Page 111 of Of Blood & Stone

This would be it then.

Gulping, he said a silent prayer to whatever deity might listen to him that Orym would be saved and that, by some miracle, this wouldn’t be his and Sylzenya’s last stand.

“Doesn’t matter,” he replied, readjusting his grip on his sword and handing her his extra blade, “We stick together and we fight until we can’t any longer, understood?”

She cursed again, taking the sword with a trembling hand. “I can barely hold this damned weapon.”

Elnok’s arms dared to shake, but he forced his body to remain poised. The monster that lived within himself roared to life—death or not, he would take as many arachnis to their graves as he could manage.

If he was to fight, it would be to his last breath.

“We can do this,” he breathed, for while he knew Sylzenya was no warrior, she needed to believe she could be. “Are you with me?”

Her breaths shook as her muscles tensed against his back.

“Always,” she replied.

He grabbed Sylzenya’s wrist and wrenched her to the ground with him, both of them barely dodging an arachni as it flew over their heads, colliding into one of its own.

Their screeches reverberated along his bones, sending panic into his heart. But his fear became fire as another arachni skittered towards them. Eyes wide and focus sharpened, he jumped to his feet, sword ready to pierce the monster through its jaw.

It vanished.

Shock ruptured through his spine. Then, he remembered.

They can move in and out of sight,Kharis had told him. It’s not due to swiftness, as they’re rather slow creatures, but they’re able to render themselves invisible.

A gust of air whooshed past him.

“Sylzenya,” he shouted, “Watch out!”

But it was too late. She screamed as it crashed into her, its fangs aimed for her chest.

Instinct pulsed through Elnok as he swiped the sword through one of its legs, amputating it from its body. It sliced through easily, as if it was nothing more than a piece of thincloth. The arachni shrieked, falling to its side. Elnok cut off another leg, and then another, yelling at Sylzenya to move.

A weight heavy as an anchor crashed into him from behind. All air left his lungs as he slammed into the musty earth, his shoulder cracking on impact.

“Elnok!”

He quickly flipped to his back, the arachni screeching above him, jaws wide. Black slimy liquid dripped onto his face. He gripped his sword, aiming to slice it through its mouth?—

Red filled his vision as pain ruptured through his arm.

He screamed.

Sylzenya raised her sword, aiming to slice the leg that speared through his bicep, but she was too late; the arachni’s fangs dug into his chest. The last thing he saw was Sylzenya’s ash-colored hair fluttering through the air like a silver wave crashing against a wall of jagged rock, and then, pain consumed him.

Chapter 26

Webs & Swords

Power flickered in Sylzenya’s veins. Though her goddess’ blood rushed in her body, it couldn’t push past Distrathrus’ impenetrable barrier, as if his long crooked hand was crushing her veins, denying any blood from flowing to her heart. Like a muscle refusing to tense, a root unable to soak up water, a flower’s petals dying in the relentless heat…

Agony ripped through her as an arachni crashed into her. She hit the dirt, her sword spinning out of her hand. The creature aimed a sharpened leg for her heart. Rotted dirt filled her mouth as she quickly rolled through the dust, the thud of its leg a hard tremor in the earth. She reached for her sword, but the monster swiped it away.

Terror laced through her veins, the sword’s light revealing countless arachnis skittering in the clearing.

Sylzenya dug her elbows into the earth as she crawled for the weapon, only for a sharp pain to spear her calf. A desperate yell escaped her lips as she reached for the sword, her fingertips brushing its hilt, only for one of the creature’s legs to pin her hand to the ground. Tears flooded her vision as she screamed for Elnok.

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