He has a fight to take over.
Dire magic leaps to Marek’s bidding. Lightning punches through the wraith’s skull, shattering bone and shadow. Its agonized shriek echoes for miles.
Loska takes advantage of the wraith’s distress to wheel south. The shattered skull hardly stops the wraith. Already re-forming, it attempts to follow.
Marek slams another lightning bolt through the wraith’s throat. This time, he gets its attention.
“Hey, fuckface!” Marek shouts. “I’m your opponent.”
The wraith pivots to face him. Marek wonders if it’s confused at all. Can wraiths even feel emotions like confusion? The wraith has likely never faced a human without a dragon before, alone on the ground with only their own magic as sword and shield.
Few humans would be this fucking stupid.
Marek doesn’t worry as the wraith hurtles towards him. He can’t devote any energy to worrying, not about himself and not about Sei. Marek needs all his concentration to shove the wraith northwards. To fend off cold fire with every spark of storm he has.
Because Marek might be strong enough to hold off a wraith by himself. At least for an hour or two. But far to the east, another watchfire flares to life.
A second wraith is coming.
?
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Sei
Sei thinks he’s imagining the wingbeats at first. Between distant thunder and crackling branches, the forest is noisy. Except the wingbeats draw nearer. Hope leaps in Sei’s heart as Radovan whirls around.
“Be quiet!” Radovan hisses. “Run for—”
Blazing heat drives them back. Fire sears the trees in front of them into ash, and Sei scrambles backwards. Either Sei’s survival instincts override the control collar, or they coincide with Radovan’s own retreat.
They don’t get far before Loska lands directly atop the smoldering trees. A violent flap of wings extinguishes the flames before they spread, leaving only swirls of ash and smoke.
Sei staggers against another tree, gasping for breath. Radovan swears and lifts a glowing token—
Blue scales and white fangs blur through the air. Not five feet from Sei’s disbelieving eyes, Loska’s jaws snap shut around Radovan’s head and shoulders.
Radovan’s severed arms hit the ground first. Blood geysers from each flopping limb. Then Radovan’s torso separates around the middle of his ribcage. Everything below slumps down, and everything above dangles from Loska’s maw. Charred segments of lung and stomach and unidentifiable viscera spill to the forest floor.
Loska grinds his jaws with a horrible crunch. When he swallows, a slight lump descends the length of his serpentine throat. Jaws dripping blood, he turns his reptilian head towards Sei.
Are you all right?
“I guess?” Sei squeaks out.
Loska’s head tilts. Blood patters on the forest floor.Wait. I probably should have asked first. Hewasabducting you, right?
Sei slumps back against the tree. “Yes. He was abducting me.”
Oh, good. Well, not good. You know what I mean.Loska shifts in place like a child caught stealing dessert.Please don’t tell Marek I ate him.
“I think I have to tell Marek you ate him.” Sei fumbles with the collar. To his relief, it unbuckles easily. The orders must have died with Radovan. Sei wants to fling it away. Maybe ask Loska to burn it. Instead, Sei tucks it into his jacket. “How did you know I was… Wait. Where is Marek?”
Fighting the wraith.
“By himself?”
Loska retracts his head, glancing skyward.Yes. We need to help him. I’ll carry you in my forelimbs.
