Page 68 of What Lies Within Masks & Shadows

What the hell would they do to crystal?

If anything, maybe a distraction. To turn the beast’s trajectory. Stop it from ripping Aiden apart. Disappear into the trees while it chased her. Find shelter in a cave… It wassomething.

The sharpened edges of the wood dug into her palm, gripping it like it was the last tether to life. This time when the beast turned, she refused to run, but instead, javelined that wood straight for the beast’s back.

“Over here, you ugly beast!” she shouted.

The gamroara, feet from Aiden, whipped its head and shrieked once more.

“That’s right, look at me,” she murmured to herself as her horse anticipated an incoming blow, leaping over the swing of the beast’s spiked tail.Not today, Death.

The beast reared up once more, crashing its feet down beside Alora as she raced past. Spinning her horse around, they charged once again, only this time when she neared, Alora balanced her feet on her horse’s back, gripping black hair and reins.

Her eyes focused on Aiden’s sword still plunged deep into its flesh.I need that sword.

They charged for each other. Her horse lunged to the side, driving enough force into her boots to thrust her high into the air. Every muscle in Alora’s body seeped in adrenaline while she flew. The sword connected with her outstretched hand.Yes!

She heaved it from crystallized flesh, avoiding the splintering shards raining around it.

And then it was free.

Sword and warrior fell, landing on the ground beneath the beast.

But the gamroara was too swift. It clamped its feet around her, moving its considerable head between its front legs, blaring eyeless sockets into the darkness.

She wastrapped.

Every option of escape was blocked and caged beneath its dripping underbelly. Alora knew something about cages. But this … this wasn’t one she could escape.

The tail wrapped around her body, squeezing and squeezing and squeezing until choked gasps tore from her lungs. And yet, the pain still wasn’t anything worse than what Kaine had done to her.

Pricks of stinging needles spiked her clothing, and threatened to pierce skin, before a lack of air forced her palm to open. And for the sword to drop.

The gamroara ripped her from underneath it. Guttural clicking and snorting sent vibrations through its chest as she slid by it.

Her boots scraped and dug into the steaming, rotting grass. It was seemingly impossible to breathe. The creature’s tail was relentless in its hold, pulling her to its face. Dangling her before empty eyes.

But it didn’t matter if there were eyes there, Alora couldn’t see them anyway. She couldn’t breathe. The clearing began to fade into stars and darkness.

The gamroara flexed its leathery wings with one hard flap, and they shot into the sky.

At least she’d get to glimpse the sun one last time. The trees … and the forest below… She deserved it, after all. After leading Aiden to his agonizing death. Being burned from the inside, holes plagued his body, blood weeping, draining his life drop by drop.

If she would’ve stayed in camp. If she could’ve listened. If she wasn’t so damn stubborn…

If you weren’t so fucking stupid.It wasn’t her voice that snickered. Like a chiseled memory, this—another—voice haunted her. The voice she had run from; the voice that filled her daily, never-ending nightmare.

Kaine.

From the depths of her mind, he taunted again.If you wouldn’t have left me like thepatheticweakling you are, you wouldn’t be dying right now. Was life with me really that terrible?

Yes.And she’d prefer this death over his hands any day. He wouldn’t be the last thing she heard. He wouldn’t be the last thing she thought of before the beast stole all the life from her body.

His scalding hands wouldn’t be her final touch.

The biting wind grew cruel the higher they flew.

Alora winced, squeezing her eyes shut in agony, forcing all the energy left inside to obliterate Kaine from tormenting her mind.

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