Page 118 of Skalterra By Nightmare
The Nightmares collapsed under my attack, and I stood over Urian as I continued to hold them off.
“How are there so many?” he croaked in the dirt. A swipe of my talons sliced through three Nightmares at once, and I shook my head.
No matter how many of Ciarán’s Nightmares I destroyed, there were always more to take their place.
A blow to my back knocked me away from Urian, and I caught myself in the dirt. I drove my arm blades through the Nightmares that fell over me. They rushed at us from every direction, and I burned through the Skal in my veins faster than I could keep up.
Then, as one, the Nightmares stopped their advance. They stood around me, blank faced and waiting, though I didn’t know what for. I could’ve cut them down where they stood, but even though I knew they would wake up safe in their beds, I couldn’t bring myself to attack an enemy that wasn’t fighting back.
“Tired yet?” Ciarán’s voice sounded as clear as if he were standing beside me.
“Where are you?”
“Somewhere you can’t fight me with those nasty spikes of yours.” His low chuckle reverberated in the back of my head.
“I saved your life,” I snarled, “and youusedme!”
“That’s funny, I remember helping you. Same way I’m going to help you now. Let’s have a rest, Blue. You’ve earned it.”
“Go to hell.” I spun around, searching for him even though I knew he wouldn’t be there.
“I won’t let any harm come to you. It’ll be okay.”
“Or you can come out and fight me yourself, coward.” I tried to draw more of Galahad’s power into my limbs as I prepared to go down fighting. I still had two lives left. Even if I died tonight, I’d be okay. And if Ididlose a life tonight, it would be worth it if it meant making Ciarán regret using me.
I would make him wish he’d died in that Vanderfall alley.
However, the waves of power from Galahad were dwindling, and when I pulled on the magick between us, I was met with dregs of energy that fizzled and died in my fingertips.
He’d made his escape. He didn’t need to keep feeding me Skal. I’d stayed behind to help them get away, and he’d abandoned me knowing I would still have one life to spare.
I didn’t know why I was surprised.
“Wren Warrender, Prospective Von Leer Viking.” Ciarán’s voice cut the silence that had fallen over the broken city. “Yield, or watch the Lyrian die and what’s left of Tulyr burn.”
Urian looked up at me from where Ciarán’s Nightmares held him against cracked cobblestones. For all his armor and pretty silver weapons, he’d been hiding in Tulyr for decades, just like every other Lyrian. He was likely the best warrior Tulyr’s ruins had to offer, but he was not a fighter.
“Don’t hurt him,” I said.
“That’s up to you, Blue.”
“Who are you talking to?” Urian grunted into the dirt. I ignored him.
“How do I know you won’t hurt him after I yield?” I asked. Ciarán didn’t know I was out of Skal. If he did, he might burn down the whole place anyway. “How do I know Tulyr is safe?”
“You don’t.”
I tried to count the Nightmares. There were definitely too many for me to fight off without more magick.
But if Ciarán brought me to his side, even if it was as his pet, I could fighthim.
A Nightmare raised an orange scythe over Urian’s neck, and the knight screwed his eyes shut.
“Fine!” I shouted at the night. “I yield.”
“Excellent choice.”
The Nightmares that pinned Urian against the ivy-laden street dissolved first, and then the rest followed, falling in a wave of dust. Urian blinked up at me as he pushed himself up out of their ashes.
