Page 19 of The Shadow Fae Rhapsody
This one sounds more vicious, hungrier.
“I—I think there’s more of them,” I stutter, my heart hammering wildly in my chest.
Shade nods.
I rub Kahedin’s crystal faster between my palms and the radiating glow intensifies.
“Show yourself,” Shade mutters in the dark.
And show themselves they did.
There are at least a dozen of them on the walkway, surrounding us from front and back. The clicking sounds are coming from the twitching of the sharp nails and talons on their limbs.
My erratic heart is desperately trying to jump out of its ribcage at the rumble in the rabid creature’s throat. It’s going to attack us soon.
Just as I thought, one of the rats lurches straight towards Shade.
“Behind you!” The scream hurls itself from my mouth.
The assassin ducks to the left, the beast’s long talon missing his neck by inches. It strikes again, clawing at Shade’s throat, but he is faster as he shoves his blade deep into the creature’s belly.
It falls to the walkway, its body twitching as it dies.
No. The rat is not dying at all. It’s reviving.
Flesh and muscles stitch back sinew by sinew.
Shade kicks into the face of another one scrambling towards us. Its head smashes under the force of his boot.
The assassin stares blankly at the enemy he had just decapitated. “Usually, I’d say go for the head, but will you look at that…”
I watch in horror as the rat beast attempts to regenerate its head.
“At least it restores slower,” he remarks darkly.
Those first two were a test for us. They’re going to come all at once now. Panic clutches my chest at the incoming threat.
The assassin swivels to look at me. “Are you armed?”
I shake my head in dismay. “No.”
I left my ceremonial rapier in the council room. Even if I had brought it with me, I’m certain it’d be useless against these creatures.
“What’s your favorite weapon?” Shade asks calmly.
Huh?
Shade has the worst timing to hold a questioning session. I’d be happy to answer that when we’re not surrounded by enemies. I’ll even tell him my favorite foods and books too.
“The weapon you are most familiar with?” he asks again.
“A long sword,” I finally answer, hoping it will finally help him focus on our current dire situation.
Shade pulls the very thing I wanted from thin air.
A blast of shock goes through me when he hands me the weapon.
“How?” I murmur my awe.
