Page 98 of Skalterra By Nightmare
I could’ve fought back. I could’ve drawn from Galahad’s power and made bone spikes, or replaced my hands with eagle talons. But as tears and snot dripped off Tiernan’s face and onto my chest, I could only think of Liam and his grief for Riley and his parents.
Tiernan’s fist glowed gold, and he drew it back, preparing to strike me in the face, but Fana fell on top of me.
“Stop it!” Her curls pressed against me as she turned to look up at Tiernan.
“Caitria is dead because of her!” Tiernan cried. “And Galahad expects me to forget that?”
“Caitria is dead because ofme!” Fana said.
“No, she diedforyou, it’s different.” He tried to pull Fana away, but she wrapped her arms tighter around my neck.
“It doesn’t feel different,” Fana whispered. “I don’t want anyone else to die.”
Tiernan’s shoulders heaved, and his throat bobbed as he swallowed hard.
“Is that an order, my Lady?”
“Yes.” She mustered as much authority as she could into the single syllable. Tiernan took a heavy breath, and then gave in to the girl’s command. He stood up and glared down at me, still wiping snot from his face.
“I hope to the Three Magicians that the road to the Second Sentinel is short, Nightmare, so I can bury my memory of you, which is more than I was able to do for Caitria.”
Another cry split the night, but unlike the bugling call of the ramstag, this one was a haunted howl that sounded like it was choking on its own scream. My veins turned to ice, and I froze where I lay on the ground, unable to so much as think through the panic the sound filled me with.
“A rotsbane.” Tiernan extinguished his gold light.
“What do we do?” Fana whispered.
“I— I don’t know.”
“Wren,” Ciarán’s voice was sharp now, “Wren, you have to yield to me. A rotsbane will kill you.”
I shook my head, trying to breathe. I would not yield. I would let Tiernan kill me before the rotsbane could devour my consciousness. I still had three lives left. I could spare one.
The ground trembled beneath my back, and a distant roar grew louder as the trembling turned into a violent quake.
“Get down!” Tiernan pushed Fana to the ground next to me, shielding her body with his.
A beast with antlers that spiraled out in dizzying patterns broke through the wall of grassy stalks, and I rolled over to join Tiernan on top of Fana as a barrage of hooves rained down around us. I dared to lift my head just a little to watch the stampeding ramstags pass around us.
If they were running away, we needed to run too, but it was impossible to move with so many massive animals speeding past. Fana shook beneath me, and I focused on Tiernan’s haggard assurances to her that it would be okay.
“Come on, Blue,” Ciarán growled. “You’ll be safer with me.”
When the dirt finally stilled and the last bleating ramstag galloped after its herd, we pried ourselves off of Fana. The ramstags had flattened the tall grasses around us, blazing a trail away from the direction of the rotsbane.
Blue pollen hung in the air around us, illuminating the crouched form some twenty yards away.
I put a warning hand on Tiernan’s shoulder and silently pointed. He followed my finger as the figure slowly stood up.
Titus, Tamora’s mountain of a bodyguard, stretched out his arms as he straightened. We had indeed been followed into the plains.
“So much for using the others as distractions,” Tiernan growled.
“You made it too easy.” Titus’s grin glowed blue in the light of the spores. “Ramstags don’t sneeze.”
Tiernan’s golden blade reappeared in his hand, and he charged.
The lead that connected him to Fana and me yanked him backwards, and Titus turned to run back into the safety of the tall grasses.
