Aden stood just slightly in front of her, his own sword drawn. His eyes were also glued to the beast, watching its every move. But there was something else in his face. His skin had lost all sense of color, and his eyes were wide. His sword shook. Robin looked down to see his hand trembling.
Robin looked back at the animal as understanding dawned. This beast was a magical creation. This was what Aden must have looked like when he had been transformed by the chaos magic.
Aden was staring in horror. Staring at a reflection of himself.
Which also meant—this beast had once been human. Was perhaps still human?
It—or he?—licked its canine fangs with anticipation, drool dripping to the stone floor as it growled and looked between them.
Robin stared at its bloodshot eyes, trying to ascertain its next move. It dropped down to all fours, focusing its gaze on Aden.
Robin was not sure if the beast considered Aden the bigger threat, literally, or if the beast could sense Aden’s fear and was targeting him because he was currently the weaker of the two.
Not that the why mattered. Only her next move did.
The beast sank onto its back legs, shaking into its haunches as it prepared to launch itself at Aden.
“Aden . . .” Robin said quietly.
He was completely frozen, and Robin was beginning to doubt he had the ability to defend himself at the moment.
She gripped her sword. He would not have to fight this thing alone.
A deafening explosion sounded from above them, shaking both the ceiling and the floor.
Completely thrown by this surprise, Robin jumped backward, holding her short sword up to defend herself from the unknown threat.
The beast, too, cowered. It snarled up at the ceiling, its attention momentarily diverted by the sand and dust that shook down on them from above.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Robin dashed forward, grabbing Aden’s arm as she ran by him.
The beast was currently standing between them and the cellar door. She doubted they could survive a fight with it, and she needed an escape route.
Aden responded to her touch. He stumbled over his feet, waking up from his own personal shock.
They had only made it a few steps before the beast turned its attention back on them, but at least they had better access to the doorway.
“Is it human?” Robin asked as the beast stalked toward them once again. She did not want to harm whatever this was, whether human or animal, but she had to defend herself.
It crawled low to the floor as if scared of the ceiling now, for which Robin did not blame it.
She had no idea what the explosion had been, but she doubted it was anything that would work in her favor. It was time to get out of the cellar and out of the monastery.
“Not anymore,” Aden said, shaking his head. He had repositioned the hammer in his hand, and Robin breathed a sigh of relief. He was alert again.
Robin returned her attention to the threat at hand.
The beast stalked toward them. There was no comprehension or feeling in its eyes, just a rabid desire to kill.
Robin took the bow from her back and drew back an arrow.
As the beast leapt toward them, she released it. At such a close range, she had no chance to aim, only to fire.
At the same time, Aden swung the mallet, hitting the beast in the shoulder.
Robin’s arrow made contact with its skull, just above its eyes. But other than scraping across its fur, the arrow did not appear to have pierced through the beast’s thick hide.
The double attack was enough to throw it off its course, however, and when its jaws snapped shut, they closed on air only.
