my command.
My body was poised to leap, watching Jessamine stand right behind that fucker Selestos, while he weaved his magick upon the tree. I kept perfectly still, waiting to see if the naiad sisters in the well had been right.
Suddenly, Jessamine gasped, staring into the gargantuan hole in the trunk, now void of that black mucous.
“Bes!” she screamed.
With a deafening roar, I leaped out alongside Bezaliel. My other warriors did the same, a cacophony of snarls and roars descending upon the grimlocks.
Lunging between Jessamine and Selestos, I slashed my blade toward his throat. He was wily, leaping and flying over and behind me. I spun. He landed with a hiss, facing me.
A banshee scream filled the woods as Leifkyn stabbed one of the golems through the chest. There was nothing but grunts and growls, blades and claws swinging.
I launched myself at Selestos. This time, he didn’t move fast enough. My claws caught his shoulder. He growled and swiped back but I ducked in time.
He scrambled to his feet, crouched in a defensive stance. I shook my head.
“That won’t help you,” I told him with deadly intent. “I’m going to gut you and watch you bleed out with such great pleasure.”
He narrowed his eyes, his needle-like claws poised to gouge me. With a deft move, I charged and ducked at the same time, slicing across the top of his thigh as he stabbed my left shoulder with three claws.
He shrieked, sounding more like his weakling brethren. With a swift glance around, I saw that most of them were already dead on the ground, Leifkyn and Brohm corralling one of the last two between them.
Selestos pressed a palm to the deep gash I’d sliced across his thigh, black blood dripping down his leg. “You cut me!” he bellowed, as if in disbelief.
“Don’t fret, little golem. I actually missed.” I spun my blade by the hilt, crouching, ready to go again. “I was trying to cut off your cock.”
I wasn’t sure if it was thelittle golemcomment or the fact I meant to cut him where it would really hurt that had him launching and flying at me, his claws reaching for my face.
“Good,” I growled, dropping my blades, ready for him.
Before he could gouge out my eyes, I grabbed his wrists and tumbled to the ground with him beneath me. I couldn’t let go of his wrists or he’d have those knife-like claws in my throat, so I bashed him with the only thing I could. My head.
I pounded him once, twice, a third time and was rearing back for a fourth, grinning at the blood pouring from his nostrils and forehead, his dazed expression, the red eyes rolling in the back of his head, when suddenly Jessamine screamed.
Across the clearing, she held Saralyn in her arms, Bes clinging to her waist. There were three other children and Tylok’s wife, Farla. For a moment, I was stunned to see her alive as she held the hands of her children.
Four more golems had flown in out of nowhere, another running in on foot and attacking Haslek before he could reach the women. One of the grimlocks shrieked and dove for Tylok’s son, his shadow fae wings obviously broken, then Farla screamed and jumped in front of him, hauling back and hitting the golem.
