Page 18 of Zeus' Spark
“How do we kill it?”
All three heads snap in my direction at my words.
Well, shit. I guess it’s too much to hope that they aren’t after me too.
“No clue, but we need to figure it out quickly. It’s after you like all the rest,” Raven says. “Distract it for me, yeah?”
The creature prowls toward us, and lightning sizzles under my skin. I let a ball of magic form in my palm at the same time Raven calls on her huge broadsword.
“I’m starting to feel like constant bait for these things,” I grumble.
I throw the ball of lightning at the oncoming creature.
Raven takes off to the right behind a tree.
“You are the amazing daughter of Zeus. Everyone wants a piece of you.” She peeks her head out around the tree, smirking at me.
The lion’s head roars and spews fire, and I roll away, nearly getting barbequed on the spot.
I fill my hand once again with sparkling energy and throw it at the creature.
It hits the snake’s head, making it hiss in pain as it’s electrocuted. The snake head falls limply and lands on its back.
The snake’s head twitches several times. Is it dead? Can you really kill one head without killing the rest?
“I don’t think it’s dead. Just stunned,” I call, just in case Raven tries anything crazy.
Who am I kidding? She will undoubtably do something crazy either way.
“Watch out, B,” Raven shouts as flames rush toward me again.
I dive out of the way but not fast enough. Blistering heat tears up my leg. Orange flames flicker on the fabric of my jeans, eating away at the material on its way to my skin.
I lose control, and my magic lashes out angrily. A huge bolt of bright-blue lightning zaps the lion in the chest, sending it flying into a tree ten feet away.
“Cut off its heads,” I yell as I put out the flames licking up my pant leg.
I crumple to the grass, trying to calm the raging inferno in my body and breathe through the excruciating pain in my leg. I pull the charred fabric of my pants away from my leg and wince when some of my skin comes away with it.
I gag at the stench of my own burnt flesh. The skin is charred and blackened. My leg feels like it’s still on fire, and I grit my teeth to keep from crying out.
“You okay?” Raven asks.
“This keeps happening because you always use me as bait.” I growl.
I push to my feet and attempt to put weight on my burnt leg but fail. Any weight I put on it makes my charred skin stretch painfully.
Tears prick at the corners of my eyes. My leg gives out, and I nearly fall on my face.
She rolls her eyes. “I am not using you as bait. It just makes sense to have you distract them since they’re afteryou.”
She holds out a hand to help support me, and I take it. Pain sears through me as I attempt to put weight on it again.
“The healer is not going to be impressed. Twice in there in one day.” I shake my head.
Raven wraps my arm around her shoulders so I can hop on one leg. “If you don’t get healed, it could get worse. Magical fire can be a major bitch.”
“Wait a second. Do you feel the wards buzzing like usual?” I ask with a frown.
