Page 138 of The Shadowed Oracle
The general’s eyes went wide, scarcely believing he’d been disarmed, let alone facing the blow that might end him.
Ingrid was barely able to watch. She closed her eyes instinctively, only hearing the beast’s roar.
She finally opened them to see Raidinn with a smile on his face, seconds after making a cut that caused Haxus to reel backward and abandon his target.
Tyla helped Veston to his feet and the three of them now stood in a circle around the beast. Like a harmony of iron and arrows, the team struck one after the other. A thousand cuts to crush an unnatural foe.
Haxus looked to be in pain. He roared out once more, beating his chest. The twins were winded but able to communicate a new plan. While they distracted their foe, Veston approached unseen from behind, trident extended.
“Here!” Raidinn called out, trying to keep Haxus’ attention. “You big dummy! Right here! Come on!”
Veston charged with full force.
He was within feet of the beast, angling those lethal spires, staring down that thick mess of fur matted with blood and sweat.
But he made it no further.
In a flash, Haxus kicked back with his full weight, crunching into Veston’s unarmored chest and sending him flying through the air.
A sickening gasp emitted from the crowd.
The twins took two steps backward, shaken, reevaluating. Taking in the full monstrosity of what stood before them.
The beast of the Isles no longer seemed hobbled, nor in pain. He was as strong as ever, and he was angry. A creation borne out of malice, scorn, hatred, and the blackest of magic. He was nearly impenetrable. Relentless. Bellowing so loud he drowned out his bloodthirsty supporters, then darted back at the twins.
They scarcely evaded, knocked to their backs.
“Run!” Raidinn called out to his sister. “Run now!”
Tyla got to her feet but did not flee. She was positioned for another strike and took it, lunging forward with her hands driving behind the hilt, aiming to put the blade through the beast’s ankle.
Haxus was already on the move by the time she swung. Raidinn had no choice but to leap away from the strike coming down at him from above, and Haxus chased, just avoiding Tyla’s low jab from behind. The twins were locked in a battle they couldn’t win, armed only with their swords.
“Damnit Tyla, run!” Raidinn begged again. He was backpedaling toward the wall of the arena. He’d made it back to the perimeter, either to try the same vanishing act he’d just executed, or to lure Haxus away from his sister—even he didn’t seem to know.
“Please,” he begged. “Run now! Get to Dean and Ingrid!” He fixed his eyes on her, seeming to communicate more. He wantedher to save herself, to find a more effective weapon, to regroup or hide until Dean figured out how to put an arrow through this damned thing’s brain.
Tyla’s eyes welled as she screamed out an answer. “Rai! Okay, Rai! But don’t you dare leave me! Don’t you fucking leave me today!”
She turned suddenly, granting her brother’s wish.
And now Raidinn, out of oxygen, weak due to the lack of food and water while being held in his cell the night before, stood alone.
“Here doggy! Good doggy! Here pup! Come on! This way! Come on! Be a good boy now and… fucking die!”
At the last syllable, Haxus was upon him, claws clashing with metal in a flurry.The sound of it echoed throughout the arena.
It was a miracle Raidinn could keep up. His arms moved like water flowing downstream, the last move blending perfectly into the next. He held his shaking arms high, deflecting the never-ending onslaught, the force of the blows driving him downward to a crouch, and finally to his knees. He was pinned. Ricochets of the talons bounced off the blade and clipped his shoulders. Blood ran down his arms. The blows came harder and faster and on and on and on. And on.
“Rai!” Tyla called out. It wasn’t a warning. Or a goodbye. She didn’t have the capacity for that. It was only an instinct. Seeing her brother so close to the end and knowing she could do nothing to stop it.
“Rai!” she yelled again, using everything she had left. “Rai!”
The great Haxus raised both its beastly arms, all ten deadly claws, and came down on her brother. The weapons clanged together. One last clash of titans. One last thundering blow. One last stand from the bulking world-walker.
And then the ground beneath them split.
Cracks splintered, and the very earth they stood upon began to shake. Haxus pulled away, frightened or confused or just plain furious. There was no explanation, no time for Raidinn to question any of it. He quickly jumped to his feet and avoided a gaping hole opening up beneath him.
