Page 93 of The Wild Moon
No, not a dagger. A sword. It just looks like a dagger on him.
“Get moving, Danielle Wetter,” the Champion of Amunlea growled, his voice powerful enough to shake the cavern, pebbles and rock dust falling down.
I swallowed nervously. Less than ten feet behind me, a god was preparing to go to war. Somehow, I felt like this wasn’t something humans were supposed to be a part of. The power he contained was shimmering the very air around us.
“I’m trying,” I said, refocusing my efforts, pushing against the barrier, willing it to let me through. “Trust me. I’m trying.”
A ghostly wail filtered down the tunnel.
“We are out of time,” the Champion growled. “They are here.”
I was nearly knocked to the ground as Vir strode to the tunnel entrance to meet the enemy in battle. Each step released power, its energy washing over me.
Clearly, he was holding back when it was just the two of us.
A mighty roar filled the tunnel, nearly bursting my eardrums. I screamed.
“Let me through!” I shrieked, my wolf howling her agreement.
Nothing was happening.
Looking over my shoulder, I saw Vir battling the enemy. His spear moved so fast it appeared like a golden wall in front of him. Bits and pieces of whatever he was fighting sprayed around him, the spear spinning so swiftly everything was chopped into fine bits that adhered to the tunnel exterior.
“You must go!” Vir said. “Now that they’ve found us, the warriors will be here soon.”
“I’m trying!” I shouted.
“Try harder!” he bellowed. “Or we both die!”
Chapter Forty-Eight
“No pressure,” I told myself, gritting my teeth. “Just get through this impenetrable barrier, or you’ll be responsible for the death of the last shifter god in existence. Not the sort of story to tell your grandkids.”
I won’t be having any grandkids if I don’t get through. Because I’ll be dead right alongside him. Probably a fitting punishment.
Heaving my entire weight against the barrier, I struggled to gain ground. It was harder than rock. Unmoving. I snatched up a nearby rock and, gripping it in both hands, lifted it over my head and brought it down on the barrier.
The impact shattered the rock, but its impactdidreveal a ghostly blue dome, showing me the barrier for the first time, not just Vir’s outline of it. Though, I had no idea how I could use that information.
Maybe brute strength isn’t the answer. How did you get through it last time?
That was easy. I’d fallen through it. Hurt and wounded in the fight, my wolf’s leg had given out on me. I had tried to lean on the barrier to keep me on my feet, but instead of the solid wall, it had simply vanished, letting me through.
The sounds of combat up the tunnel grew louder.
Part of me was grateful that only I had made it through the barrier. Not Johnathan, and certainly not Aaron. It was good I’d left him and his team behind. Hopefully, they were okay, having ditched me and headed back for the city. With the time I’d spent in Vir’s lair, their contract was up. I’d have to send word to him if I made it through, let him know I’d survived.
Unless Johnathan had gone after him.
That would be just like that asshole.
Angrily, I shoved against the barrier again. Someone needed to teach Johnathan a lesson, show him he couldn’t just do whatever he wanted to whoever he wanted. Him and his asshole of a father. Maybe I couldn’t stop them, but I had a better shot of success against them than I did against whatever had killed Vir’s brethren.
“Hurry!” Vir grunted, his voice closer now.
I risked a look over my shoulder to see him backing down the tunnel. Following him was a mass of shadow and darkness, hiding the enemy from my sight. I could hear them, though. Ghostly wails filled my ears, a near nonstop sound, paired with the whistling scream of Vir’s spear as it sliced through the closest ranks, splattering them all over the walls.
“I’m trying!” I hollered back. “It’s not working.”
