Before the one behind me could strike, I rolled to the side. Chills raced down my spine at the memory of its hot breath on my nape.
“Evan!” Rowan stumbled toward me. “Move!”
A second crow lurched at me, snapping its beak inches from my face. It would’ve got me had I not jerked away. It flapped its wings and screamed—that’s the only word to describe the high-pitched squawking.
I searched the ground for anything I could use as a weapon and spotted a large stick. I ducked to retrieve it right as the crow swatted at me with its wing, the air rippling above my head as it passed over. Another miss.
Rowan withdrew his dagger and rushed to my side, still unsteady on his feet but regaining composure fast. Together, we faced off with the crows. They had formed a circle around us and were making noises that would haunt my dreams for the next hundred years. I counted four in total.
“Any ideas?” I asked, waving my stick at one of them as it paced in front of us. “I assume the shadows can’t help hide us this time.”
“Hide us? No. But they can still help.” Rowan closed his eyes and deeply inhaled. On the exhale, his eyes snapped open. The irises glowed a brighter shade of yellow as he upturned his hand, palm-up and fingers gnarled.
I looked toward the crows, not seeing anything at first. But then I noticed the shadows pooling around their legs.
When Rowan squeezed his hand into a fist, the shadows swarmed around the four crows, engulfing them. More horrible sounds filled the air. Screeching and crunching, like bones being crushed. When the shadows retreated, the crow demons collapsed to the ground, their limbs twisted at unnatural angles. Some of their muscles twitched before stilling altogether.
“Goddammit,” Rowan said with a pant, slumping forward. I caught him against my chest. “That took a lot out of me.”
“That was fucking awesome! Like, incredibly disturbing and gross, but awesome.” I was still holding him. Neither of us moved away.
He lifted his head and rested his cheek against my shoulder. “Are you hurt?”
“No. Not even a scratch. Holy shit. You saved us.”
“Not for long,” he said before stepping out of my arms. “I sense others nearby. We need to leave. Now.”
We took off running.
Rowan was nimble on his feet, movements agile and swift. He even managed to keep me from faceplanting several times on top of that. Each time I stepped down wrong or slipped on the fallen leaves, he grabbed my arm to keep me upright. The sting in my kneecap was all but forgotten as we ran.
Shrieks pursued us. Branches snapped, like something large was bursting through them. Or using them to travel, jumping from tree to tree. A demonic monkey, maybe? God. I hoped not. The monsters making those shrieking noises gained ground, closing the gap between us. Other sounds mingled too; heavy grunts and snarls.
“Don’t look back!” Rowan told me.
“No worries! I won’t.” I leapt over a fallen branch, and he automatically reached for my waist to make sure I landed properly on my feet. “Can you use the Shadow Crusher again?”
“Shadow Crusher?”
“It’s what I’m calling that awesome spell you used on the crows,” I rasped, fighting for my life. Running was torture. “Superheroes usually name their powerful attacks. The one you used definitely deserves a cool name.”
Rowan shook his head. “You’re something else. No, I can’t use the… Shadow Crusher again. Not yet anyway. It drained too much of my mana. With proper training, I’d be able to harness more magical energy for longer periods of time. I’d be much more powerful.”
“Is that what you wanted with Onyx? For him to train you in the dark arts or whatever? To help you hone your craft?”
“Stop talking and watch where you’re running,” Rowan snapped, steadying me again as I slipped.
That’s when commotion came from ahead of us. Hooves beating against the earth, the sound thundering.
“Oh god,” I said, voice rising with both my labored breaths and the new stirring of fear in my gut. “Is it a hooved demon? A monstrous man-eating goat?”
It could’ve been a boar too, like one of the huge ones I’d seen a group of adventurers from the Guild lug through the market on their cart, the wheels creaking under the weight of the gigantic beast.
“Over here.” Rowan stopped running and grabbed my shoulders, pushing me against the closest tree. He took a stance in front of me. To protect me?
Movement showed through the trees as whatever it was advanced on us quickly. A black stallion then burst through the greenery.
And on its back, dressed in full armor and with a battle-hardened gaze?
