Page 11 of A Kingdom of Shadows

"Then release me," I breathe, mustering the little patience I have left in my voice.

He stares down at me, not letting go. Our breathing heaves at a rhythmic pace, fast and hard. Even with mud all over him, his eyes shine through it in rich golden honey.

When he finally breaks away, cold rushes right through me, and suddenly it's the worst feeling in the world.

He slowly rises from the mud and rests his hand around my lower back, lifting me. I don't fight him on that. In fact, I'm too numb to say something or let our bickering get the best of me when—

"Um, Darry?" Tibith's voice trembles with apprehension, causing us to look up.

He's standing at the edge of the grass, staring at something ahead of us, and a weird sensation climbs up my throat as I look over my shoulder.

Bones of animals and possibly humans are piled up in the ditch.

The ground shakes, and I swivel to Darius, clutching his forearms as we try to remain upright. "This isn't just mud," I say, and looking towards the depths of the forest, we watch as something underneath the ground hurtles towards us.

Chapter Five

The mud ripples as a massive centipede-like creature with a strong and unbreakable exoskeleton bursts through it. It screams, revealing thousands of razor-sharp teeth circling inside its mouth.

One bite, and we'll be in pieces.

Thin tentacles sprout from the top of its head, and my eyes widen as it spits a bright green substance toward us. I push Darius onto the ground, landing on top of him while Tibith panics above us, and I look up to see him rolling around in his self-made cocoon, yelling, "Monster, monster, monster—"

"What is that thing!" I press my palms against Darius's chest.

His brows furrow. "Aren't you supposed to be the genius when it comes to creatures?"

"Not this!"

He grips my waist, looking over my shoulder before he rolls us aside. I'm under him as a shot of that liquid substance hits the ground beside us. Mud sizzles and burns—acid. It has to be.

The creature spits again, and we miss it by a slim chance. "See that vine over there?" Darius tips his head toward my right, and I nod, looking at the end of the ditch. "Use it to climb out."

What? "You're not going to act all sacrificial now, are you?"

He doesn't seem fond of my comment, even as his lip tugs up at the side. "I'm trying not to get us eaten."

I scoff as he pushes himself off me. That gives me the chance to get up and rush toward the other side. The creature's shrill roar ricochets against the trees as I sludge through the mud, nearly slipping before I clutch onto the vine and steady myself. Glancing behind, I see Darius kneeling by the pile of bones with a blade in his hand.

"Miss Nara, look out!" Tibith's warning has me darting my gaze to the creature spewing its acid in my direction. Alarm takes over me as I drop to the ground, and the acid burns through the vine. I stare wide-eyed as leaves disintegrate and imagine how that could have been me. Luckily, there's still enough for me to grab onto, so stumbling to a stand, I reach for it again.

"Hold on, Miss Nara!" Tibith squeaks, attempting to heave me out of the ditch just as I land on my hands and knees. "We need to help, Darry!"

I'm up from the ground, whirling to where Darius is fending off the creature.

I unsheathe my blade, watching him roll out of the way before he is hit with the acidic venom. Automatically my gaze goes to the creature as it slithers around like a snake and rises, readying to drop and attack.

A thought occurs.

The creature resembles a centipede.

Its nest is a humid, wet mass of mud.

Centipedes detest the warmth...

"It needs heat," I whisper to myself, realization trembling out of me as I shout to Darius, "It needs heat!"

He frowns at me before ducking as the creature lunges at him. I search the area, my heartbeat in my throat as I lock my gaze on stranded logs of oak wood.

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