Page 179 of Bloodguard

My knuckles on both hands hurt now, and my sore heel throbs under my weight. Guess what? I’m not the only one hurting. The serpent bobs its head from side to side, the rest of its long, yellow body motionless. It’s stunned and partially blinded by my first blow. It won’t take long to recover, so I don’t waste any time.

I dive toward the axe and fall into a roll, clutching the handle to my body. The momentum gives me extra speed, and I come up swinging, slicing off the head of the next serpent that escapes the crate.

The familiar buzz of saws tugs my lips into a smile. I edge backward and toward the sound, allowing my ears to guide me. The buzzing escalates, as does the shrieking crowd. Maeve screams, trying to warn me. But she more than anyone knows how well I move my body.

Another serpent slides out, its long, heavy body creating deep grooves in the sand. This one is older and smarter, maybe six feet in length. It avoids every swing I take.

Except it’s new to the arena.

I’m not.

As it rushes me, I slide to the side and toward the crate. It doubles back, hissing, enraged, and unaware of what’s coming.

The first saw slices off the serpent’s tail. It wails and slithers diagonally, trying to avoid the two that follow. And failing miserably. The saws crisscross, chopping through its slick, leathery skin. As it lunges in a last effort to survive, I swing the butt of my axe up and into its jaw. It falls into what are now four spinning blades.

Blood sprays my face.

And I like it.

I wipe it away and crouch lower to the ground. The first, smaller serpent comes to its senses. Still partially blind, it strikes and misses, slamming into the battered door. One swing is all it takes to send its head flying.

A fourth serpent glides out between splintered planks, its mass and weight shattering what’s left of the door. This one is an experienced hunter, huge and fast. It easily avoids my blade and coils around me, causing me to drop the axe.

I expand my limbs, trying to create space for myself as it constricts, but my strength is no match for it. I use my weight to pitch left and right, but it’s useless. I can’t break free.

The serpent squeezes harder and buckles my frame hard enough to break one of my ribs.

I suck in shallow breaths and force myself to keep fighting. The saws that finished off the other serpent are headed my way.

This one must have missed the show. It whips me back and around, squeezing tighter.

My eyes fly open as the serpent drops closer to the charging blades. With all my strength, I arch my back, attempting to throw us the other way.

Except the serpent won’t surrender its hold.

It fights against my weight, rolling us back and onto the spinning blades. We fall sideways onto all four saws as they cross. One of them slices through the creature and into my left arm. It stings like hell, but I can still flex the muscle, so hopefully the damage isn’t too bad.

The serpent worked against itself. As the blades sliced through its flesh, its dense muscles and bones shielded me.

Its hold loosens, and I push through the corpse, shoving the heavy coils away.

Still acutely focused on the location of the buzzing sound, I avoid the blades multiple times.

I skid along, grabbing my axe the moment I spot it.

I’m out of breath and holding my side to quell the shooting pain in my ribs. When the fifth and final serpent attacks, my sliced arm is practically useless. I swing the blade, and it cuts into the beast’s throat but doesn’t clear it.

No matter. It’s enough to weaken it. I hold out my arms and snag it, my left arm around its neck and the other grasping its thick body, preventing the serpent from coiling around me. As the next set of blades arrives, I pitch it right on top of them.

I fix my glare on the royal box, axe draped over my shoulder as I stalk to the beat of the music. Maeve is no longer trying to lunge at Soro. She’s pacing.

Pega leaps onto the next crate with more difficulty than I wish. The way she cradles her broken arm against her chest throws off her balance. I nod my encouragement. Right now, she’s on her own.

The melody ends at the next crate. I almost forget to stop. This was easy. Too easy. I don’t waste time worrying about it. As with the first crate, I break down the locks with one strike of the axe.

I whirl to the side when I kick the door open. Nothing happens. Like with Pega’s crate, all is quiet. I sneak a glimpse, and that’s all I need.

Luther… Fuck me. Whatever mental game they’re playing, it isn’t going to work.

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