Page 7

Just a few...

Linh gasped when something tapped against the side of her cheek, and her eyes flung open. At the man’s face in front of her, one that had a horrible smirk across it, she let out an ear-splitting scream.

She never got the chance to jump to her feet to run from one of Bragg’s underlings, nor to truly settle from her shock. A cry ripped from her when he grabbed the ball of her braided bun and dragged her across the ground as she kicked her legs. She reached up and clung to his wrist, trying to take away the pain.

The area was shaded, dusk quickly descending upon them.

Her features twisted up in anguish when she realised she’d fallen asleep for hours. Her body ached from being in a seated position, and all her exhaustion made her too weak to truly fight back.

“We knew we’d find you,” Glendil stated with a chuckle, his blond ponytail shifting side to side as he shook his head. He tossed her against the ground.

Randy then lunged for her, pinning her legs to the ground as he went to bind her hands. His long, auburn beard almost tickled her nose as she struggled to get away.

“You know he’s pissed, right?” Randy stated, his blue eyes cold and unfeeling. “He warned you he’d cut one of your Achilles tendons next time you ran away. He doesn’t care if you limp, only that you’ve got a pretty face and a warm–”

Linh belted out another scream as her struggles doubled. “Get off me! Leave me alone!” Tears instantly welled in her eyes, as a fear so harrowing bled into her veins like ice. “Please!”

She just wanted to be free! She’d rather die than go back there – tohim.

“Shut the fuck up!” Randy yelled, slamming his fist into the dirt next to her head. She refused! She kicked harder and screamed louder, knowing he couldn’t hurt her unless he wantedto experience Bragg’s wrath. “Fuck, Glendil. Help me get a rag in her mouth.”

A beastly, inhuman, hissing roar sounded from below her feet. Water sprayed through the air like a mighty wave. Then Randy was gone from above her.

Linh gasped as a gigantic black...somethingdived above her, tackling Randy to the ground in a swipe of claws. The sheer mass of it, the length of it, was so utterly daunting, and the end of its tail landed on her stomach.

When the breath slammed out of her due to the weighty limb, she retched, crossing her arms over her torso as her knees came up. Her entire body clenched as if she’d been punched in the stomach before it slithered off and away.

When she sat up and spun on her backside, Linh kicked her feet to get away from the monster that had unwittingly saved her. Her back met the boulders she’d slept against, and she brought her knees up to make herself smaller.

Oh my god, what is it?!It didn’t look like a Demon. At least, not like any she’d seen! It was also so long and big – she’d never heard of such a large monster.

Glendil, brave but undeniably stupid to think he could take it on, charged with two hands firmly on the hilt of his claymore. While the creature ripped off an arm belonging to Randy, who yelled and screamed, Glendil sunk his blade through its torso until it came out the other side. He tried to yank it out, but his tugs proved futile.

A white serpent skull splashed in blood turned to Glendil with a bone-chilling hiss. Two long fangs dropped and lengthened as it removed the blade itself and turned. The monster lunged, diving for the man with such a swiftness he only had enough time to pull out a dagger. It sunk its fangs into the crook of his neck and shoulder as Glendil stabbed it multiple times.Anywhere and everywhere he could reach, dark-purple blood splattered as its side was opened.

The attacks did little to stop it, and Glendil eventually sagged the longer its fangs remained. The dagger fell to the grass with a quiet thud.

The third and final bandit had his battle axe prepared, but his eyes were stark and wide. He was too frightened to move.

So was Linh as she took in the enormity of its serpent body.

Its long tail, spanning metres in length, supported a humanoid torso. White bones protruded from its ribcage, the knuckles of its hands, and the hundreds of vertebrae down its spine and tail. Black serpent scales glinted with a rainbow sheen. Menacing claws tipped its blood-soaked hands, and it turned them towards the last man, who went visibly pale at having a set of crimson floating orbs upon him.

He screamed as he ran, heading for the shade of the forest.

Massive fins darted from its back, appearing out of nowhere to create one giant sail, as it gave chase with a roar. The last bandit barely made it into the tree line before he needed to swiftly turn. He sunk his axe into its chest, cutting deep, but it was too late.

In a singular swipe of claws, it tore open his throat and chest. He gurgled, cupping his throat to stem the bleeding.

Linh covered her mouth to stifle her whimper, shaking her head as the creature opened its maw and bit around the bandit’s head. Her fearful tears from earlier fell faster, but she knew she had to steady herself.

Her gaze darted to the gloaming sky and then back to the monster, noticing the way the light glistened against the scales covering its back. Linh absorbed its snake skull, watching as the lower segments of its jaw separated so it could easily swallow an arm. It appeared it wanted to eat the man piece by piece before it just started trying to shove his limbless torso into its mouth.

It has a skull. Demons don’t have skulls.Her nails dug into her cheeks.A Duskwalker?

How the fuck did a Duskwalker get to the northwest cape of Austrális? They would have known about it. It couldn’t have wandered through the mountain gorge without Bragg knowing of it. Or maybe he did and considered it too big of a challenge to confront.

Finally removing her hands from her mouth, she cupped them to her chest.Breathe, Linh. Breathe.She tried to settle, to remove her scent of fear from the air. Closing her eyes, she ignored it eating the men, especially when it doubled back to eat Randy still bleeding out.Go numb.