Page 39 of Clash of Kingdoms

I knew Huntley and I were no match for this being. He was superior to the demons trapped on the other side, gifted with supernatural power and ability. For the first time, someone was making me feel inadequate. Kill him.

My ally listened and issued another cry. “Hiiiiissssssssssss!” The snake struck.

Vine smacked the sword out of my hand then faced the snake, staring him down with fire in his eyes. The veins up his neck suddenly burned a deeper shade of red. “You wouldn’t dare.”

The snake hesitated then pulled back, like this demon somehow had enough power to make him cower in fear.

I reached down for my sword, and that brief instant was enough to lose sight of Huntley on the other side of Vine. Just as I grabbed the hilt and straightened, I heard him cry out in pain.

I turned frantically, seeing the demon shoving his blade straight through Huntley’s shoulder, breaking through the thick armor that was sword-proof and fire-proof. Huntley had turned at the right time, protecting his heart and lungs from the tip of the golden blade.

“Motherfucker.” I rushed to Vine and slammed my sword down.

He was turned the other way, but he met my blade like he knew it was coming. His immense strength drove me back because every hit had the force of a hurricane. “Submit.”

I continued to fight, matching his ire because I had the strength of ferocity. I was fucking furious.

“I said submit.”

“And I say fuck off.” I found an opening and kicked him hard in the chest, forcing him back to the ground.

The snake’s deep voice entered my mind for the first time, sounding different from Fang’s. Jump.

I rushed to Huntley, who had already pushed himself to his feet but staggered slightly. “Come on.”

He raised his sword to fight rather than flee.

“Jump,” I said, grabbing his shoulder and guiding him toward the edge.

Blood oozed down the front of his armor and onto his gloved hand. It even dripped onto the hilt of his sword, making the grip slippery. He stood tall and proud, like the open wound wouldn’t be enough to slow him down. “What?”

“Come on.” I tugged him to the edge and forced him over. We were both in free fall for a second before hard scales cushioned our fall. There were grooves in every mark, so we had something to hold on to so we wouldn’t slip away into the abyss below. Rancor landed on the snake a second later, on the other side of the bridge.

Thank you. I looked up to see Vine at the edge of the bridge, his sword gripped tightly in his fist, his face tinted red with the fire that burned inside him. His ire was reserved for the snake that had betrayed his loyalty. It looked like he might jump down and join us, stab his blade through the beautiful scales and pierce the flesh beneath. But he stayed, his anger so potent it gave my mind a headache.

The snake suddenly dove, and we were forced to grab on to whatever we could hold. He brought us deep into the darkness, away from the lit sconces along the bridge and the buildings. Deep down, we went…until we could no longer see anything.

SEVEN

AURELIAS

The snake moved through the dark chasm, taking us horizontal for a long time before he finally began to move up, making its way back to the surface.

“Wait.” Huntley continued to ooze blood, which made his gloved hand slippery on the scales. “He probably knows where the crystals are.”

“You’re bleeding out, Huntley.”

“Ask him.”

“Huntley.”

“Ask him.”

I touched the snake’s mind with mine. My friend is bleeding, and I must attend to the wound. Is there a safe place to stop?

There are many placesss in the underworld. He turned another direction, and then a moment later, he approached an isolated tower of stone, a sea of them in the distance, and propped himself high so we could move onto the ledge.

“Where are the crystals?” Huntley asked. Without the sconces, the world was dark. Distant clusters of crystals cast illumination along the ceiling and the sides of the stones.

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