Page 48 of Kingdom of Chaos
In the distance, I spot Titus jerk back just in time to avoid stepping on what looks like either an alligator or a crocodile. The massive reptile snaps at him before sliding into the water with a splash, a cold reminder of how dangerous these swamps really are.
One bite could kill me. I don’t have supernatural healing. Not like the others.
But now I know why. Because I’m human.
Talon sticks nearby as we search. Not so near that it draws attention, but close enough that I know he’s watching my back. I want to be annoyed by that, but with all the creepy crawlies lurking in the swamp, I can’t bring myself to mind. If anything, Talon seems like living swamp repellent. Every time he approaches, even the most docile animals scatter. I can’t help but wonder if they sense the predator in him. I think it’s probably just my imagination, until I watch a turtle bolt with surprising speed after Talon shoots it a side-eye.
We comb through the lake area for what feels like forever, slowly making our way from one side of the circular wetland to the other. By the time we reach the far bank, the water has shallowed to knee height between the scattered patches of land.
No one says much anymore. The silence hangs heavy between us, our faces marked with fatigue and frustration.
I really thought this would be it, that the gate was here. But as doubt creeps in, the ground beneath us trembles.
We freeze.
The swamp shudders with a deep, rolling vibration that ripples through the murky water. Birds explode from the treesin a flurry of wings, and small animals dart for cover. A low, splintering crack splits the air, and trees sway violently, their branches snapping like brittle bones, bending under the weight of something massive and unseen.
“Keep looking for the gate!” Talon shouts. “The monster’s awakening. It has to be close!”
I stumble forward, my footing unsteady like I’m walking on a water balloon. The earth shudders again, more violently this time, nearly toppling me. Then, suddenly, everything stills.
Silence falls like a blanket, eerie and absolute.
Where moments ago the swamp teemed with croaking frogs, buzzing insects, and chirping birds, now there’s just heavy, unnatural quiet.
Heart hammering, I scan the area. Everyone’s still, wide-eyed and motionless, exchanging uneasy glances. We should be searching, or running, but instead we stand frozen, like prey sensing a predator we can’t yet see.
Maybe that was it? Maybe the monster guarding the gate decided not to show itself?
A heavy pressure lingers in the air, thick with tension. This is the calm before the storm. I can feel it.
I snap into motion, unwilling to waste another second. Wading back into the swamp waters, I push forward, sloshing through muck that clings to my legs like glue. I’m halfway to another patch of land when the world detonates behind me.
A deafening explosion tears through the swamp.
Dirt. Water. Mud.
All of it rockets skyward as something erupts from the ground. The shockwave hits me like a wall, hurling me forward. I crash into the grassy patch ahead and roll twice before coming to a stop.
Before I can even lift my head, Talon is there.
“Are you all right?” Talon asks, his gaze snapping down my body and back up again.
I push myself upright, about to say I’m fine when I catch movement behind him—the dense trees and vines trembling, swaying.
Once.
Then again.
Like the swamp itself is shuddering under the weight of a colossal force.
Talon turns, muscles bunching as he readies himself, every line of his body taut with tension. Whatever’s coming, it’s big. And close.
Ensley’s voice cuts through the thick air. “I think I found it!”
I twist around and spot her a couple dozen feet away, kneeling on a raised patch of land encircled by trees. She’s digging furiously in the damp soil.
Talon and I scramble to our feet and start toward her, but a deep, guttural growl rips through the swamp. It vibrates in my chest like a bass drum, stopping us in our tracks.
