Page 53 of Dark's Savior

Aly didn't move.

"Did you not hear me, woman? Go. Now!"

The snap of his voice made Aly jump. Whimpering, she looked behind her, back into the darkness across the Keep. She wouldn't be able to get around them, so she would be forced to go farther into the Keep, into a place she had yet to see. She took one last look at Ryziel then took a deep breath and pushed herself away from the pillar. She flew down the great passage, a passage that seemed a mile long, and heard the first piercing cries of the nyghi behind her. She dared not look back, even when she heard the sounds of them fighting, heard the sounds of their shrieks and of Ryziel's roars.

Chapter Nineteen

Ryziel's control of his Drega was slipping. Though he tried to contain it, with every bite and slash from the nyghi and every bone shattering hit he brought down on them in turn, he could feel the rage building. A primal, wild fury of power chipping away at his sense of self, bringing the beast to the surface. A mindless, violent creature that only ever saw three choices: Hunt, fight, and—since discovering Aly—breed.

Now it was looking for a fight, and if Ryziel let it go, he knew he would win. But at the risk that he would be caught in the hold of his Drega for some time, perhaps hours, before he would be able to come down. And, with Aly close by, that wasn't an option.

Unfortunately, the more the nyghi attacked, the more his Drega awakened. He knew if he didn't let it go, he very well might die.

That would have been all well and fine if it meant protecting Aly. But knowing that the chances of her making it back to the lair alone, with more nyghi close by and the threat of other monsters in the dark, was slim at best. No, he couldn't leave her. He could only pray that, if he did lose himself, he wouldn't find her. Because if he did, he didn't want to think about what he might do.

The nyghi struck, one from the back, another from the front. Ryziel dodged them both and swerved around to swipe at the one behind him, catching it in the eye. It barked and staggered back as blood gushed from its now open eye socket, shaking its head away. Ryziel went to strike again but he was pulled back by the second, its jaws crunching over his arm. He growled and twisted around to bash the creature in the middle of its skull. The creature dropped down, releasing him, and he took that moment to jump against its back, wrapping an arm around its throat. The nyghi bucked, but Ryziel held tight, not paying attention to the quills that were now piercing his chest and stomach. The searing pain swept up his torso like licks of fire. As his vision went in and out, Ryziel tightened his hold around the nyghi and gripped its upper jaw. The creature struggled, but as soon as Ryziel had a good hold on it, with a quick thrust, he snapped its neck. The nyghi dropped to the ground with a dull thud, and Ryziel backed away, breathing out in a guttural, bestial noise. His awareness was waning as the pain from the quills heightened. Ryziel shook his head, desperately trying to pull back his Drega. He pulled at the quills, dislodging some, allowing blood to trickle out from the wound. The upper half of his slipsuit was in shreds, but that didn't worry him. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to take deep long breaths. Tried to bring himself back.

But as the remaining nyghi crept up behind him and swiped his talons along Ryziel’s backside, tearing the skin, the last of Ryziel's control disappeared.

***

Aly ran until she came to the other side of the long passageway that was the Keep. Her legs burned, as did her lungs, but she dared not slow down. Only when she reached the back wall did she pause, searching every which way for a door or opening. She ran parallel to the wall until she found such a one, a door made of some strange dark metal. She pushed at it, but it was so heavy it barely moved. Only with all the strength she could muster was she able to squeeze herself past and enter the room beyond.

What she found, however, was no mere room. In fact, for one brief moment, she thought she had stepped outside somehow. Out into an open meadow under the night sky. As she gazed around in confused fascination, she realized it was not a meadow but a garden filled with bioluminescent plants, and the night sky was, in fact, a ceiling filled with glowing muirlemp.

She would have thought it breathtakingly beautiful if she had a moment to stroll around and study it, but, with every fiber telling her to hide, Aly rushed onward down a lighted path and followed it until she came to the very center of the garden.

From there, another obelisk-like rock sat with markings around its sides and a set of crystals at its top. Aly chose to hunker down behind it, crushing herself against its cold face. She turned off her lights and tried to calm her shaking limbs, to quiet her loud breathing. The shrieks and roars died away, leaving only the still silence around her.

She remained there for what felt like hours, watching and waiting, until she couldn't stand it any longer. Fear still gripped her, no longer for herself but for Ryziel. She turned restless and peeked out from the side of the stone monument, searching the dark for any signs of movement.

For one panic-driven second, she feared something bad had happened to Ryziel and that he wasn't coming for her. This terrifying thought almost pulled her away from the stone obelisk until she heard the door to the garden entrance open then slam shut.

Flinching, Aly drew back against the stone, trying to remain as still as the cold rock she hid behind. She pressed against it, her head turned to the side, hearing...nothing, nothing at all, but knowing something was in the garden with her.

She could run, but she knew the chances of outrunning anything were extremely low. Hiding seemed her only option, but she hadn't expected to find the large open chamber with few places to hide, the obelisk being the largest by far. Still, her eyes searched for anything, anything that could aid her. A distraction of some sort. Or a weapon...

Her eyes fell over the ground and she saw broken pieces of crystal that had fallen off the top of the obelisk. Most were too big, some nearly as thick as her neck, but one shard in particular looked small enough for her to grip, and its blue end was sharp like a dagger.

As she heard a low growl behind her, Aly leapt for the crystal shard then twisted around, ready to stab it into whatever beast was coming to attack her. She raised her arms and started to swing but then she froze, her eyes widening, lips parting.

"Ryziel...?" she whispered. She lowered her hand, taking in his dark shape. He stood there before her, and another low growl vibrated in his throat.

"Ryziel," Aly repeated, but he did not respond. She could only see the dim outline of him, nothing else. Slowly, she pressed against her wrist, turned on her light, and cautiously aimed it at him.

The light hit his face and body, and Aly stumbled back a step, gasping.

The shape before her was indeed Ryziel. But he was different in every way. His body was bent, his face a snarling demon, his eyes, narrow slits, were bright with silver fire. Fangs bared, he hissed as the light passed over him.

Aly's heart leapt to her throat at the sight of him. She backed away, crystal now raised once more toward him.

"Ryziel, what's wrong?" Her voice quivered.

Ryziel didn't say a word. He followed her as she stumbled back. His eyes, though glaring down at her, didn't seem to see her. He looked feral, like one of the monsters that roamed the deep underground, ready to take her and turn her into a nice meal.

Her eyes, which hadn't left his own, fell down to his now bare chest, where the suit had been ripped open, leaving him naked from the waist up. There, she saw the quills stuck in his chest and the blood dripping down his stomach, staining his blue skin red.

"Oh, god," Aly said. "They got you." She cast her light down and saw the puddles of blood forming on the ground

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