Page 51 of Daughter of the Darkened City

He gave her a grim look. “There’s a bigger predator nearby.”

Chapter 20: Enid

Enid saw nothing at first. Using her senses to probe and prod the world, she felt a snarl and a whimper. Enid turned again, looking for the source. But for each time she turned toward the sound, another came from a different direction. Like an echo, but pinpointed and controlled.

The group made a circle around Avenay and Vasu—Enid shoulder to shoulder with her brothers on each side.

Tendrils of shadows snaked out from Dryston, slithering into the forest to investigate.

“Anything?” she whispered.

He frowned, shaking his head. “Nothing…” Then his eyes went wide, and he jerked his hand back, the shadows coming with him. “It’s big.”

“What is?”

“I don’t know.”

She opened her mouth to speak, but something wrapped around her ankle, swiftly pulling her up in the air, dangling her there as she let out a cry that echoed off the battlements.

She was suspended above the others, but she saw nothing. The ground rumbled beneath them, and the air grew colder, her breaths beating out as grey smoke. A low, ephemeral cackling filled the air, swirling in an eerie rising, then falling crescendo, as if the wind chased the sound away. It became silent as another rumble shook the ground, then the cackle returned and faded just as quickly.

Enid swung wildly at whatever invisible thing held her. A scream like a flute—piercing and loud and painful—sounded. The grip on her foot loosened, and she fell, slamming with a thud. From thin air, a hand, black and long and warped, the fingers coming to points like the bending of light, reached for her again.

She shot shadows, wrapping around it and yanking back. The air split like a curtain, some black bleakness stepping out, standing as tall as the wall, its eyes like white voids of light, its body covered in a shaggy black hair that shifted with its movement as if it were not moving according to the physical laws of Iltain. The entirety of its being seemed at once real and present, and yet as if it were a projection of some nightmarish horror right in front of them.

Enid sprang to her feet and backed up. “What kind of twisted magic is in this forest?”

The being roared, then swiped a hand down. They all scattered, Enid tumbling over Avenay, her wings fanning out in protection. They could try to run, but the beasts awaited them at the edge of the wood. And they could back up, but it would follow them for certain.

The air filled with its sickening cackle as it lunged at Cyrus. He blocked and Onora unleashed an arrow, hitting the being square on the face. It winced, but nothing more.

Vasu pulled out a scroll from his belt. “Cover me, Enid. I’ll do a banishment spell. This one has come through the cleft of the pit. I will send it back.”

She nodded, then ran forward, next to Kaemon, who had his arrow nocked and ready.

She cast shadowfyre about the creature, the black flames licking and curling along it. It groaned and stumbled back, but not enough to deter him. Vasu stood to the side, chanting low and swift, sweat bubbling on his furrowed brow. The beast jerked his attention to Vasu and cried out in agony. He charged while Enid and Dryston slashed, to no avail. Onora shot out more arrows, and they stuck in it, only slowing it down marginally.

Avenay yelled for them to close their eyes a moment before a blinding light hit it, making Enid stumble back, shielding her face with her arm. The being screamed and writhed, falling to the ground and thrashing. Enid cast shadows about her to shade from the light, her own magic having to work overtime to combat the power of Avenay’s flare. The shadows flickered and Enid’s breathing was too labored. They had been traveling non-stop and fighting for too long. Vasu looked exhausted already too, his body tense with focus as he read the lines on the scroll.

Avenay’s light faltered only a fraction, but that’s all it took. The beast jumped up with an angry roar and charged again. Enid darted forward, flying up and slashing across its face. It stumbled back and swiped blindly at her, hitting and knocking her down as blood streamed out of her arm.

She jumped back up, right as the beast came at her again, only for a ball of flame to stop it—coming from Cyrus. Vasu’s voice rose as the battle resumed, the beast becoming more agitated with each word, its movements more frenzied and wild, taking swipes and almost hitting them.

“By the goddess’ tits, Vasu, how long is this spell?” she cried out.

“Don’t interrupt me!” he said, then went back to speaking in elvish.

Fair enough. Cyrus dodged a lunge by the beast, and it redirected towards Onora, swiping once only to meet the edge of her sword and hiss out in pain. She swiped again, getting a hit in, but it made the creature more angry and it swiped at her once, twice, three times. Onora dodged each attack, but she was backed against a tree now, her chest rising and falling heavily as her eyes darted for any way out.

There wasn’t one, Enid realized with horror. She was too far to jump in and help. The beast brought its arm up again, and Onora braced with her sword in front of her, unrelenting. Dryston ran forward, coming from the other side and intercepting its swipe, taking it full force, but not before he lodged his sword in the creature’s chest.

It cried out angrily, thrashing its arms with a fury and making Dryston grab Onora, toppling her to the ground. But the beast shifted towards them again and the others were too busy attacking the back ofthe creature to notice. Enid ran forward, jumping up and flapping her wings to bring her sword down heavily in its arm. The swiftness and force of her movement sliced clean through, spraying black liquid as it fell.

Its screech rent the air, and its other arm came up, hitting her. She landed with a crash, pain radiating through her body, leaving her gasping for breath.

“Enid!” Avenay screamed.

Enid could barely move, but she shifted her head in time to see the beast coming down on her, jaws open, ready to consume her.

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