Page 126 of Beasts of Briar
Chapter Sixty-Nine
BELLAMY
We ran as fast as our legs would carry us toward the fighting. The closer we came, the more the ground shook, trees rattling, creatures scurrying in the opposite direction. Fissures broke through the ground, and I wondered if it was the gods’ magic causing all this chaos. Rain pounded against us now, and a harsh wind whipped through the jungle, bending the trees to its will.
We finally arrived at the battle site to see magic flying everywhere in complete chaos. For every god, there were at least thirty people battling against them.
Leoni had been successful in rallying the Neverland boys, and even though many of them were decades old, it still felt wrong watching some of the younger ones fighting. At least they had their shadows back. At least they could grow old now. If they survived this.
The gods’ magic was strong, getting stronger by the minute.
Kairoth commanded his shadows, mainly on the defense, keeping everyone safe. An ice shard flew through the air, andKairoth commanded a shadow to fly in front of it, blocking the shard from hitting its target.
The shadow dissipated then reformed.
His family’s shadows still swirled around him, forming the beast with its red glowing eyes and snapping jaws. The beast snapped a spear of water in half, the water splashing down to the ground and further soaking everyone below.
“There.” Ryder pointed to Khalasa, who was off to the side, not summoning her magic, not fighting any battles, just watching.
Waiting.
For us. Her gaze locked on the eight of us standing together, and a slow smile spread across her face.
My brothers gathered in front of me. Still my protectors after all this time. But I’d grown up. I didn’t need protecting.
A boy cried out as a fireball hit him square in the chest, and he fell to the ground, dead on contact.
“Time to end this,” I said as we made our way through the battle and toward Khalasa.
“Watch out!” Jorah called right as a vine snaked out through the air and straight toward us.
The vine was inches from impaling Soloman when a shadow darted in front of our group, catching the vine.
I looked over to Kairoth across the throngs of people. He stared at me from behind his shadow beast, his eyes glowing red.
I raised a hand and put it to my heart, and he did the same before turning his attention back to the fight.
We picked our way through trees and brambles, boots sinking in the muddy jungle ground while the wind howled around us. Khalasa watched us the entire time, not making any move to fight.
“Why isn’t she attacking?” Killian asked.
“Probably some psychological game,” Ryder muttered.
“She’s too proud,” I said. “She wants to defeat us fairly. So she’ll wait until we get to her.”
We all came to a stop in front of the goddess. “Your father is dead, so now I just need to exterminate his offspring. Then I’ll go for your mother, of course, and the last remaining legacy of your father will finally be gone from this world.”
So much hate. It was hard to believe my father had ever fallen in love with her. But that wasn’t fair. She’d tricked him, made him believe she wanted the same things as him. When really she’d just wanted him under her control.
Ryder unsheathed the sword at his side and charged for Khalasa. My other brothers followed behind, all of them waving their weapons in her direction. She reached up toward the sky, summoning her starlight, which spliced down through the canopies. My brothers hadn’t lost a step.
They deftly avoided the starlight, slashing at it, dodging the strands of light that attempted to trip them or bind them.
My heart clenched. I wanted to fight with them. I wanted to keep them safe. But I had to use this opportunity they were giving me to get into Khalasa’s mind and get the answers that would save us all.
Shadows surrounded me, and I glanced back at Kairoth. He was ensuring I stayed protected while I dug into the goddess’s memories.
“Watch out!” someone yelled from behind as a huge explosion of fire hit a group of boys. They flew backward, all of their lifeless bodies landing on the ground.
