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The creature tumbles to the ground at his feet. Dead. Ooze dribbles from the slash across its segmented abdomen.

“Kill it!” I cry out, already watching Volan’s foot slam down upon the creature’s head. It shatters with a grisly squelch. My already queasy stomach heaves.

Completely ignoring the gore and ooze hanging off his pants leg, he’s raising his dagger in front of him at the ready.

“Stay back,” Volan commands me with a deep boom. Gone is his carefree tone of voice. Gone is the relaxed demeanor. What stands before me is a fighter ready to face battle. A hardened warrior.

I turn my gaze back towards the tunnel we came from. My blood runs cold at the sight I see.

ChapterTwelve

MAYA

Dozens, perhaps hundreds of bugs fill the tunnel, stepping into our meager light. They crawl across the ground and cling to the walls as they advance upon us. Dark, shiny bodies that glint menacingly at us. Thousands of legs, each one covered in spikes. Huge pincers open and close, snapping in our direction with clear intention.

They are going to eat us.

The beasts don’t hesitate. They rush towards us with one goal in mind: our deaths. They are incredibly fast, almost impossibly so.

I barely withhold my scream when one of the bugs flies directly at Volan, its translucent wings glittering. I didn’t even know they had wings!

Volan roars, stepping forward to meet it. In a move equally as fast as it’s surprising, he ducks to the side as the bug sails through the air past him. His arm slashes out, dagger sliding along its armored back with a metallic scraping sound. Its carapace appears to block his attack as effectively as armor.

My heart nearly explodes when the bug’s many spindly legs catch his arm. He doesn’t make a sound, but his expression quickly flashes to one of alarm and pain. With his free hand, he grabs hold of the bug, wrenching it from his skin. He tosses the creature away and it hits the rough stone wall with a crack.

I watch with fear clinging to my body as its legs frantically wave in the air. It opens its carapace, translucent wings emerging, as it attempts to right itself. I instinctively press myself closer to the wall. If he can’t kill these things with a dagger, what good is my slingshot and a few pebbles going to do?

I’m not the kind of chick that can just race into battle. I’m useless.

Volan barks out a growl, or perhaps a curse word that doesn’t translate, capturing my attention. My gaze spins back to him. Several bugs lie at his feet. While I’ve been focused on one in a complete daze, he’s been battling for his life.

He flicks his dagger toward another bug, and liquid flings from him with the movement. Dark, ooze-like. No! Horror engulfs me as I realize that it’s his blood. It coats his whole arm, flowing freely.

Volan stumbles backward as another bug slams into him, hooking its powerful legs into his trousers. Within moments it’s climbing him. Its pincers wrap around his upper thigh, squeezing.

“I will not be bested by a scamper!” he roars at the cockroach. He stabs at it, over and over again, as he glares furiously down at the beast.

Nothing slows him down. Even though he faces a horde of these disgusting, terrifying beasts, he doesn’t hesitate. He could outrun them, but he stays here for me.

He’s a warrior, ready to fight to the death.

For me.

It’s that chilling thought that strikes through me and makes me act.

I don’t go looking to start fights, but if I want to live through this quest I have to act. I can’t rely on others, not anymore. I have to do this. Wasn’t that the whole point of this quest—that I took personal control of my destiny? I have to fight for what I believe in for once, rather than run and hide.

I clench my teeth and raise my chin. I will do this.

The cockroaches surround Volan, no doubt trying to bring him down. He’s able to fight off the ones at his front, but so many of his enemies surround him that he can’t keep track of all. Each time he spins, or tries to stab at one with his dagger, the ones at his back also attack. They stab at him with the tips of their legs or try to capture his legs within their pincers.

The bugs haven’t noticed me. Yet. It’s only a matter of time. I won’t give them that opportunity.

My hands shake as I raise my slingshot in front of me. My knuckles are white as I clutch at it with bruising force. I’m shaking so bad that I can barely keep a grip on my slingshot. How am I even supposed to aim this thing?

I load the slingshot with a large pebble and pull the elastic back as far as my arm can drag it. I’ve only practiced on stationary targets, not moving ones, but I refuse to let myself dwell on that thought. Volan needs help. He needs me.

My fingers open, releasing the rock. I can’t see it fly through in the low light, but I know when I hit my mark. The cockroach tumbles backward, literally knocked off its many feet and slides across the ground on its back.