Page 285 of Cursed Evermore
Arms and legs merged into his torso as muscles and bones restructured themselves into coils of armored flesh like my dragons, stretching nearly thirty feet long.
A breath later, the Soul Weaver had become a basilisk. But quite unlike anything from the old stories where legends spoke of serpents that turned men to stone with a glance.
This abomination was something far more sinister.
An eyeless skull gazed back at us. And somehow, it still seemed to watch our every move. Rows of razor-sharp teeth filled its gaping maw, and when it hissed, the sound reverberated through the cavern like a death knell.
"Fuck, take cover!" Bastian shouted, raising his sword as the beast lunged for us.
Alaric and I dove to the left while Bastian ran to the right, flanking the beast.
Our movements threw him off, but not long enough for any impact. His massive tail whipped toward Alaric, who just about managed to roll out of the way. The beast’s tail shattered the wall, sending chunks of rock flying.
"Spread out!" I yelled, dodging as the basilisk's head snapped toward me, jaws wide enough to swallow me whole.
Bastian and Alaric split away from me, and we darted through the air, forcing the creature to divide its attention. We might not have our magic, but nothing could move faster than us.
The basilisk's body coiled and twisted, filling the cavern as it tried to corner us against the skeletal walls. I saw an opening and took it, lunging forward with my sword raised above my head.
I brought the blade down between the scales along its flank. Black ichor sprayed from the wound, but the creature barely seemed to notice.
Fuck. If that were any other creature, it would be dead, but this monstrosity moved as if I’d done nothing. And he caught meoff guard. Its tail lashed out, striking me across the chest and sending me sprawling.
I had to unfurl my wings to stop myself from crashing into the wall.
Alaric reacted fast, rushing toward the basilisk with his axe raised. He vaulted into the air and swung down with brutal force, targeting the beast's neck, but the armored hide deflected the strike.
The basilisk turned its attention to him, and that's when it opened its maw and sprayed a stream of acid that hissed and bubbled.
I ran to him, but I was too far. Thankfully, Bastian threw himself against Alaric just in time to knock him out of the way. Instead of hitting Alaric, the acid struck the cavern wall, and the stone dissolved immediately.
"Get down, Wolfe!" Bastian yelled.
I dove behind a rocky outcropping as the basilisk spewed another round of acid spray, melting the ground where I'd been standing.
The fucking beast slithered forward with terrifying grace, coming for me. We had to finish this now. It was clear I wasn’t going to get any information from the necromancer, but if I killed him, at least the enemy wouldn’t have him.
I waited for him to come closer, so we’d all have a chance to attack, then I shouted, “Ilmerie!” It was the command I gave when we were to attack as one to take our target down.
In one swift move, the three of us attacked, our blades striking the basilisk’s hide as we landed on top of it.
The beast's head snapped toward Bastian, who barely managed to get his sword up in time to block the strike. The impact sent him sliding backward, his boots scraping against scales as he fought to maintain his footing.
I rolled between its loops, and as I observed its neck, an idea came to me. There was no armor where the neck joined the rest of the body. That had to be its weak spot.
As the basilisk focused on Bastian and Alaric, I sprinted up along its coiled body, using the creature's scales as footholds. The basilisk writhed, trying to shake me loose, but I held on, then leapt into the air and drove my sword deep into its neck.
The creature let out a shriek that made my ears ring, thrashing wildly as I twisted the blade. With one final, savage cut, I severed its head completely.
The massive body convulsed before tumbling to the ground, then it went still, black blood pooling beneath the remains.
Alaric was about to say something but stopped when the basilisk's body began to shimmer before it disappeared into nothing, revealing a truth that chilled me to the bone.
Fucking fuck.
We'd been fighting an illusion.
As if in answer to my thoughts, the Soul Weaver’s laugh rumbled through the cave. Then he appeared before us with that big toothy grin on his face.
