Page 133 of Wings of Betrayal

You can do this.

With careful steps, I creep through the horde toward the orb in the centre of the cave. The lost ones breathe in unison, their chests heaving up and down as air fills their exposed lungs. I take pause, squeezing my eyes closed as I refocus my mind on the task at hand.

Don’t panic. It’s going to be okay. You can do this.

But what will happen once I take this orb? Will they wake?

Swooping wings steal my focus, and I glance up to see Kyle gliding down toward me. With wide eyes, I scan the horde of lost ones, praying none of them will snap out of their creepy coma.

But it’s too late. Just as Kyle lands near the back of them, they start to wake.

Oh shit.

Panic floods my veins as I attempt to make a split-second decision. Flee or fight.

Several lost ones near me open their mouths and screech so damn loud I swear I almost burst an eardrum. I flinch at the awful sound, ducking my head down slightly.

Focus, Zarla.

I reach for my sword and swing it in a circle, slicing into several lost ones. Blood oozes from their wounds as they fall to the cave floor.

“Zarla!” Kyle calls out, but absolute chaos erupts.

Nilo swoops down and fights several lost ones not far from Kyle, but I can’t see Em anywhere. I’ll bet she’s still safely up there in the tunnel, smirking down at me and hoping I don’t survive much longer.

Bitch.

A lost one launches at me, and I duck out of the way just in time. My scar tingles again, and I wonder if it isn’t some sort of damn lost one beacon, alerting me when they’re near. It’s never done that before though. So strange. I try to ignore the sensation as I battle my way through lost ones toward the orb. I have to get that orb, no matter what I do.

Zarla, what the fuck is going on?

Lost ones are attacking us. There are hundreds of them. Finlay, we need you!

On my way,he replies, but I don’t have time to explain where we are.

Lost ones are everywhere, consuming us. How in the gods will we kill them all?

I have to control them. I reach for the sensation deep within me and channel it at a group of them. It seems to work, and they stop fighting, but I can only hold it for so long. Before I get a chance to kill them, other lost ones launch at me, and I lose control.

I grit my teeth, but I can’t do anything about it. I use my sword and take down as many of them as I can. When I seeanother opening, I attempt to blast them with my powers. Thank the gods, it works again, and several lost ones absorb my power, their skin cracking before the light bursts through them and blasts them into a thousand little pieces.

Blood, guts, and gods know what else now covers me, and the stench is overpowering. But it doesn’t matter. We don’t have time to even think on it. I kill several more lost ones while I fight my way closer to the orb.

“Zarla, I’m here!” Finlay shouts from somewhere above me. “I’ve got your back.”

Although I can’t see him and I don’t have time to look, knowing he is nearby helping Kyle and Nilo helps me to refocus. I take down another group of lost ones, and then I see my chance.

I have a clear path to the orb. Without knowing what to do, I rush forward and grab it.

The moment I make contact, the orb’s power surges throughout my body. Somehow, I absorb it into every cell as if it were my own.

Woah, that was intense. My entire body tingles as if my energy source has replenished. I then slip the orb, which seems to have shrunk by half its size, into my cloak pocket.

Finlay fights through the horde, and Kyle is covered in blood. He dips his head in encouragement, and I know what I must do.

Closing my eyes, I reach for my ability and attempt to open a portal to the Realm of Lost Souls. This is a dangerous task. I know that, but I have to try. If I can suck these lost ones back through it, it may just give us a chance to get out of here. The cooling sensation within me swirls, and I will it to the surface before blasting it out of my hands. I can sense the portal opening. It’s working.

I open my eyes and see that I’ve done it. Now I have to get them through it.

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