Page 82 of Claimed By Shadow and Blood
Arrow Assassin laughed coldly. Rocks shifted under his feet as he jumped to a closer ledge and pulled out another arrow. “Relax. I already got her once. We kill her and the unicorn and remove the horn. Double prize. Double gold.”
I wanted to vomit. They wanted to kill this unicorn for its horn? Not on my fucking watch.
The foal raced to the edge of the chasm. Its white-rimmed eyes rolled as it tossed its head, a panicked squeal escaping its gray muzzle. The dim golden light caught on its iridescent pearl-gray horn.
From about thirty feet away, Sword Assassin moved up behind the unicorn.
The foal peered over the edge of the chasm, then reared up on its hind legs. Its nostrils flared as it snorted and squealed.“NEEEE-iiih.”
Rage boiled inside me. I could jump back there and end Sword Assassin once and for all, but the monster was taking up more and more space on the ledge. Even if most of it haddisappeared into the depths of the chasm, it’d still reach the unicorn, because there was nowhere else for the unicorn to go.
Then I had a plan.
I raced to one of the looser pillars situated at the edge of the platform. The pale gray and beige rock was already tilting toward the chasm. If it fell right, it’d be a bridge. Growling, I rammed my shoulder into the stone, teeth clenched. Then I slid down and dug at the base, my claws hooking into the clay, gravel, and silt.
From the broad ledge I’d just abandoned, Sword Assassin chuckled. He adjusted his grip on the sword and gestured toward the chasm and then me.
The pillar shifted, but not enough. I backed up and charged again, hitting it harder with my shoulder and striking at the weakened foundation point. Pain lanced through my side, but the pillar groaned. The unicorn bleated again and moved back and forth along the edge as if it wanted to jump.
The monster oozed closer. Two sets of eyes opened and closed. It moved faster as its focus intensified.
Come on!
I thrust my shoulder into the pillar once more, and hot blood spattered out of the wound on my foreleg. A shower of gravel spilled as the rough stone column shifted free and tumbled. It crashed over the ledge, landing just low enough to form a narrow bridge across the chasm.
The little unicorn blinked at it, then bolted across.
Crack-THUD-crack.
The pillar shifted against the rock ledge, dropping a little farther. The unicorn foal stumbled but caught its footing and ran faster. Silt rained down from where the pillar’s end had settled on the stone.
“Hey,” Sword Assassin snarled. He raced up from the back of the ledge, forcing the monster’s fog to part. “The unicorn’s ours.”
I growled, and another arrow hit the rock behind me, spraying grit. I pressed my body flat to the ledge, noticing even more blood dripping from my leg. It hadn’t clotted. My wolf healing wasn’t working. They must have done something to their weapons.
Arrow Assassin moved to a ledge almost directly across from me. He whipped out another arrow and smirked.
My blood chilled, and I inched back.
Sword Assassin placed one foot on the end of the pillar I’d knocked over. His boot crunched on the rough curved stone, and he shook it to test its stability.
My breath snagged. The coppery scent of my own blood mingled with the smell of ozone, burning fur, and rot. Dust and small rocks rained down on me, and I twisted around to see the unicorn peering at me from above. It tilted its head and snorted, stomping its right hoof against the stone as if trying to get my attention. Then its focus snapped back to Sword Assassin, who was still testing his weight on the pillar. It stamped both hooves as it reared and drove down again and again.
“HRRRFFF—chh—chh.” It exhaled forcefully through flared nostrils and tossed its head.
Sword Assassin laughed. “You really think you can do something? Go ahead and make your distress calls all you want. I’d love to kill your herd, too.”
Was the foal trying to call to its family for help? I snarled, snapping my jaws.
“Got it.” Arrow Assassin nocked an arrow and shot it. This time, it sliced across the back of the unicorn’s hindquarters, making it squeal and veer away. The foal vanished from sight and screamed in terror. Something slick and heavy splashed, and the cries intensified. Arrow Assassin laughed heartily, until a tremor shook the mountain.
The well at the top cracked, and crimson water leaked out, cutting through clay and earth in a slow trickle that threatened to worsen.
“Fecking void.” Sword Assassin froze halfway across the pillar, his breath sharpening.
“Relax. We’ve still got time.” Arrow Assassin slung his bow over his back and climbed the embankment. “I’ll take care of her.”
They still had time? What was going on with the water?
