Page 142 of Tales of a Monstrous Heart
‘See what waits for you on the other side, Serus,’ came a mocking scream from the dark as chaos erupted. Dark fiends lunging for the kneeling form of Emrys, but he raised a hand, the bright white light shooting as straight as an arrow throughthe creature’s chest, a crack of bones as they were rendered to dust.
Power to eradicate the dark. Power formed of the Old Gods that made them. Emrys’s energy continued to tear through the chamber, flashes of light that illuminated the horror concealed here as he got back to his feet. Hundreds of fiends, hatching from the darkness.
It was coming for him. Just as he knew it would.
But he’d come anyway.
Come for me.
Fiends charged from behind him, a wall of dark, and before I allowed myself to think, my magic surged, protective and wild. A fire darting forward with a scream of its own, forcing the dark back. I commanded the fire to whip around the chamber, lashing out viciously, incinerating that foulness which clung to the walls. But it still wasn’t enough.
The release of its potency doubled me over, hands slamming into the ground to stop my fall. I panted against the cursed earth. Not realising how much magic I’d already used, the pain of my injuries suddenly came sharply into focus. I wasn’t as strong as I should be. I’d burned too brightly.
I heard Emrys call my name, felt him dragging himself closer, only for that storm of evil to cast us apart, dirt and ash on my tongue. Dark fiends dropped around me, hair whipped around my face. My magic was too slow. Dirt burned my eyes as pain made my limbs stiff and clumsy.
‘Kat !’ Emrys’s warning tore through the chamber too late.
I was sent sideways, crashing into one of the stone walls, which cracked and crumbled around me. Breathless, I hit the dusty tile only to be pinned by the galmoth, its teeth gnashing dangerously close to my face. I pushed my forearm under its jaw to keep it back, its putrid breath washed over me.
With a scream I tried to summon my magic, but no flames would catch with the dampness in the air. The icy bite of fear stung my heart, my damp bloody grip on the galmoth slipped enough for those cursed fang to bury themselves into my shoulder.
I bucked wildly as agony tore through me, screaming until my throat was raw with it.
Beg, the ghost of Daunton’s voice hissed into my ear, sour drink so bitter on his breath I could taste it in my mouth. A razor-sharp blow came across my back, and a horrid animalistic scream filled my ears. It took me a moment to recognise it as my own.
The pressure left my chest, allowing me to move, to try and gain any distance between myself and the agony, but it followed me. My fingers clawed at the dusty earth. Another blow, just as sharp, sent me rolling, sent my screams into the seal.
Light flashed across my vision. Darkness faded until I was on Master Daunton’s floor, Alma cold and immobile opposite me. Blood on her lips. I reached for her desperately, another blow stopping me. Another and another.
I cried out, batting wildly at the air to get it away from me but my hand struck nothing but air. Another lash. Another. Cruel hands on my flesh, pinching and twisting. Laughter filled my ears, demonic and sinister like theirs had been. Another blow struck me, striking my head harshly until light danced across my vision.
I was back in the chamber. Streaks of Emrys’s white light shot through the darkness, the roar of dark beasts and the golden glint of my father’s sword caught my eye as it lay in the dirt.
Fight, Tauria.My father’s command. Sharp and patient.
I reached out, dragging myself weakly until my fingertips brushed the hilt, but suddenly it wasn’t the sword. I washolding the cold hand of my mother, her unfocused dead eyes looking right at me. How sad they’d been in death. All the joy and laughter stolen too.
I wanted to recoil from the memory but it brought me something else. The last promise she made me make.
Live, Tauria.
I promise.My small broken voice answered even now as I watched her slip away. I’d promised her.
Kyvor Mor. The curse killer. The power of the old Kings. My father’s magic, alive inside me. The power she’d wished to feel before she left me. His.
We protect what we love, Tauria. Even when it’s far from our reach.My father’s voice whispered so softly into my ear and I found myself looking to that white demonic light in the darkness as Emrys called my name. Only my name.
Another painful blow struck me, rolling me onto my back. The dark form of the galmoth hissed over me, one long sharp talon pressed over my heart as that dark storm roared around the cavernous space. My blood dripped from its fangs as the seal cracked beneath me. Ready for the final blow.
‘Kat !’ came Emrys’s agonised scream, the room quaked with it. Debris fell, but everything faded into my nightmares once more.
In a blink it wasn’t a demon before me, but the sneering face of Master Daunton. His hand fisted the small bodice of my dress, dragging me off the ground to hit me again.
Alma.
I turned to see her. Prone and bloody on the cold stone floor. How blood seeped from her mouth, bruises under her torn dress. Right before that saints’ altar where he’d touched her.
I’ll keep you safe. Always.My promise to her in the depths of the night. Trapped in that foul place.
