Page 109 of Scalebound

I was invisible, and I was the only one who could send the vial into the crater.

Rushing to the gaping hole only feet in front of me, I could feel the tingling sensations continue, spreading through my veins.

The only way to make sure that I got the tears to the core of the hole was to jump in myself, adding weight to send it down to where it needed to reach.

My skin burned from the instant disease that filled my body, and my body ached from landing on myself prior. I had concerns for our dragons as they were also being covered with the horrible disease over their scales, shriveling up just likeWashailameii1.

I opened the vial, allowing the tears to stream out, and plunged.

1.Washailameii (Wa-shay-la-mee): Angie’s dragon

Chapter sixty-seven

AURELIA

The darkness overwhelmed me as I sunk into what felt like the depths of hell. Smoke whirled around my body, creating tendrils of black and gray soaking into my fingertips, unwilling to save me from falling for eternity. It was almost as if time stood still and I was flying through a portal to my death.

There were Deathlies swirling around me, not reaching for me, not knowing that I was there.

The contents of the vial seeped out, touching the sides of the gaping hole. Our crystalline tears sluiced over the sides of the chasm. The murky liquid collided and connected to the Deathlies portal.

Life started to come slowly. As the liquid impacted the sides, the void turned a lively green color, reminding me of the flowing grass on aTastameii1 warm day. The Deathlies raced around me, their claws encapsulated with hatred, flying through the vastness with gnawing rakes. Their vessels set off with the life from our tears, turning them into speckled black dust inthe air, hurdling in circles that I couldn’t keep up with. They disappeared into the air one by one, gradually killing them.

The wails were unforgiving sounds that I would never be able to escape. The sides of the hole kept crawling and crawling, tumbling down, sending me closer and closer to the depths ofHaxnau2.

1.Tastameii (Taws-taw-mee): Normally Summer (Tas for short)

2.Haxnau (Hah-nah-woo): Hell

Chapter sixty-eight

DAMIAN

My promise.

Aurelia.

I couldn’t lose her too.

Watching Aurelia jump into the pit shattered my heart in more ways than one. The rib cage that surrounded my heart barely kept the fragmented pieces from leaving my body. From leaving my soul. From making me the numb heartless assassin I once was.

My body was burning—screaming in pain. But it didn’t compare to the thought that radiated in my mind that I may have lost Aurelia.

Not being able to protect her—breaking my promise–was my biggest fear that became a reality before my eyes.

The pounding in my ears was too much. The buzz that rattled them was too much.

However, I promised her I would help Clemmy. Forcing my body to turn, the aches strong, I made my way to Clementine.

She laid helpless on the ground, her knee deformed, tears staining her face that was becoming bruised, sickly.

“Don’t,” she said. “I’m fine. Get Loker to get her out of that pit. She won’t be able to by herself,” she said, gazing toward the opposite side of the large pit where Loker and Luella laid.

Nodding, I followed her instructions, running as quickly as I could with the burn that fractured my body. Loker hung over Luella, tears streaked down his face.

“Loker, we need to get Aurelia out of the pit. I need you to use your wind abilities.” My voice wavered, watching Luella’s gasps, her breaths rapid and short. Her eyes tensed shut as her fingers gripped the outer layer of the rock.

He brushed away the wet tears on his cheeks, pushed himself to his feet, and stumbled as he ran with me toward the gaping hole. Nearing the edge, thumps pounded around us.

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