Page 68 of Realm of Nightmares
He shook his head, forcing himself to focus. He had to get to the surface—he needed to breathe—but through the deep sapphire sea, he caught sight of the serpent. Beyond it, a blur of shadow and darkness.
Blood spilled from the creature’s wounds in languid ribbons, dissolving into a murky mess, obscuring the shadow. It had delved into the sea again, moving with ease, its body coiling like that of a venomous snake, preparing to strike the glacier once more.
Tiernan had the advantage.
The serpent had no eyes, and the turbulent sea masked every scent. It had no idea he was there or that its very life was threatened. Now Tiernan was the predator stalking his prey. There would be no mercy.
He glided through the waves, swimming closer. Every movement was lanced with pain, and his limbs protested in agony. He had to be swift. He could hold his breath for a fair amount of time, but if he didn’t assault the serpent soon, he would drown.
He swam, drawing himself up behind the serpent, and when it took aim, he attacked. Hurtling himself forward on the rise of another wave, he latched onto the snake’s back, clutching its rough scales.
The creature burst through the glacier, shattering it into a thousand pieces as rough sea water sloshed around them. Tiernan sucked in a breath of the metallic-tinged air as slivers of ice sliced his face and forehead. In the distance, Aran shouted, but his voice was lost to the scream of the serpent. It jerked, spasming violently beneath Tiernan’s hold.
At once, Tiernan’s wings exploded from behind him in a swath of midnight and violet. He soared upward, flipping his sword so he caught it by the leather-wrapped shaft. Summoning as much force as possible, he dove downward, cutting through the cold. He slammed the hilt of his sword into the sea serpent’s spine. A satisfying crunch of metal and bone reverberated through him as the impact sent the beast surging forward.
Colliding with the ice, the serpent fell as wedges of ice exploded around it, and a swell of ocean water rushed over its body.
Tiernan lunged, hoisting his sword high. The blade glinted like midnight in the dull glow of dawn.
Jaw clenched in rage, he swung, slashing through muscles, tendons, and bone, severing the head of the giant sea serpent. Blood spurted, coating his face, his armor, and the ice. Energy rippled around him, infused with the power of his own strength.
His magic exploded in a torrent, crackling and striking. Thunder split the heavens, the sound of it like the collision of mountains. Deafening. Vengeful. He stalked over toward the decapitated beast, chest heaving. Its body remained lifeless, slowly sinking back into the ocean from which it came. The monster’s head lolled against a block of ice, and Tiernan kicked it back into the gaping chasm of the sea, leaving a trail of blood and slimy innards in its wake.
He wiped the back of his hand across his mouth and his glove came away smeared scarlet. Though whether it was his own or that of the sea snake’s, he didn’t know, nor did he care.
He watched as it disappeared into the waves until its very existence was erased.
Tiernan lifted his sword, inspecting the blade. “Do not fuck with a High King.”
Aran strolled toward him, bruised and bleeding, but alive. His auburn hair, still pulled back in a messy knot, was lopsided and streaked with blood. He grinned. “Alright, Serpent Slayer, let’s get out of here.”
Tiernan smirked, then cast his gaze to the brooding sky. “We should fly before the storm sets in again.”
“Excellent idea.” Aran’s wings, deep crimson and gold, appeared behind him and they took to the skies.
It only took minutes before they were entrenched in the blizzard conditions of the Ice Straits.
They climbed higher, drifting through the incoming mass of clouds. Gusts of stinging wind blasted them, each squall throwing them off course and making it more arduous to maintain control. Flying in rain was one thing, dense snowfall was something else entirely. White flakes swirled around them, falling in heavy clumps that settled upon their wings like a cumbersome weight. The temperature plummeted, and Tiernan clenched his teeth against the onslaught of the cold.
“We need to find somewhere to land,” Tiernan called out over the howl of the wind.
Aran nodded, squinting against the storm’s wrath. “Preferably some place where we won’t die.”
They swept lower, closer to the ground, and Tiernan searched the expanse of endless white until a towering mass of shadows emerged. They seemed to crawl upward toward the sky, a wall of impenetrable darkness.
The Kethwyn Woods.
It would be impossible to fly over the forest. It was warded by some type of ancient magic or spell, unable to be breached by the sky. He attempted to fly further above the compressed tree line the last time he ventured to Maghmell, where the woods were so thick with growth they blocked out any shred of light, but he’d flown right into the charmed barrier.
The incident had left him unconscious for two days.He was lucky he hadn’t died then.
“There.” Tiernan pointed to a brief clearing of smooth, snow-covered hills right at the edge of the imposing forest.
Navigating through the icy winds and churning snowstorm, they glided downward. They landed where the frozen earth gave way to hulking evergreens, the only sign of life in the Ice Straits.
But Tiernan knew better. He knew what creatures dwelled within the Kethwyn Woods, watching. Waiting.
Aran dusted the snow from his fur cloak, tucking in his wings, then whipped around to glance behind them.
