Page 4 of Siege of Shadows

2

FIVE PHANTOMS BARRELED FOR US.Lake couldn’t calm the wind and fight at the same time, so the violent gales rushed back. She used them to her advantage, pressurizing them into little blades that shredded the first wave of the phantom attack, but the recoil blew her right into me. She lost control as the collision, amped up by the wind, drove us in the wrong direction.

“Detach your parachutes!” ordered Sibyl.

We did. With a yank, they flew into the air.

“Lake, grab my hands!” I yelled, reaching for her.

She took them without a second thought and we fell, twisting in the wind. My combat boots landed on the ground hard, the shock waves shooting up my legs, but I was sturdy—

—until a phantom burst out from the ground at my feet.

I had just enough control over my wits to leap out of its way, dodging its attack when it bulleted toward me, but soon I felt the sting of bone pounding into my boots from beneath the sand, lifting me up. Another phantom emerging out of the ground.

Phantoms came in different shapes and sizes, often mimicking the forms of beasts that, unlike them, were naturally of this world. Like so many of the phantoms in the sky, like so many others I’d faced before, this phantom beneath me took the form of a giant serpent—its long, slithering midnight-black hide erupted through the sand as if it’d been lying in wait the whole time. Parts of its rib cage jutted out of its body through layers of flesh and smoke.

I jumped off as two more followed it, launching themselves into the air. I was good at dodging them, but Lake was even better, using the wind to twist herself midair, avoiding the phantoms’ attacks.

“You’re about thirty meters off-site,” said a Communications agent as I dove onto the sand.

“What?” I heard Chae Rin exclaim through the comm. “What happened? Jesus, how did I know you two would be the ones to screw up?”

“You’ll have to find your way back,” said Sibyl.

Gritting my teeth, I pushed myself up. “How do we do that?”

The moment I turned around, a phantom’s face snarled at me from behind.

Trap and release.

Digging my feet into the ground, I slammed the palms of my hands into its large, pointed teeth. The force of the phantom’s charge sent me deeper into the sand, but I didn’t budge.

God, thesmell. It was the saliva. Thick and foul, it came down from its mouth and slipped between my fingers until I couldn’t hold it back anymore. I rolled to the side, letting the phantom launch itself into the air. But it wasn’t done. Arching its long back, it made a beeline for me, jaws gaping.

I could do this.

I used the few seconds I had before impact to shut my eyes and concentrate. I could do this. I’d done it before. I could do it.

I could do it.

I felt the heat swallow up my body first, then the smooth pole, obsidian black, materializing in my hands. The sight of the tiny flames flickering at my feet made my heart speed up in panic, like always, but I couldn’t indulge it. The phantom shot at me, but I managed to flip out of the way just before it made contact, landing awkwardly on my feet. I was no gymnast. My head was still spinning when I swiped the blade of my scythe at the phantom’s neck, chopping its head off with one swing.

Effigies could summon weapons unique to each girl. Not many did in their time, but enough had for the Sect to realize we were capable of it. Maybe that’s why they called us the Four Swords. And this wasmysword.

“Watch out!” Lake cried.

Another phantom screamed at me from behind, but Lake dealt with it before I could lift my weapon. It was as if an invisible battering ram had slammed into it. I could see the rotting black flesh of its belly as it flew back with the wind.

Which gave me an idea.

“Where exactly do we need to go?” My body was still on alert as Lake fought behind me.

“Sending you two the locations right now,” said a Communications tech. “Tap the tiny switch on the right arm of your goggles.”

Switch? I hadn’t even noticed it was there, but once I felt around, I found a little raised nub in the right corner and pressed it.

“No way.” Tiny red lights appeared on the inside of my goggles’ transparent screen as if I were playing a VR game.Awesome.

---