Page 161 of Of Serpents and Ruins
I whimpered. He wanted me to fling him toward the heart. The Gola Resh wouldn’t try to stop him falling in. She’d delight in it. If she saw the reagents though, she’d intervene. This was one way to ensure we finished the task and finished making her and the Babadon vulnerable.
My stomach twisted. It was as if there were knives in my lungs and gut. "No."
The Gola Resh just chuckled. "Oh…oh, how has this gotten even better? What a joy for me. How have you two found a way to make this so much more delightful? So very, very delightful. Stella, darling, let your brother go. Let’s watch him die next."
She circled us like a shark in the water. Her tendrils stretched out. Their cold contrasted with the searing heat of the lava all around us.
My mind spun. Kine’s body hung, heavy against mine.
He stared up at me with those gold eyes, his brow furrowed. "Bug, do it. This ends in death. It’s all right for it to be mine." He somehow smiled up at me, though the edges trembled.
I clung to him tighter. One of my fingers slipped. Kine started to swing. "No. No! No one else!" I screamed.
The Gola Resh circled back around, her eyes glowing in the darkness of her skull. She leered and cackled. "Yes, all!" She lunged at us.
STELLA
Iclutched Kine tighter, trying to hold on to him. My bloodied legs wrapped around his waist. Brandt clutched me harder, pulling my back against the jagged edges of the rock island. We all braced for the Gola Resh’s attack.
The Great Spear sank down into the lava and vanished, sending out another pulse of blue light.
The Babadon uttered a strained moan.
The Gola Resh spun around. "What? You are in pain?" She was gone from us as swiftly as she had appeared. "What’s wrong? Why haven’t you finished reforming?" She pointed at the blue line where the spear had once been. "It’s melted. The life force of fifty has sustained you. Fifty and more. What’s wrong?"
He twitched. His blue-red eyes rose to hers, the colors softening. She was right; he still hadn’t fully formed. "I’m not right. I’m…I’m not forming. Something happened."
A ragged breath dragged from my lips. I twisted my face back up to Brandt. "The spear. We did it," I whispered hoarsely.
We'd prevented his full transformation.
He stared down at me. The heat fought in his eyes. He struggled. His lips twitched, his breath hot against my skin.
"Stay with me," I begged. "Stay with me, Brandt. We’re almost there." My body felt like it was being torn apart. "Kine…"
Kine peered up at me, then nodded. He understood.
"Don’t you dare let go," I growled at him. Sweat dripped down my face. It burned my eyes. I tried to lift him higher, but my arm gave out.
"Just the one arm," he said.
I nodded tightly.
He hesitated. "You sure you have me, Bug? You could just swing me."
I nodded tightly. "I won’t let go."
Every part of my frail human body hurt. My arms were being wrenched out of their sockets, and I couldn’t get a full breath in.
Brandt struggled, his teeth gnashing. "Do it!" His boots scraped across the stone as he adjusted his grip. His fingers at my throat flexed and tightened as he fought the urge.
"What’s wrong?" the Gola Resh demanded again. "How could it have gone wrong?" She darted around the Babadon, shooting down closer to the lava and then back up.
Kine pulled his left hand free.
Ah!
The pressure on my arm intensified, twisting me painfully against the stone. I stiffened, Brandt’s fingers tightening against my throat.
