Page 35 of Shadow's Heart

Silt should have been the strongest in his homeworld, but he’d been defenseless against the Sorceri with their chilling abilities. And they’d despised Inferi—considered them a constant reminder of a hellish existence that could befall any of them. His hands glowed as he relived torments. “Princess, you are no longer in your gilded kingdom, and you’re about to learn—” His diatribe was cut short when lumbering footsteps sounded in a tunnel parallel to theirs. “EvenIcan hear that.”

To herself, she murmured, “It’s immense, whatever it is.”

“Do you detect a heartbeat?”

She shook her head.

“I was afraid of that.”

Her eyes widened. “It’s an undead basilisk.”

Sixteen

No wonder Mina hadn’t scented fresh kills. No wonder the wendigos had been so afraid. “It must have been hibernating before.” Otherwise she would have heard the basilisk’s scales crackling, its slightest movements.

“We need to work together to get out of here,” the sorcerer said. “You think you can keep from attacking me?”

“You need my senses to escape this cavern system. I have no equivalent use for you.”

“I know a lot about Nightside and about the plague. I’ll tell you more on the other side.”

He reminded her of Lothaire, withholding information for his own gain. But what if Silt held the key to her escape?

A loud roar trumpeted and pounding footsteps quickened in their direction. The basilisk had locked in on them.

“Fine,” Mina said. “I’ll refrain from killing you for now.”

“Good enough. The creature probably knows of an intersection to reach this cavern. Let’s go.” They started running together?—

Rock exploded just ahead of them; a giant head had burst through the very wall!

Silt muttered, “Or it couldmakean intersection.”

The mammoth beast had blazing green skin, and its slit-pupiled eyes were putrid yellow—the color of sickness. A true ghoul basilisk.

It seemed to be stuck in the rock, but its head stretched nearly the width of the cave. When it snapped dripping fangs, each one longer than her forearm, she buried her shock and readied to strike.

“Ah-ah.” Silt shook his head. “We’ll just anger it. To fell it for good, we’d have to hack through its meaty neck with inferior weapons.”

“Speaking of inferior weapons—use your sand. Blind it.” When he made no move to, she said, “Are you still drained from that paltry platform? That was days ago!”

“My powers are temperamental right now.”

“So is the dragon, Silt.” It lunged against the rock’s hold, widening the opening around its neck, turning to them with a drooling snarl. “We should go back the way we came.”

“Return to wendigo territory? Not a chance.”

“There might not be another way out, and then we’ll be trapped with a creature desperate to unleash its contagion.” A single bite or scratch equaled doom.Kind of like the vampire plague.

“With your senses, we’ll find our way,” Silt insisted. “For now, move slowly against the wall. Don’t even breathe.”

After a beat, she muttered, “Very well.” As she sidled along the wall, the dragon’s nauseating scent threatened to overwhelm her.

It lunged again, couldn’t quite reach her. Hindered by the rock, it jabbed its forked tongue out at her; she raised her arm to block the blow, striking the slime-covered tongue with her other hand. “Enough!”

The dragon didn’t listen. It curled its lips outward like rotting pincers. A hair’s breadth separated her from those dripping lips.

When it failed to snag her, it roared again, spraying her face with spittle. She gagged when its rancid breath wafted her hair all around to stick to her coated cheeks. Had some of it gotten inside her mouth? She spat frantically, reminding herself,Bite or scratch, bite or scratch.

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