Page 149 of A Cage of Crystal

That experience had certainly tested him, though he was convinced the only thing that had kept him on his feet was the incessant numbness he’d felt in the wake of his father’s death. He’d felt fear then, yes, but it hadn’t been as strong as his guilt. That guilt had allowed him to defy death, to risk everything, uncaring what happened to him.

He didn’t have that luxury now.

Gone was his self-loathing, self-hatred. Gone was his desire to be punished for every good thing he’d been given.

I’m sorry, Father.I can no longer bear the burden of your death. I can no longer wish I’d have taken your place.

Because now, more than anything, Larylis wanted to live.

Thatneedto survive generated waves of fear. It grew with every swipe of the Roizan’s claws. Sent his heart thudding with every kick of the creature’s hooves that brought him to the brink of death. He wasn’t blanketed in numbness this time, no matter how he wished he could be. Instead, he was plagued by the selfish yearning to breathe another breath. To experience all the joys and pleasures life had in store for him.

Mareleau.

Their unborn child.

Every experience they’d yet to have.

He could tell himself he was fighting for the citizens he was responsible for too, but it wasn’t the selfless desires of a king that kept his arms swinging. Kept his legs dodging. Kept his body rolling. Standing. Running. Swiping. Stabbing.

It washer. Their future. To hell with everything else.

The Roizan swung a massive paw. Larylis dove to the ground, but pain seared his thigh. He didn’t have time to look at the wound, didn’t have time to wipe the sweat from his brow. He rolled to the side, climbed to his feet, fighting the pain that screamed in every muscle, every bruise, every torn inch of flesh.

He rounded the creature, darting behind it on aching legs. The beast swung its head, trying to pin him beneath one of its four sets of eyes. With its rear hooves, it kicked out, grazing Larylis’ ribs. His vision blackened, but he swung his sword again and again, grunting with the pain that radiated up his arms each time his blade met the thick hide of the Roizan. His next swing sank into the beast’s slender leg.

The creature bellowed. It planted the wounded limb on the earth, but the grass had been turned to mud. The Roizan slipped. Fell. Skidded to the ground.

Larylis charged for the injured leg. Gritting his teeth, he swung. Cleaved.

Whatever it took, he’d live.

Hehadto live.

* * *

Mareleau hauledCora to her feet by her good arm, though Cora was certain the girl wasn’t being mindful of the wound she’d inflicted. “What are you doing?” Mareleau asked, eyes darting from Cora to Teryn. She gestured toward the field, teeth bared in frustration. “We have to help Larylis.”

Cora spotted Larylis scrambling to his feet, moves lethargic. The Roizan hobbled after him, one of its hind legs missing. Larylis must have severed it to slow it down. The beast opened its maw, raking its tusks from side to side as it charged in close. Larylis rolled to the other side and dove to his feet, managing to sink his sword into the monster’s neck. The Roizan let out a bellowing roar, then hobbled in for another charge.

Though Larylis fought relentlessly, Cora could see the exhaustion in his limbs, the ashen pallor of his skin. She cast her gaze throughout the meadow, seeking anything she could use to help him. The camp had been made as a base for a hunting excursion, but there were no weapons in sight. The hunting party must have taken them all with them.

Teryn cried out, drawing her attention back to him. His face contorted, and his hand shook as he fought to form the next line of his intricate pattern on the back of the shirt. In the next moment, his face went slack, eyes hard.

A chill shuddered through her.

She knew that look.

Knew it didn’t belong to Teryn.

She rushed before him and framed his face with his hands. “Teryn.”

His eyes rolled back. The sorcerer’s steely gaze disappeared, and Teryn regained control of his body. She moved her hands to his shoulder, ready to intervene again if needed. He erupted with a cough, one that sent specks of blood flying from his lips, but he immediately returned to his task, dipping the reed back in the blood, painting a delicate slash of red, then a loop. Higher and higher the pattern climbed. He lifted his eyes, frowned at something in the air, and returned to paint another loop.

Cora squinted into the space above them where Morkai’s weaving continued of its own accord. The pattern was more complex than the one Teryn was painting. It was taller too, and she feared that meant it was more complete. From the hasty speed of Teryn’s brushstrokes, she got the sense that he was racing against this one. If only she could disrupt the pattern—

Something slammed against her, and she fell to her side. She looked up in time to see Teryn—no, Morkai—standing over her. Mareleau reached for her, dragging her to the side. She bit back a cry as her shoulder screamed in pain. Morkai released a growl of frustration and snapped his fingers. Suddenly, the Roizan turned away from Larylis and hobbled toward Cora and Mareleau, the four grotesque faces inching closer and closer.

Cora threw an arm around Mareleau and tried to focus on…onsomewhereto use her magic to travel to, but her mind was racing too fast, her emotions too tangled, too panicked.

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