Page 79 of Of Serpents and Ruins
Brandt's enraged roar resounded through the chamber. The deadly dance between us had resumed. He bashed through chairs and furnishings, hellbent on the hunt.
I flowed like liquid around the dais, flinging myself forward. He matched me turn for turn. His tail caught the throne and flipped it. The tart-smelling wine spilled over the floor. The world was at once both too crisp and blurred. I shot up the wall,rolling and coiling as he struck at me again and again. His snout bloodied when he struck the stone. I spun back, tucking my tail in before he could snap it up in his jaws.
Elias knelt beside Candy, pressing a large cloth to the wound on her head. Kine shoved away one of the chairs that clattered toward them in Brandt’s chaotic wake.
Terror and elation flooded me at once. It was like realizing I could fly. If it weren’t for my husband trying to rip my throat out, I’d be laughing. This form felt so good! It was like sinking into hot water after a long day.
I swirled around another pillar, my body moving gracefully despite my leaning a little too much to the left. The horns dragged me down.
He lunged forward, massive jaws open, aiming for my neck. I dodged, flattening myself so that he sailed over me. His body collapsed atop mine, burning like fire as he lay over me, stunned. His black and red scales shimmered in the red-gold glow of the lava.
I shot out from beneath him and up the wall. My belly scales clutched at the scooped black stone. A dull ache like a stitch formed along my left side.
Brandt roared again. He shook his horn-crested head and bolted up after me. The rain poured down in a deafening cascade as thunder shook the entire room. Whipping myself up, I narrowly snatched my tail out of his jaws before he snapped again.
My muscles shook. It hurt. Badly. Fire coursed through my veins. Nothing bent. It was like being frozen.
He bit at me again but caught only air.
My tail had vanished.
I had shrunk!
What? Ihlkit! Why? Why had I lost the form?
My fingers scrabbled at the walls, desperately seeking a handhold. My water serpent form had vanished, and I was falling.
Brandt's thunderous roar echoed through the chamber as he reared up, massive claws raking the air inches from my feet.
I jammed my legs against the wall and kicked myself back, shooting past Brandt’s jaws. My back arched.
Instinct commanded me to put my hand out. I obeyed and snagged one of his horns. I whipped my other hand out to grip the other and landed on the back of his neck with a thud. My bare feet skidded across his scales until I found a foothold in his spikes.
Brandt stiffened, then growled.
Damn it! I’d said I wanted to climb him, but I didn’t mean like this.
I burrowed down against his back behind his head, holding tight.
He jerked his head around, hissing and snarling as he tried to spot me. The guttural growl vibrated through me. This one definitely wasn’t sexy. I clung to his horns and the spines, using my legs and arms and even tucking my chin down.
Thrashing back and forth like a creature possessed, he snarled and frothed at the mouth. The chamber spun as he tried to throw me off. I held on for dear life, my breaths coming in panicked gasps. It took all my strength to hold on.
Someone shouted my name. Kine maybe. The words were a blur in my mind, the wind rushing in my ears.
A great force slammed into the side of Brandt’s neck and body. A deadly streak of black and orange shoved him up against the wall and nearly crushed my leg. The two serpents collided and fought. Hord—that was who the black and orange water serpent had to be.
Hord drove Brandt back as Brandt writhed with increased violence. I clung to his spine with my hands knotted around his horns and my thighs gripping his neck. Ihlkit!
Brandt reared. His body lengthened, shooting backward in a flash of black and red glory.
Realization sliced through me like a dagger. He was going to crush me against the wall.
No time to think.
I let go.
He cracked against the ceiling as I plummeted toward the stone ground.
