Page 118 of Ruthless Scoundrel
She raises her hand, palm open toward Vansen. I shift, ripping my suit jacket as I free my pistol. A narrow beam of Reina’s power spears toward the altar and ricochets off a runic shield. Her magic shoots up to the ceiling, slamming into the magus crystal with acrack. The strings of power sliding into the armors around the room gutter and die.
“No!” Vansen shouts and runs a blade down his arm in a rough stroke, spilling his blood across the altar.
I take aim and fire my pistol. The shot slips through the golden shield and a thick, red spray covers the wall behind him. He groans in pain, staggering back as his eyes lock on me.
He smiles, putting his hand over his stomach where my shot pierced. “Ashai, rend my enemies—”
I fire again. The shot rips through Vansen’s forehead and detonates the back of his skull. The evil man crumples to the ground. His blade clatters beside him and his blood splashes across a runic circle. The foundation of the palace shudders, and the golden light around the room goes out, plunging us into darkness.
“I did it,” I whisper, slack-jawed as my eyes glaze in the low light.
The lords and ladies scream and scramble about in the black. There’s another loud crack above us and I look up to see the massive crystal fracturing. Red light spills through from the sky above as shards come crashing down. A spear of crystal pierces through a lord, and the woman next to him doubles over, vomiting gold and black.
“We need to go!” Reina yells, snapping me out of my stupor.
I turn, holding her hand tight as I move for the door we came from. It’s blocked by the two golden suits, inert andunmovable. Lords and ladies pull on the massive things, but they don’t budge. Perhaps my octopus could move them, but I’d be sacrificing a lot of energy. There’s still much to be done, and the way back might not be the way we need to go.
More of the humans wretch up the black and gold drink, holding their stomachs and wailing like children. I cut through the crowd to the door and pull on the heavy monstrosity blocking it.
“Maybe I could melt it,” Reina offers.
I step back, but the other humans rush in, pushing and shoving to escape.
“Move out of the way!” Reina yells.
Someone shoves past her and she trips forward. I catch her and pull her from the chaos.
“The door on the other side,” I say, looking beyond the madness toward the archway sprayed in crimson.
Reina nods, pushing her hair back and wiping a sheen of sweat from her forehead.
I haul her up and we run across the room, dodging fallen shards and humans vomiting. Suddenly, the sun’s light goes dim and everyone turns to look up at the hole made by the missing crystal. It’s too soon for the eclipse; there’s still nearly a half hour to go. Dark smoke appears over the opening and whirls down like a hurricane.
“Ah, there you are,vessel,” the storm howls and my blood runs cold.
A cacophony of screams fills the space as the darkness swells around us. I push Reina back, holding her behind me on instinct. But we’re separated from the pack and easy to pick out. My mind reels as the darkness coalesces at the center of the room, taking an ephemeral shape.
The queen.
I lift my pistol and pull the trigger. The shot disappears into the dark mist of the queen and she grins. I fire again, but the barrels are empty. Fuck.
She tuts at me, and then her gaze shifts to Reina. “Come home, now, and I’ll spare them.”
She lifts her hand and Reina does the same. For one fraction of a second I think maybe Reina will go with her, but then blue power erupts from her palm. The magic smashes into the queen’s chest and she roars in pain as she staggers back.
“Death, then!” the queen screams and her dark magic swells through the room.
Reina darts in front of me, projecting a hot sphere of her magic around us. The black bombards her shield, smashing into it like a tsunami. The few humans still alive shriek, creating a hum of fear and agony throughout the room.
I look behind me to the door. It’s so near, but I know running won’t save us. The queen will give chase. I drop to a knee and reload my pistol.
The cries of the dying turn monstrous as the dark coagulates around the fallen, and the falling. I look up from my barrels to see the blackness taking shape, a huge, four-armed creature made of bodies and crystal shards.
I can’t shoot my way out of this, and my role becomes clear.
Octopus it is.
I’ll get five, maybe six minutes before I pass out. Hopefully, Reina only needs one.
