Page 103 of Scorching the Alien Empire
His sneering smirk makes my eyes roll hard enough to break records. Aided by the raucous laughter of the bone-through-the-nose space-knights trailing behind.
“Screaming withboredom,” I snap, but Drexios only rolls a shoulder. His ragged, red-scaled cloak sways behind him as he strides ahead, utterly unbothered.
The corridor splits ahead. Three paths. No clear difference—only slight variations in the alien glyphs carved into the walls. They probably spelldooma hundred times over.
Dracoth wastes no time reorganizing the soldiers. Jazreal leads a squad to the right. Sarkoth takes another to the left. I blink repeatedly, my mouth opening and closing in different ‘O’ shapes as I flick my gaze between Dracoth and Drexios.
“...Catching znats are we?” Drexios barks a laugh, noticing my reaction. “Well, isn’t thiscozy?”
He feigns a dramatic shiver, making some stupid noise, before suddenly straightening like a soldier at attention.
“Uncle Drexios reporting for duty!” He slams a fist to his armored chest. “Executing mission: Babysit Pinkie, and the young War Chief. Priority alpha.”
I glare at him like the insane fool he is. “I wouldn’t trust you to babysit a single credit,” I scoff.
But he just stands there, rigid as a statue, holding his ridiculous salute like he’s waiting for an officer to inspect his shiny boots.
We press on, weaving through the dark expanse. More corridors intersect and diverge, each one identical to the last. Dracoth halts our group before every junction, brow furrowed in thought, before silently choosing a direction.
When I ask him how he knows the way, his gaze grows distant. “The Voidbringer,” he says simply.
I want to believe him. I really do. But with every new turn, I doubt him more. This place is a demented maze. EvenMr. Frowny Facecouldn’t memorize all this. It feels like we’re both the miceandthe cheese at the same time. Well, actually,these guyswould be rats. I’d be a super cute Minnie Mouse.
Drexios stops suddenly, sniffing the air like some overgrown werewolf. “Oh. You smell that? It’s making me all tingly.” A shudder rolls through him as his gaze sweeps the vast corridor.
“Blood,” Dracoth intones.
The ominous word sends my stomach into backflips. It’s this creepy place. Thenot knowingthat sets me on edge. If it were just pervy space-hobos lurking, I’d be thrilled to squash them like bugs. But this...
Thisfeelslike we’re being led into a trap. Like we’re beinghunted.
Chapter 21
Alexandra
Rotten Fruit
Theloomingglyphsseemto close in, pressing against me—our own cenotaph waiting to entomb us all.
“We have a winner,” Drexios retorts as he skips ahead, his feet gliding over the metal floor. “It’s faded. Curling. Lingering. Little teasing whores.” He sniffs again, swaying from side to side like some invisible ghost is leading him by the nose.
Iwouldscoff at his nonsense if my gut weren’t twisted into knots tighter than my mother’s wallet.
“Babes,” I murmur. A little mouse-squeak of a word. Then louder, closer to his ear, “Babes.”
Dracoth tilts his head slightly. I swallow. “Do you think you could, um... fix your little impotence problem? Like fucking yesterday would be preferable.”
His snarl is low, simmering with frustration. He raises his other arm. His body trembles with effort.
A lick of fire flashes. A spark. Then—nothing.
“Arawnoth’s...defeat,” Dracoth sneers, the word curling in his mouth like venom. “Hasweakenedme.”
His fingers clench into a boulder-crushing fist.
I sigh.Typical. Once again, it’s up to me to save the day. It’ssodisappointing. A red dragon who can’t breathe fire.
He’s basically just a lizard now.
