Page 65 of Dragon Heir

The darkness didn’t get the memo as it spread over his entire body. I grabbed a hold of Ivy and pulled us away as darkness flowed out of Corbin like an icy heat wave. The man’s dark eyes changed to a hideous dull gray and he opened his mouth wide. Far wider than even a snake could manage and so much that his jaw became distorted. Corbin shambled to his feet but even those were changed. His limbs melted together and formed into earthworm tendrils that flopped around.

Will was at my side with his fireballs at the ready. I drew Ivy behind me and lit up my sword and together we faced our mutated foe. The creature’s gray eyes settled on us and the cold, merciless evil in their depths made me shudder. The thing lunged at us with its teeth bared and its tentacles swinging wildly.

I swung my sword and Will threw his fireballs. The fiery orbs scorched its flesh but didn’t slow its momentum. The mutant man struck my sword and let out a terrible screech. A terrible stench filled the air and the creature stumbled back. A black scorch mark covered the full front of its body across the stomach. Dark smoke rose from the wound and more of its black gore dripped from the gaping hole.

The rest of the man’s form twisted and contorted into a giant worm with tendrils. The single gray eye slithered up to the top of its head and zeroed in on Ivy. It flung up its arms and little gunk balls were thrown all around us. The orbs splattered onto the ground and formed themselves into tiny versions of its larger self, surrounding us inside a ring of horror.

“Will!” I shouted as the creatures slopped toward us.

His voice was grim. “Stay close. I’ll take care of this.”

“Not alone!”

Chapter Thirty-Six

The cry didn’t come from me but from the woods. A hailstorm of sparkling fire shot out from the trees and struck a large patch of the sloppy worms, burning them to cinders. A column of flames shot out from the same direction and eliminated more of our dark foes.

Ware and Vargas stepped out of the trees, their jaws steeled and their eyes full of determination. They held up their hands and small fireballs burned in their palms.

“Don’t go showing off!” a voice snapped, and Enna and Allard stepped out from the opposite end of the clearing.

Saber and Blake followed on their heels and all of them had their weapons drawn. Allard held up a hand with a crackling fireball in his palm.

The creature in front of us twisted and contorted to get a look at its foes. A deep, rumbling laugh echoed from deep inside the ooze and Corbin’s distorted voice came out. “You will not defeat us! Nothing can destroy us!”

“I am willing to try,” Vargas challenged it as she held up both her hands.

“At the same time!” Will shouted as he clapped his hands together and spread them apart, revealing a huge string of hot crackling flames.

A small hand wrapped around mine and I looked down to see Ivy holding a small marble fireball. “I want to help!”

I smiled and nodded. “Then follow our lead, okay?” Ivy perked up and nodded.

The humans stuck their blades into Allard’s fire and the metal heated to a glowing red. Enna faced our foe and drew her sword back. “Ready when you are!”

“Now!” Will yelled.

We threw everything we had at our oozing foe. The creature was struck from three sides and above by a torrential downpour of extreme heat. The fire melted its body and exploded its pus sacs. Any worms that tried to escape its sizzling form were instantly vaporized by the hot flames. Ivy flung her small balls and if they didn’t hit their target they rolled to a new one.

Enna and her two comrades leaped forward into the insane mess of oozing shadows and sliced the escaping worms. The heat from their cooked blades meant the worms immediately caught fire and squirmed into ash.

The main body of the creature let out a terrible cry as it melted like a witch under our steady stream of fire. It flung its arms up and a faint wisp of smoke rose from its body.

“Oh no you don’t!” I shouted as I swung my sword at the escaping vapor.

A brilliant slice of light shot out and struck the shadows, catching it aflame. A faint groan of defeat emanated from the mist before it floated to the ground as ash. Even that didn’t remain untouched as our fires burned everything into a blackened mess that became one with the earth.

Vargas dropped her hands and let out a sigh of relief. “I think we have finished it!”

The rest of us followed her example and relaxed our arms. I grasped Will’s shaky limb and looked him over. “Are you alright?”

His face was pale but he smiled at me. “Yes, but I am looking forward to a rest.”

Ware and Allard stepped up to the blackened mess and the old hunter kicked at a hunk of ash. “I believe it will not come back this time.”

Allard smiled and shook his head. “No. The creature is well and truly dead.”

“Who’s the kid?” The question came from Enna as she nodded at Ivy.

---