Page 11 of Surrendering Her Heart

“We need to run,” Dan says. “Now.”

“No,” one of the Zmaj that I can’t see says.

“Put me down,” I say, struggling to get free. He tightens his grip so much it’s hard to breathe. “You can’t fight with me here, damn it.”

He looks down, frowning, but can’t argue with my logic because we both know I’m right. He eases his grip and I slide out behind him, moving to stand back-to-back with Dan and Shaun in the ring of Zmaj.

“What in all the damn hells ever imagined is that?” Shaun asks.

The desert stretches ahead, empty and endless. All of us are turning in some weird, instinctive synchronous circle as we scan the desert for the next attack.

“Vorkesh,” one of the Zmaj says.

“A what?” I ask.

My heart is in my throat, pounding with fear. I have my knife in my hand, but I might as well be holding out a piece of raw meat for all the good I know it’s going to be.

“Akin to the zmelja, but not,” one of them says.

The sand shifts and there is a vibration beneath my feet. My pulse pounds loudly in sharp contrast to the eerie silence. Then, without warning, the ground erupts.

“Run!” Dan shouts, but we’re already moving.

The vorkesh bursts from the sand behind us, its massive, sinuous form writhing in the air before slamming back down. Aspray of sand blinds me for half a second, but I don’t stop. I can’t stop.

The Zmaj takes my arm and pulls me forward, his grip bruising but necessary. The others are right behind us, sprinting toward the distant rock formations that are our only hope of safety.

A guttural screech rips through the air. The creature is fast, too fast. The vibrations return, the sand shifting, swallowing our footprints as we run. It’s tunneling beneath us, moving parallel, cutting us off?—

“Left!” the Zmaj roars, yanking me hard to the side just as the ground erupts where I was a second ago.

I stumble but keep running, heart hammering as the others follow suit. My pack bounces on my back and the straps dig into my shoulders. I don't dare look behind me. The rock formations are closer. Just a little farther. Then Shaun yells. A strangled, choked-off sound. I risk a glance back and my stomach lurches. He’s half-buried in the shifting sand.

“Shaun!” Dan pivots, reaching for him.

The vorkesh rises behind them. It’s going to strike. I don’t think, I just move.

I shift my grip on my knife and throw it. A wild and desperate attempt. The blade spins, flashing in the red light and it hits! The blade sinks into the creature’s side. Disbelief holds me for a split second.

The creatures shrieks, but I don’t know if it’s pain or irritation. One or the other, it does hesitate. That’s all the time we need.

One of the Zmaj grabs Shaun, hauling him up in a single powerful motion. Then we run.

The rocky outcropping looms ahead. The creature is still behind us. The sound of the churning sand as it gives chase…

We hit the edge of the rockfall, leaping between jagged boulders. My lungs burn, my legs scream. Then the Zmaj shoves me forward, and I tumble into a narrow crevice between two massive slabs of stone. The others crash in behind me.

The vorkesh slams against the rocks. The whole formation trembles, dust and pebbles raining down, but the space is too narrow, too uneven for it to squeeze through.

It shrieks again, a sound that makes my blood run cold. But then it stops. The vibrations fade.

Silence.

I don’t dare breathe.

Minutes pass, or maybe just seconds, but when I finally look out, all I see is the vast, empty desert stretching beyond the rocks.

We made it. Barely.

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