Page 59 of Queen of Serpents and Shadows

As I got closer, my instincts flared with warning and I broke into a run. Breathless and on edge, I entered the stables. The horses whinnied and stomped as I passed by. They were just as spooked as I felt, but I couldn’t find the source of our anxiety.

As soon as I exited through the other doors, my heart fell into my stomach. Laera was on the ground, unconscious, a dark crimson stain on her side. I ran to her thendropped to my knees, pressing my fingers to her neck to feel for a pulse. Just as I found her heartbeat I heard hissing.

Teeth bared, golden eyes locked on me, was a chimera. The monster’s lion’s feet pawed at the ground, its serpent tail whipped around, hissing and spitting. The goat head glared at me, as if trying to decide which part of me to devour first.

I stood, not taking my eyes from the beast. I needed a weapon. There was no way I could defeat this thing with my hands. It had injured Laera and she was more skilled than I was.

Carefully, I backed up, risking lowering my eyes in a sign of submission. The hissing ceased after I’d taken a few steps so I glanced up to see what it was doing. The monster had turned its attention from me to a large, cylindrical stone. It was circling the gray rock. The goat head opened its mouth and breathed fire on the rock. When the flames ceased, the creature investigated the stone. The snake snapped at it and the paws pushed on it, but the rock looked the same as it had.

It was trying to destroy the shield. That had to be the marker for the convergence point that we needed. I had to stop the monster before it could complete its task.

I continued to walk backward until I was at the door to the stable, then I turned and darted back into the building. There had to be something here I could use.

I scanned the walls, seeing hammers and rakes. There were hoof picks that were fairly sharp and a pitchfork thatmight work. I crossed the space to the tools, the horses continuing to act unsettled. They could probably smell the chimera.

I shoved the hoof pick into my waistband then grabbed the shovel. It had a slight point on the end and was heavy. It might do more damage than the pitchfork or rake. Their points looked rather dull.

Satisfied with my choice, I returned to the back of the stable and took a deep breath before walking through the door.

The chimera was breathing fire on the stone. I moved toward it quietly, knowing I’d only get one chance to sneak up on it. Something snapped under my foot and I winced. The creature’s head whipped toward me and it snarled, then it returned to lighting up the stone with its breath. I hoped I wasn’t too late.

Since it already knew I was there, I ran, shovel over my shoulder, ready to swing. The monster’s fire ceased and it turned toward me, lowering its upper body, preparing to pounce. I paused my advance, tightening my grip on the handle.

When it leaped, I swung.

The shovel smacked the chimera in the head with a sickening thunk, knocking the beast to the ground.

My hands were shaking, but I moved toward it and lifted the shovel to strike again. The monster righted itself and just as I pulled back to swing, it attacked, knocking me to the ground. I lost my grip on the shovel when I fell. Claws bit into my chest as the beast pinned me down. Itopened its jaws and I knew what was going to happen next.

I grabbed the hoof pick and jabbed it into the goat neck before rolling away. The monster cried out, a horrible sound that was somewhere between a screaming goat and a roaring lion. It set my teeth on edge and made my eyes water. I covered my ears and moved away from it.

The hoof pick was still in the chimera’s neck but it wasn’t going down. The lion paws swept back, then it lowered, the snake hissing as the lion shaped rear end wiggled like a cat preparing to attack.

I went for the fallen shovel, but the creature reached me first, massive paws landing on my turned back. It shoved me to the ground, digging its claws into my skin. I cried out as sharp pain sliced down my entire back. I’d never felt anything like it. Tears slid down my cheeks and I whimpered as I pulled my legs up to my chest, and covered my head with my arms.

I prepared to be roasted alive, curled up in a pathetic crying ball. I was just glad nobody was here to see how I’d failed.

The heat didn’t come. I took a few more breaths, until I was calm enough to lower my arms and open my eyes. The monster was back at the rock, igniting it with everything it had.

I stretched out my legs and turned to push myself to stand but the pain in my back roared to life. I bit down on my lower lip to keep from screaming. Trying anotherposition, I worked to make myself rise, but the pain kept me down.

I couldn’t move. I was going to die here. Bleeding in the dirt. I’d be embarrassed if I wasn’t in so much pain.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed movement and a flicker of hope filled my chest. It was quickly swallowed by fear. “Get out of here. It’s too dangerous.” I didn’t want someone else to meet my same end.

Laera’s face appeared above mine. She had dark bruises along her cheekbones and her silver hair was a mess but her eyes were fierce. She pressed her index finger to her lips, then removed a blade from a pocket on her thigh. I noticed she had a blade in the other hand as well.

I made myself shift just enough that I could see the chimera, still focused on its task. When I turned back to Laera, I whispered, “Kill it.”

She grinned, then walked away from me. She moved like a dancer. Like she was walking on air. Silent and graceful. The chimera didn’t even flinch as she approached.

When she struck, it was a blur. Blood sprayed, the flames died, the creature bellowed in agony.

Then there was Laera, standing over the quivering form of a fallen chimera. Her shoulders rose and fell quickly as she glared down at the monster. She was covered in crimson.

With a roar of her own, Laera attacked again, diving her blade into the softest spots of the beast. When she was finished, the creature didn’t move.

Laera returned her blades to the pockets on her thighs, then walked over to me. “Can you get up if I help you?”

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