Page 44 of The Dragon Sacrifice

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Jerrard’s head whipped toward the sound. He knew exactly what it was—the sound of hundreds of mutant spider feet on the stone floor heading in their direction.

He stood up, pulling Seela protectively into his embrace. His brain rattled through escape routes and plans of attack, but kept coming back to one thing. There was nothing he could do to stop them. He was powerless, unable to shift and with nothing to defend them. It didn’t matter. He’d fight to the death to protect Seela. Keeping his arms around her, he turned toward the approach of their enemy.

His ears counted the scrabble of claws to their right. Soon, he could see the beasts sawing through their webbed prison. Their front claws were perfectly formed to make quick work of it. He watched the serrated edges slice toward them, the webbing peeling back in strips and falling to the cave floor. The horde crowded in as the web disappeared, creating another barrier around them, one of hairy bodies and red staring eyes.

“Come for me,” Jerrard said through bared teeth. “And see how many of you are able to walk away.”

“We are hungry.” It echoed in the cavern as one voice, the sound like gravel spilling over a great ravine.

Jerrard’s eyes darted around the horrible faces. They were slowing inching forward, tightening the circle. And he and Seela were in the middle of it. There was nothing beyond but a dark halo. If Stenton and Langdon were still alive, there was no sign of them.

Bending low, he pressed his lips to Seela’s ear, feeling her fear as pungently as an odor. “When I say so, I want you to run. I’ll try to draw them away.”

Her head gave the most imperceptible shake. “What about you?”

“Don’t worry about me.” If he could get her free, that would be enough. Let them take him. But he couldn’t let her down. That would be truly horrible.

There was no time for additional planning. The circle of beasts tightened. Jerrard put Seela behind him, preparing to fight.

The first wave scuttled close on their spider-like legs. The bravest darted forward. It was met with a swift kick that sent it flying into the pile of bodies behind. Jerrard watched it bowl over several in its wake with momentary satisfaction, but that was quickly snatched away as three more sprang in attack.

The sting of their fangs into his flesh was momentary, but adrenaline carried him forward, kicking and punching in wild abandonment that sent beasts flying in all directions. Their strength was in their numbers, however. There was no end to their black hairy bodies. As soon as he smashed two away, two more ran in to take their place. How could he clear a path for Seela to get free when he couldn’t even move forward?

Seela yelped behind him. Two were climbing her body, mandibles pinching the air as if tasting it for her scent. Jerrard stopped what he was doing and ran to her, crunching things under his wake. He ripped the two beasts off her and hurled them. Then he wrapped his arms around her, trying to shield her body with his own.

“There are too many,” she said in despair. He could feel her sorrow. Her hope had fled, terror taking its place. Jerrard felt powerless and weak. He held Seela, pressing his nose into her hair. He focused on the feel of her as bite after bite sank into his flesh. They bit his ankles, jumped onto his back, and scrambled up his neck. It would be over soon.

A blast of heat surged through the cavern. The beasts shrieked in one voice as fire lit up the dark. Jerrard lifted his head in time to see a dragon head lower itself to the ground, flames from its maws roasting a huge group of beasts where they stood.

Stenton. He was using his last shift to save them.

Jerrard shielded Seela from the heat as Stenton blow-torched his way through the horde. His powerful dragon head shone in the light from his blast, slitted eyes squinting against the intense light, large claws scraping away huge swaths of the horde and blasting them with heat again. It was glorious to watch. A dragon’s power was amazing. Jerrard’s heart ached. What he wouldn’t give to be able to shift again.

Langdon ran up behind Stenton, a rusty sword in one hand. He set about dispatching the creatures that tried to flee from the fire.

But his joy at seeing his brothers’ rescue was short-lived. Stenton’s big body began to retract and contort. Dragon eyes flashed wide as he shrank. His shift had lasted even less time than Jerrard’s or Langdon’s. And now none of them could shift.

Jerrard’s eyes swept around the cavern. The ranks of beasts were quickly refilling. There had to be thousands of them now, spilling in from every crack and crevice. Those things must’ve been breeding, growing their numbers as they waited for the dragons’ power to wane. And now that it was gone, every single monster was coming out to play.

Stenton fell to the ground, naked and helpless. Langdon went to his side, sword swinging, but like a flood, the monsters filled every available space around them until neither could do much except try to fight off those that dared to attack. Jerrard saw the numbers multiplying around him and Seela, too. And they had no ace up their sleeve.

He felt a burning in his chest that he at first dismissed, then equated to anger. But when the sensation spread out to his limbs, he could no longer ignore it. His body was on fire.

Glancing down, he didn’t see any flame consuming him. Rather, it felt like the fire was in his blood, burning him up from the inside out. He groaned, unable to contain it any longer. His vision swam. Losing control of his limbs, he sank to one knee, nearly taking Seela down with him.

“Jerrard! Are you okay?” She hovered over him, her face flushed with concern.

But he couldn’t answer. He felt sweaty and sick. His heart thudded. Bones that he never really noticed in his day-to-day life ached, feeling as if they were splintering. What was happening to him?

All at once, an electric pulse shot through him. He fell on his back. He thought he was dying, but he soon began to realize that the pain and sickness he felt was melting away. Instead, he felt… glorious.

Power surged through him. He hadn’t felt power like this since… since before they’d been cursed.

Good Lords. That was it.

His eyes met Seela’s. He knew.

But there was no time. When he raised his head, Langdon and Stenton where nowhere to be seen. Jerrard searched in his body for the magic he now felt returned.

Then he stepped back and shifted into his dragon form.

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