Finally, I think in my mind.
“Sorry,” Silas says, never fully pausing.
They both immediately begin fighting, and in that moment, I feel triumph. We are going to mow these things down and continue on our way to save Fen.
I slash through another beast and raise my gaze to see Larkin doing the same. Our eyes meet, and he shoots me a quick smile through the smeared blood.
A tall creature steps between us, facing Larkin, and I see his body go unnaturally still. As the additional creatures surround us, it makes it increasingly difficult to fight and keep my eyes on Larkin, but he’s not moving.
Why isn’t he moving?
“Spiridon,” I hear Silas scream.
I spin and duck the claws of the beasts, doing everything in my power to get to Larkin. A new motivation drives me, and I have to see what he’s doing. Silas moves beside me and strikes the creature down, allowing me time to peer through the chaos.
“Go,” Silas shouts to me. “Get to him.”
Larkin stands completely still, gazing into the eyes of the creature before him. I can tell from the back of the creature that it was once a Wielder—a Lumor Wielder from the white hair that still peppers its head in various places. The color has completely drained from his face, and the brilliant sword trembles in his hand.
Fuck.
That resurrected creature is someone he knew.
I grind my teeth and push forward. “Larkin,” I yell, trying to penetrate his frozen state. “Don’t stop moving.”
But he remains still.
I’m closing the distance between us, but it’s not fast enough.
If he doesn’t move… I shake the thought from my mind and snarl like the beasts around me. My legs threaten to give out, and my lungs burn, but that doesn’t stop me. I move like a creature of the night, desperate to aid my friend.
Behind Larkin, I see a creature step out from a nearby pocket of shadows. Dread fills me as Larkin remains planted, unmoving, only staring at the creature that hisses and stalks in his direction.
“Larkin, behind you,” I scream, causing my lungs to burn more.
He acts as if he can’t hear me.
It’s as if he is completely numb right now, and I can’t imagine the horrors he’s experiencing.
I remember how it felt the first time I saw Barlowe: his altered yet familiar face, the way he moved, the way he growled. But mostly, it was that he didn’t recognize me. My brother looked into my eyes and was willing to kill me without a second thought. That hurt me more than any physical blows he could have landed. It was horrifying and has been burned into my memories, haunting me every time I close my eyes.
I refuse to stand by and let Larkin die.
With one swipe of my axe, I take down another creature, splitting it in two at the waist. I ignore the twitching body beneath me and leap over it, taking one step closer to Larkin. I send a surge of power toward them and push myself faster.
“Move,” I continue to scream. “Please, Larkin. Move.”
A new threat looms before me, and my vision blurs with the panic and tears streaming from my eyes. Through the creature’s lanky arms, I spot Larkin, only staring forward, while the monster behind him raises a claw, poised to drive it into the back of Larkin’s head. The black nail glints in the moonlight like a blade, and a sob escapes my throat.
I hear Silas and Oak behind me, fighting fiercely to push forward, but just as I feared, we are outnumbered. My axe clangs against the creature’s claw before me, and I don’t dare send another surge of power their way for fear I would hit Larkin.
No.
No.
I momentarily stun the creature with a blow to its long, gray leg, just as I see the threat behind Larkin beginning to lower its claw toward his head. My entire world moves in slow motion as the claw slices through the air, and a scream that rattles the mountains around us escapes my throat.
Chapter 47
