Page 76 of Rain of Shadows and Endings

The word had barely left her lips when the ground beneath them shook. The first male, who had managed to get to his own feet, fell back onto his ass, and the second male dropped to his knees. Tessa pitched forward onto her own hands and knees once again, and when her palms met with the earth, light sparked and rippled, a large crack ripping through the path between her and the Legacy.

“What the—” the second male began to say, but he didn’t get to finish. Gold mist began rising from the crack as a crevice took shape, widening the gap between Tessa and the Legacy. As thunder cracked, light so bright she had to turn away flared up from the ground. She was scrambling back, but not before she caught sight of something beginning to crawl up out of the crevice from the light.

No.

Not crawl.

It glided up out of the crevice.

Another appeared.

And another.

Tessa watched in utter terror as bodies rose up out of the crevice. But they weren’t bodies of flesh and blood. They shimmered in the sunlight, their bodies nearly transparent. They floated a couple of inches off the ground, and they were all identical. Pale skin. Tall and lean, with sharp, angular features. Short hair as white as clouds.

They couldn’t be real. She must have hit her head when she tripped on the tree root. Maybe none of this was real.

The first being that had appeared tipped its head back, inhaling deeply. His head turned. White eyes with no pupils settled on her. Could it actually see her?

Not real. This cannot be real.

The terror was paralyzing. She couldn’t move, even as the other beings turned their heads to her as well. The two Legacy were just as frozen on the other side of the crevice, and when the first being lifted a hand, he drew a sword from the very air.

The others did the same.

Those were real.

Very real blades of gleaming gold.

The two Legacy lurched backwards as the beings turned back to them. The figures moved as if to leap across the crevice, but they simply floated over it.

And Tessa decided she had seen enough.

Whatever paralyzing fear she’d been under shattered, and she jumped back to her feet, running as fast as she could down the path. She stumbled more than once as her ankle protested every pounding step, rocks cutting into her bare feet. The cord was tightening around her chest, demanding she seek out Theon and making breathing even harder. She went around another corner, and the sound of barking told her she was nearing the kennels. She pushed herself faster until she was skidding to another halt as one of Theon’s huge wolves burst from the kennels.

Its black fur gleamed in the morning sun, and its hackles were raised. Its ears were pinned back, and its orange eyes were glowing just like they had been when it had chased her up the tree in the mountains.

You have got to be fucking kidding me.

Frozen, Tessa didn’t dare move as the wolf prowled forward. What would be a worse fate? Dying by a wolf or a being that had floated up out of the ground with a sword? She was trembling as the wolf neared her, but when it reached her side, it turned, nudging her hand with its nose. She was trying to hold her breath, but she’d just been running for her damn life and she was panting.

The wolf pushed into her hand again, then moved to nudge her behind the knees as if telling her to move. When she stumbled forward a step, the wolf leapt in front of her, pausing to look back over its shoulder at her.

I am losing my godsdamn mind. None of this can be real.

But as cries erupted from the Legacy behind her, she decided she would take her chances with the wolf over translucent figures with golden swords.

“Please don’t kill me,” she muttered as she darted after the animal.

The wolf led her past the kennels and down another path that she knew would eventually lead to the stables. As the wolf neared them, it darted to the side, and Tessa followed it off the path onto uneven ground. It went around to the backside of the stables, where it reared up onto its hind legs and began pawing at the door.

“Okay, okay,” Tessa gasped, cautiously approaching the door. She unlatched it, pushing, but it wouldn’t budge. “It’s stuck,” she grunted, throwing her shoulder into it again and again.

The wind was whipping wildly now, her hair flying in every direction, and thunder was continuing to rumble overhead as dark clouds continued to build. The wolf growled beside her and let out a loud bark. Startled by the sound, Tessa stumbled back just in time for the wolf to come leaping at the door. The impact of its paws hitting the door echoed around her.

The door flew inward at the weight from the wolf, and it barked again at Tessa. She stumbled across the threshold and into the stables. The moment she was inside, the wolf let loose a long howl before turning and going back the way they’d come. Not knowing what else to do, Tessa heaved the door shut behind her and turned to take in the stables. She was at the back of the building, and she bent over, hands on her knees, as she tried to catch her breath and figure out what to do next.

“She must have gone to the horses.” The second Legacy’s voice carried to her, and her stomach went to her throat.

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