Page 52

After trudging forth for a moment, she paused. How was she going to defeat the dreki? What even was it? They didn’t have any weapons on them, and they couldn’t use their magic. Dread built in the pit of her stomach. If it was as powerful as the last creature they faced, they would die.

“What is it this time?”

“Nothing,” she said quietly. The stubborn part of her didn’t want to cave in and tell him, but the logical side wanted to do exactly that. Two heads were better than one. And they needed to work together to get out of there.

“It doesn’t look like nothing.”

Her right leg dragged behind her, reminding her what he had done to her. “It’s nothing,” she said, louder this time.

“What the hell is your problem?” Blár yanked her uninjured shoulder and violently twirled her around until she was facing him. His brows were pulled together in an angry V, and there was a winter storm brewing in his icy eyes. Rage rolled off his body and her courage quickly withered at the sight of him. He was absolutelylivid.

“W-What?” Kolfinna slapped his hand away. She couldn’t hide the tremor in her voice. “There’s nothing wrong with me—”

“Yes, there is! We’re supposed to work together! Now tell me what’s going on.”

“N-No—”

He glared at her. “Tell. Me.”

She opened her mouth to say something—she wasn’t even sure what she was going to say—but an earsplitting roar broke her thoughts. She cupped her hands over her ears, her body instinctively curling within itself as the enormous mana blasted through the air. She turned toward the sound, and she truly forgot to breathe. Because on the horizon, she saw it.

The dreki was at least fifty times their size; it was larger than a few houses combined. Glossy black and blue scales covered the entirety of its body, and it seemed to draw the suns away from it. Large skeletal wings kept it upright, each flap sending a gust of wind to blow away sand hills. Even from the distance, its teeth were visible and bared, as if ready to chomp. It cried again, and everything shook.

It was the same creature they had seen in the lobby of the ruins; except this time, it wasn’t simply a statue.

Kolfinna went white with terror. Her legs felt like lead, and she turned to Blár, who was just as stunned as she was. Without thinking, she found herself grasping his hand.

“R-Run,” she croaked.

It was the first time Kolfinna had seen Blár so wide-eyed. The weight of the situation dawned on her. They needed to get far away from it because there was no way they could defeat it at their current level.

“Run!” she screamed.

Kolfinna released his hand, spun, and shot in the opposite direction of the dreki. Her heart felt like it would burst out of her chest, and not from exertion. Adrenaline and fear pumped through her veins. How were they supposed to beatthat? It was impossible without their powers. And even if they had their powers, she had never seen something that monstrously large or with that much mana.

The dreki roared and picked up speed, rushing toward them. Kolfinna’s feet sank into the sand with every stride she took. Her calves burned with exertion. Blár was already ahead of her; his speed picked up and his strides grew wider. Kolfinna struggled to maintain her speed, her right leg dragging behind her painfully, the stiff muscles resisting. She was no match against him or the dreki.

“Come on! Haven’t you ever run before?” Blár shouted over his shoulder.

“I can’t run like you, remember?!” Her scream was ripped away with another roar from the dreki, and whatever else she wanted to add dissipated on her lips. She gasped large mouthfuls of air. She couldn’t waste her energy on talking.

Blár slowed down and captured her hand in his, wrenching her forward. Her feet sank into the sandy ground. She had no idea where they were headed. All there was in front of them was sand and more sand. But farther ahead—too far ahead—was a rocky area with what looked like a small, cavernous opening. Blár seemed to notice too, because he shifted toward it.

The dreki breathed and fire stung her back. Kolfinna glanced behind her shoulder. That was a mistake because its ruby eyes zeroed in on her. It was twenty meters away, its wings flapping and a swirl of sand dusting off its feet and claws.

“F-Faster!” she screamed, trying to run with all her speed. Her arm felt like it would rip from its socket as Blár yanked her forward. It must’ve been killing him to keep a slower pace because of her, and yet he did. If he ran too fast and dragged her, there was the chance of her falling. If she fell, the dreki would catch her. They both seemed to know that fact.

Kolfinna felt the wind from the dreki inhaling behind them. The cave was closer. It roared again, the sand trembling with the shockwaves. Kolfinna stared at the cave—it was close. Just a bit more.

A loud inhale sounded behind them and fire shot from its mouth. Just as the fire was about to hit them, Blár wrapped Kolfinna in his arms and dove into the rocks. They crashed into the opening of the cave, and fire blasted against the entrance. Kolfinna crawled deeper into the opening, but it was shallow. She pressed her back against the wall of it, and Blár threw himself after her.

Fire continued blowing into the opening, but it was a few feet away from them. The dreki cried and landed in front of the opening, slamming its wings against the cave. Kolfinna squeezed herself against the wall.

Leave, she prayed.Please!

It shrieked so piercingly that debris and pebbles fell onto their heads with the reverberations. Then, after a moment of ramming its wings against the cave and jumping on it, it sprang up into the sky. Kolfinna’s hands were pressed against her mouth the entire time, as if breathing would make it return. It felt like ages before either of them moved.

“W-What wasthat?” Blár breathed.