Page 31 of Bonded to the Fallen Shadow King

Fuck. I might have gotten a concussion, and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it.

“Briar,” Aelir screamed frantically. “Hurry!”

I shook my head, trying to get the world straight, and glanced down at the crystal to find I didn’t even have half of it. What the hell happened to the rest?

Heart hammering, I dropped to my knees and shoved my hands into the mass of crawling bodies on the stone floor, groping for the remainder of the stone.

Something hairy skittered up my forearm, and fangs sank into my wrist before I could yank away. I gritted my teeth, grabbing blindly for the crystal pieces. My fingers closed on something that had to be one—sharp, hot, and slick with grime.

A centipede coiled around my knuckles and bit even harder. My hand burned as if it were on fire. But then something pulsed through my veins, like my wolf was trying to help me.

Unlike Ember, I didn’t have healing magic, so I hoped to hell these creatures weren’t deadly. The sting intensified, and tears streamed down my face.

I didn’t have enough of the crystal. There had to be more pieces, and I needed all of it to protect our platform.

I shoved my hand deeper into the squirming mass, frantically searching for the pieces. The floor writhed beneath me like it was alive. Wet crunches met every push of my palm and knees as I fumbled forward and crushed spiders, scorpions, and Fate-knew-what. My fingers found another chunk of the orb. I yanked it free just as something with pointed legs dropped on to the back of my neck and stung me.

Something cold and gut-wrenching jolted down my spine, and my vision pulsed around the edges.

The stench hit next—rot, sulfur, damp fur, and something coppery that might’ve been my own blood. My stomach heaved.

I swatted at a snake as it slithered over my thigh, then lunged for the next glimmer of crystal as a centipede slid off it. I grabbed it, and a spider sank its fangs into my hand. Yelping, I snatched the crystal back, clutching the pieces together. It was still too small. I was missing one or two more.

Fate was a real bitch.

I dove for them, ignoring the needle-sharp legs crawling over my back. A sting hit my hip, and a second later something else bit my ankle. I grabbed a shard and bolted upright, panting and shaking. My hands were blistered, bleeding and raw from the stings and bites, but the crystal still seemed a little less than complete. There might be one more piece around here.

The gong sounded again, softer this time beneath the din of the manticores above and the creepy crawlies below. The dark-teal disc of light from our platform might as well have been miles away, and I had no clear path back.

Aelir screamed from the center of our platform, "Get your scaffing ass in here, Briar! Please! Just run!"

One last small chunk of crystal caught my attention, wedged beneath a cluster of twitching legs and glistening black pincers. I dove, and my hand plunged through slime and brittle carapaces.

Fuck,I screamed inwardly as my fingers wrapped around the broken shard, and I ripped my hand free.

This had to be enough. I staggered to my feet and charged forward. Nausea sliced through my stomach, and the ground seemed to move from underneath me. I wasn’t sure if it was from my head injury or the critters.

The stone smashed against the soles of my feet, sticky and slick with guts and grit. Something popped under my heel while another crunched under my arch. Prickly legs skittered over my feet, and pinchers cut at my calves.

My whole body felt as if I was covered in these atrocities, and I suspected that, even if I survived, I would never feel clean again. The cold continued to course through my bloodstream like it was their venom. My skin burned, slick with blood and spit and whatever else coated the ground.

Ahead, another woman was running, her light-blue hair matted to her skull and back. She looked as terrified as I felt, blindly dashing forward as the seconds ticked down.

Aelir screamed for me again. She'd stepped to the edge of the platform and was using her wind magic to try and clear the creepy crawlies away. The wind faltered and faded, but my path was better than it had been before, and I wouldn’t complain.

Once again, loud laughter rang out, and Kaylen shouted, “Do that again, Aelir. Your magic is justsostrong and powerful.”

Keeping my legs moving as quickly as possible, I raised my free hand and held out my middle finger. She and Fate must have had a lot in common.

Before they could respond, the shriek of a manticore split the air above me, and heavy wings beat loudly as if it was coming after me. The rancid stench filled my nose. I ducked and rolled as claws stopped short of me by mere inches. If I hadn’t moved, the manticore would’ve hit me in the spine. A gust of wind knocked me sideways, my shoulder slamming into the ground once more.

A tortuous scream lodged in my throat, and more blood trickled down the side of my head. The crystal shards nearly slipped again, and my hands were numb as I clutched them tight to my chest.

Struggling to my feet, I gritted my teeth, determined to keep moving. Even if I died, the others didn’t have to. A stinger jabbed into my thigh as something stung me in the side.

My legs trembled. Each step was fire and ice, blood pouring now from my head to my knees. The ground swayed beneath me even worse than before.

As I neared the first of the circles, Kaylen cupped her hands around her mouth. "You're never going to make it. Come into our circle. We'll share." That vicious smile of hers mirrored Ceana's and that of the water fae standing next to her.

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