I took a swig of water at the same moment hairs on the back of my neck prickled.
Darkness captured my attention as shadows swam across the fields, blotting out the gleaming sun. The air around us stilled and my body responded before my mind understood, freezing beneath the cold power that draped across Aphellion. We slowly peered skyward. My canteen dropped to the ground, water gurgling out of it.
Dread leached from my bones as I beheld the monsters.
Chapter Twenty-One
THE SPY
“Run,” I breathed.
There were three of them, heralding a darkness beneath their waxen wings. Their leathery bodies traveled close to one another, searching the grounds with intrusive eyes. Their bodies were human in shape, yet their limbs elongated well beyond what was normal. It resembled the same creature I had seen in the alley back in Haluma. I stumbled in my hasty retreat.
A screech pierced the air, forcing my eyes shut with its sharpness as if the sound had talons. The general ran beside me, his double longswords flashing in both of his hands. The rings on his fingers flared like embers waiting to catch fire.
A bell rang feverishly across the Liberation’s territory. Streams of soldiers poured outside, dressed in their scaled leathers.
The beasts dipped toward me with outstretched hands. Long claws extended, sharpened into razor-sharp blades. As they descended, I saw thick spikes along their backs and smaller spines down their limbs. Their heads were as bald as a vulture’s. I ducked to avoid its grasp, narrowly missing a claw.
We zigzagged through the fields, leading them away from the rest of Aphellion. The cold sweat of fear dampened my top.
Another creature dove at us. The general’s rings immediately shifted into arrows. Several glanced off of their bodies. They returned to the general’s waiting hands, and he cast them toward their inky eyes. One hit its mark and the creature hissed, retreating back into the sky.
A second beast changed tactics, landing on the ground in front of us. It’s grotesquely long limbs moved with unmatched speed. It strode straight toward me, reeking of rot and decay.
The general fought back the third creature, sprays of metal arrows sailing through the sky. It cocked its head toward the general and its pupils widened in a flash of fear.
“Don’t provoke us. We aren’t here for you,” it uttered with feigned bravery.
Judd advanced on it, ignoring its plea. Soldiers were still racing in our direction, their weapons unsheathed, Finn leading their attack.
The creature before me loomed, unperturbed. “Ruin of the Scourge, you have betrayed the Good King. Come with us and face your punishment.” Its voice was grinding and sharp. I blanched at its words, my courage curdling inside me. My pause opened an opportunity for abduction.
The beast lunged for my arm. I twisted out of its reach, but it closed the space between us quicker than I could recover. A scream tore out of me as the ground melted away. I suppressed a gag as the rancid scent of death smothered me. I clenched my eyes shut, focusing on my magic. I had never summoned the clouds before, but I was frantic to try anything to destroy these monsters.
I pulled on the water in the air, imagining the clouds condensing at my call. My fear slowed me down but I fought through it. “Do not be shaken.”I would die before I allowed thisvile creature to win. Below me, I watched as the general yelled skyward, his voice stolen by the winds.
Finn and an army of soldiers surrounded the remaining beast. Manacles of magicked metal appeared on its wrists and ankles. Chains coiled around its body, tightening until it collapsed into the dirt. The clouds around me turned dark. The beast would not return me to Haluma. Not today.
Hail responded to my call, descending mercilessly upon the creature, beating against its bat-like wings. I forced my body to freeze until it burned the claws that bound me. It snarled and lurched, discharging an acid that burned through my leathers, but released me from its clutches. My scream twined with the air as I plummeted toward my doom. The flying creature above me writhed and hissed against my magic’s effects.
The general shoved Finn, pointing at me. Finn raised his arms and my descent slowed until my feet kissed the ground. I fell to my knees, recovering my breath as the weight of true gravity returned. The creature above retreated.
The general’s attention on me allowed the beast at his feet to gain ground. Its claws slashed at Judd’s armor, shoving him into dirt and hailstones. The repeated blows finally tore through the scales, sundering the flesh across his chest. The sight viscerally impacted me. A scream tore loose as the beast leered over the general.
My body grew desiccated— lips chapped, mouth parched. I gathered small hailstones in my hand, reabsorbing my essence. I had just enough affinity for a final blow. I dug down deep, yanking a thread that tethered me to the clouds above. Hailstones formed into lethal blades, this final beast their sole target.
Acidic poison dripped from the spikes on its arms. Malice coated its features. I unleashed. Rain and hail descended in a torrent, aiming exclusively for Nolan’s creature. The delugeof ice froze the poison beading out of the monster’s body, crystallizing it. Hail razored through its leathery hide. Black, tarry blood oozed and spattered the ground. It screeched and wobbled on its feet before finally succumbing to its injuries.
I dragged myself toward the general on shaking hands, the acid on my leathers still burning through my flesh.
Judd locked eyes with me. I rolled onto my back, weakly trying to pull my leathers away from my burning skin. Soldiers and healers swarmed around us as my awareness flickered.
“Dom!” Finn yelled. I fought for lucidity, looking around for the person he addressed. Finn knelt in front of the general, assessing his wounds. His shadows hovered around him. Dizziness washed over me and I closed my eyes.Dom?No, his name was Judd.
A man named Bowen knelt beside me searching for injuries. The healers and elixists had arrived. I reached for Bowen in a desperate bid to help me with my leathers, the smell of my burning skin consuming me.
“Get it off. Get it off,” I begged. He began trying to remove my clothing but fumbled with the clasps.
