Page 85 of Queen of Legends and Lies
Yes. This is how it’s meant to be.
Sterling’s eyes widen, and I know he feels it too.
This rightness.
This unstoppable force birthed from our combined strength.
Now, the question is, what in Ziva’s name do we do with it?
The drachen twist and swoop through the jagged, translucent formations. Another group tracks us from the ground, ready to catch us if we fall. Only the random placements of the natural crystals keep them at bay, their large forms requiring more time to traverse the obstacle course.
My mind races, unfurling and discarding strategies in the space of a heartbeat. First things first, we need cover so they can’t follow us so closely.
And somewhere below, Xenon still waits.
“Fog.” I duck to avoid a drachen ambush as I fly beneath another tilted crystal pillar. “Thick as you can make it so we can hide from these assholes.”
Sterling doesn’t hesitate.
He slashes a hand through the air and silvery mist explodes outward, billowing and swirling until it fills the cavern. The drachen hiss in frustration, their eerie red eyes dulling to a faint pink glow.
“This way.” I dart left, trusting Sterling to follow.
We need a place to regroup. Somewhere defensible, where we can find a precious few seconds to breathe. To plan.
But the drachen have other ideas.
A sinuous shadow detaches from the fog, obsidian skin glistening with malice. Faster than a striking cobra, it lunges.Only the barest flicker of movement saves Sterling from having his throat torn out.
A drachen reaches out with a gnarly black talon. Thick claws rake across Sterling’s chest, drawing rivulets of crimson.
“Fuck!” He grunts in pain but doesn’t falter as he seizes the creature’s appendage, freezes it solid with ice, and wrenches it sideways with a sickening crack.
The writhing bastard screeches. I coat the oozy tendril in blue-white fire, and it falls away before dissolving back into the mist.
“Sterling!” I start toward him, but he waves me off.
“I’m fine.” He scans the fog, searching for another hidden foe. “Don’t lose focus.”
Easier said than done.
The fog swirls around us, alive with unseen threats. I strain my ears, attempting to pinpoint Xenon’s location, but I can only hear the wet slide of drachen against stone.
They’re circling again.
Hunting us.
Fiery rage simmers in my veins, begging for release. Why should we cower like prey when we wield the power of gods?
“No more hiding.” I know he’ll understand what I’m talking about. “Let’s set some traps.”
Sterling answers me with a feral, wicked grin that instantly arouses me.
Pretty damn sure there’s something wrong with me.
He raises his hands, and the mist shimmers, transitioning from pale silver to a crystalline blue.
The temperature plummets until each breath frosts on the air. Then he channels my magic into the spell, weaving threads of blistering heat among the ice.
