Page 34 of Shadows in Bloom

The monster thrashed on top of me, desperate to escape my clutches, as black tendrils traveled all across its skin. I dug my nails deeper and deeper, refusing to let it get away. Now able to sit myself up into a less vulnerable position, I focused my energy further, allowing it to fester. It felt like minutes, but could only have been seconds, before the creature went limp in my hands, succumbing to death. Sucking in a shaky breath, I shoved the Visumena’s body to the ground next to me and forced myself to my feet.

I scanned the area for my companions, finding Kaz just ahead of me, swinging with vicious strength at a Visumena in frontof him. The body of another lay in bloody tatters at his feet. Just beyond him, Alandris was fending off two of the creatures on his own. Two more burnt bodies scattered behind him explained the putrid smell of singed flesh. More must have emerged to attack him. I worried that wouldn’t be the last of them, either. I had to help.

Alandris turned only for a split second as I approached, his eyes widening. In shock or worry, I couldn’t tell. My shadows responded, as if with a mind of their own, lashing out at the Visumena to Alandris’ left. It turned its attention toward me, instantly forgetting him. I was its new target, and it was furious with the slice I’d carved into its skin.

The Visumena clawed at me hungrily, just grazing my shoulder as I dodged out of the way. I was sloppily stumbling over myself, and the throbbing in my head was growing worse. I knew I wouldn’t win in a war of attrition; my body would give out on me far quicker than the Visumena’s. I had to end this now, with one powerful blow. Mustering up every last bit of energy I possessed, I shot forth a blast of raw power. With no time to move, the creature took a direct hit to the chest. A vicious screech erupted through the air as it collapsed to the ground, curling into a ball.

I fell to my knees, the world spinning around me. I held one hand out in front of me and found it entirely consumed by dark tendrils. The price of using my power. I hadn’t noticed the pain of tapping into my magic this time. The other wounds on my body had been distracting me. The adrenaline. But now that I’dhad a moment to look at myself, the pain came rushing to me all at once. And it was too much. Everything faded to black.

Chapter 16

Iheard my companions speaking, but I lacked the ability to move my body, and I could scarcely open my eyes.

“We have to keep moving. Those things work as a colony. If we’ve encountered that many, there are twice as many nearby.” Alandris was pacing the campsite, rubbing his forehead.

“She is injured!” Kallistra shouted. “She’s hardly conscious and you want to move her?” She gripped him by his shirt, forcing him to stop moving. “I will not leave her.”

He placed his hand over hers. “I would never suggest such a thing.” He pried her fingers from the fabric and took a step back. “However, we need to get away from here. We will treat her wounds as soon as we put some distance between us and those creatures. Trust me, I understand it looks bad, but the cuts aren’t deep.”

“Obviously it’s bad! She’s unconscious!” Kallistra sucked her teeth. “I have never seen her use magic like that before! Is that what you’ve been teaching her?”

“No, I haven’t. Her body can’t handle the amount of her magic that she tapped into. It drained her, naturally, but she will recover fine with time to rest.”

“This is your fault,” Kallistra hissed. “She ran after you because you were incapable of handling a few Visumena!”

“Perhaps if you’d actually had someone teach her to use her magic before now, this wouldn’t have happened. She would have been practiced enough to know her own limitations. She would have been much further along, not learning the basics with me!”

“Are you seriously implying—”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake!” Zorinna yelled. “Shut up! Both of you.” She turned to Kaz. “Can you carry her? I’ll take your pack.”

Kaz laughed loudly. “No need. I’ve carried kegs much heavier than our girl. I’ll take both.”

Kallistra shot Kaz a pointed glare, but held her tongue, understanding no one could carry me with as much ease as he could. “Go on.” She looked back at Alandris. “I’m sorry, okay? She’s just important to me. I can’t have anything happen to her.”

“I understand completely.”

Alandris assisted Kaz in lifting me onto his back. As they moved me, I floated in and out of consciousness, mumbling tomyself. There was very little I could do to hold on, though, in my haze, I attempted to wrap my arms around his neck. Kaz did the brunt of the work, slipping his hands under my legs, and leaning forward enough that I wouldn’t slide back. Alandris insisted on carrying his pack, even though it was obvious that Kaz was fully capable of handling it, as he had stated. Even after the battle they’d just endured, he hadn’t broken a sweat.

I was unsure when I eventually regained consciousness, but it was no longer dark outside, and I was unfamiliar with the surrounding area. I stirred in Kaz’s grip, prompting him to gently set me on my feet, keeping one firm hand on my arm to ensure I wouldn’t topple over. His assistance was a blessing, as I found my head swimming the moment my feet touched the ground. My memories of our encounter with the Visumena were fragmented, but I knew one thing: we were all safe. And that was enough. Whatever injuries I’d incurred had been worth it.

All eyes were on me, but Kallistra was the first to attend to me. “Are you okay, Nairu?” She rushed to my side, glancing me up and down.

“Yes, I’m fine.” I smiled faintly. “Thank you for carrying me, Kaz.”

He rested his giant hand on the top of my head. “Glad to see that smile. Next time, let me save the pretty little Elf’s ass.”

I giggled, bringing a hand to my mouth. My muscles were so sore, even that slight movement had me aching. “Okay, I will.”

Alandris had found his way to my side, but it seemed as though he was unable to bear looking at me. “I’m sorry you were hurt... I should have woken someone to check the area with me before I went off on my own.” He met my eyes for only a second. “I should say thank you, though, for helping me.”

“You need not thank me. We’re a team, remember?” I made my voice sound as bright and cheerful as possible, if only to make the guilt wash away from his face.

“For the most part, we are in the middle of nowhere,” Zorinna spoke up. “However, there appears to be a decent sized fishing village nearby, according to the map. It should just be a few more miles south of us. We can hopefully find a place to stay for the night to take care of our wounds. After that, it’s more empty forest until we reach our destination.”

“Not so empty forest,” Kallistra murmured.

“You’re right. Hopefully empty,” Zorinna replied. “Let’s not worry, for now. We may need to rethink how we travel, but we can discuss that once we reach the village.”

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