Page 158 of What Lies Within Masks & Shadows

Jade shrieked in pain, grabbing her ankle.

No, no, no!Alora screamed as the wolf thundered toward Jade.

Alora reeled her arm out, fire bursting from her palms as her magic seized the scattered, bloodied arrows on the ground. They flew through the air in a firestorm as she moved her hands, commanding anything around to form a barrier between them and the beast.

Thousands of pounds of bone, fur, and teeth slammed through a wall of arrows, rock, and deadwood as fire raged around the heap. Alora’s eyes glowed white with embers in Jade’s direction, hand outstretched as her power ripped Jade’s sword from her, transforming it into a second wall of flame and metal wall between.

She held strong, hands clenched into fists as flames raged from her palms.

The reike thrashed against it. Its razor-sharp claws punctured through, creating large grooves but unable to cleave a path of any real use.

Blood still dripping from its wounds, the beast turned its attention to her. It stood, breath heaving, when a menacing growl tore from its curled lips.

It dropped its head low.

The hunted and hunter met each other’s murderous eyes.

With everything left in her, Alora brought the entire force of the wall down onto the reike’s body, crushing it to the earth under a burning force.

The surrounding air filled with sounds of bones cracking, snapping, and whimpering as the beast began to once again grow.

Metal bent until edges burst into sharpened shards between gnashing claws.

And as if borrowed from the stars themselves, Alora sent an explosion of white flames across the pile, engulfing its body in a storm of flames and sunbursts until the reike’s shrieks died and the only movements were flames licking up every last bit of wood, metal, and fur.

Then the calming, cool silence rushed on a gentle wind.

“Alora?” Jade’s pained whisper echoed from behind the massive heap between them.

“I owe you a sword,” Alora muttered so quietly she wasn’t sure it’d been said aloud and stared in shock at the molten pile she’d forged.

“Alora.”

Jade’s voice shook her from the scene.

And without a moment to breathe, Alora rushed around the chaos and slid to a stop on her knees beside Jade. “Are you okay?” Frantically, she ran her hands over Jade’s bruising ankle.

Jade’s body lurched; pain shot through her. “Starsdamnit!”

“It’s sprained.” Alora ripped off her jacket, gathered two sticks to lock it in place, and began wrapping. “I need to get you back before anything else from these woods wants to try to make us into their next meal.”

Banding her arm around Jade’s waist, Alora slung her arm over her shoulder as Jade did the same before they stood. But the pain in Jade’s ankle radiated through her leg, buckling her at the knees.

She slumped back down to the dirt. “No. Go get help. I’ll be fine here,” she insisted, wincing.

Alora shook her head and offered her hand. “I’m not leaving you here. Either get up or I’ll carry you. But I’m not leaving you behind. There may be more of them.”

Jade scowled but reluctantly grasped Alora’s extended hand and was pulled to her feet.

“Let’s get out of here,” Alora breathed.

Camp was far.

They managed to wander the forest for nearly an hour before they discovered the reike tracks. And with Jade’s injury, it would take longer to return, even with Alora’s help.

Distant howls prowled their every labored step. But when they finally died down and seemingly disappeared, Alora slowed the pace and stopped by a fallen tree to allow Jade to rest.

Pulling her ankle up with a wince, she readjusted the sticks and jacket. “Fuck.” Jade cursed under her breath and frustratingly leaned back against the log. She shook her head, irritation covering her features. “I’ve been through countless battles, grueling training, slayed so many horrendous beasts that their pelts could fill all of Galdheir, but tonight.Tonight”—she darkly laughed—“I get taken down by a starsdamn earthquake running away.”

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