Page 43 of The Ozar Triad

A tail swiped at her. She leaped just as the spike on the end nearly grazed her shin. Claws ripped the back of her vest. She spun and twisted. Material ripped, but she came free, flying the last few steps towards the darkness of the tunnel.

“I’m out!” she yelled before sprinting into the dark.

She didn’t stop to see if the guys followed. They were seasoned enough to know exactly where she was and how to extricate themselves from the battle. The sirens wailed louder in the tunnels than in the cavern.

She came to an intersection. Heavy footfalls and a laser blast at her feet had her skidding to a halt. A horde of Reptiles were heading in her direction. She stood out in the darkness with the glowing crystals clutched to her torso, heart galloping in her chest. She had no choice but to turn deeper into the tunnel. She could only hope she didn’t come face to face with another worm.

As if born by her thought, the ground rumbled. A breeze brushed past. A screech erupted from the depths of the tunnel.

“You’ve gotta be kiddin’ me.”

Holy Fuck. She had a shitty choice—fight the monster worm, or the Reptile monsters coming up behind her.

She stumbled to a halt, shoving the crystals into her vest and zipping it up tight. She faced the Reptiles coming up behind her, gripped the hilt of her sword with both hands, ready.

The horde of Reptiles descended. She slashed as claws, teeth, and tails whipped at her. She was vastly outnumbered, but she would rather face the monsters than the worm any day. If she could push her way through, she just might be able to backtrack past them. That was her plan, anyway.

A hard shoulder barreled into her. She was caught off balance. A tail swiped her legs out from under her and she smashed to the ground. Pain exploded as she skidded over the rough-hewn gravel. The sword spun out of her grip.

She hooked an arm over the crystals, but a claw ripped her vest and the crystals spilled onto the floor. They tinkled over the rock as they spun and clattered out of her reach. She shoved herself across the ground, toward the golden crystal, and grabbed it up. She hugged it tight against her.

A claw sank into the back of her leg. She kicked. The underside of her boot connected with a snout. Green blood spurted and a couple of teeth fell to the ground, and her leg came free. A momentary wave of satisfaction warmed her, before the Reptile fixed a beady eye on her.

She tried to scramble to her feet, but as she came to her knees, a tail swiped beneath her. She smashed onto her back again. The Reptiles crowded around her. She lashed out, but her fists and boots only glanced off their hard scales. A claw wrapped around her thigh, the tips breaking her skin. She gritted her teeth as the sharp pain raced up her leg.

Another terrible screech sounded.

Her blood chilled. She knew what was on the end of that sound. Apparently, so did the Reptiles. Their heads turned towards the sound, their eyes glinting in the golden light of the crystal she still clutched.

She used the diversion and scrambled to her feet, ignoring the aches and bruises that covered her body. A hissing clack sounded, and claws sank into her arm. Her body locked with the pain.

“Oh, I’m so over you doing that to me.” Even though she knew she fought a losing battle, she formed a fist and drove it into the eye of the Reptile clutching her. The punch glanced off its face with a wet squelch. The Reptile tightened its grip, but she noted with satisfaction that its eyelid was half closed and had already started to swell. With any luck, she’d blinded the bastard.

The screech sounded again, feeling as though it was almost on top of them. She needed to get away. Now. Riley lashed out but several other claws caught her legs and free arm. She was held immobile between them as they dragged her away from the direction of the worm. At least they headed in the right direction.

She screamed out loud. “Get off me. So brave when there’s a stack of you against me, aren’t you. Coward bastards!”

She struggled, but only succeeded in imbedding their claws further. The worm screech was earsplitting now. The wind chopped all around them. The Reptiles weren’t moving fast enough. It would only be a matter of time before the worm got them. She’d barely defeated it before, and that was with her guys and their impressive fighting skills. Here, with these creatures, she’d have no hope.

There was a flash of slick black skin and sawing teeth above her. A Reptile’s head was sawed off mid-step. Green blood splattered everywhere. With a gigantic crunch, the skull shattered into a million pieces. The body fell lifeless to the ground.

The worm dove down at them again, chomping right through one side of a Reptile. Its arm, half its chest and torso, and hip was lost in a moment. The rest of the body tumbled away, disappearing between the body of the worm and the wall.

She could do nothing but watch, arms and legs strung out between the surrounding horde of Reptiles. At least she still gripped the remaining golden crystal. Even if her body was eaten, her hand might still be able to protect it. She’d often seen severed limbs still clutching objects. Maybe then one of the guys might find it.

The worm towered over her. This was it. She struggled against the claws embedded in her body as the giant maw descended.

A flash of silver, and the head of the Reptile holding her leg toppled from a neat cut right through its neck. The silver streaked again and again as all of the claws were detached from her limbs. Arms gathered her and she was crushed against a solid chest.

“Rujali?” Her mind spun, wondering how they were even here, but now was not the time to stop and think.

“Run!” Setzan bolted ahead while Klaej took up the rear.

“The other crystals!” Riley said.

“Leave them. They’re under the worm. There’s no time.” Rujali swept her up in his arms and darted away from the terrible screeching of the worm. A Reptile’s hiss ended abruptly followed by crunching bones. She shuddered as wet sounds echoed off the walls and the worm feasted on the Reptiles. She couldn’t think of a more fitting end.

“In here,” Seztan yelled.

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