Page 65 of A Tempest of Intrigue (Tempest of Shadows #4)

CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE

Ellery

Ahead of me, Mouse jumped onto a boulder and turned back. He waved his hands frantically at me as something crashed down behind me.

Dirt peppered my legs as claws raked my calves. I cried out, staggered, and nearly went down as blood spilled from the shredded flesh of my legs.

The black dog had missed pouncing on my back, but it had succeeded in slowing me down. Blood soaked what remained of my pants as every step sent shooting pains up my legs and into my hips and spine, but I couldn’t let that stop me.

If I stopped, I was dead.

“Oh shit. Oh shit,” Farley panted like he was the one whose lungs burned as he sprinted through the trees.

“Run!” I screamed at Mouse, who remained on the boulder. “Run, Mouse!”

He didn’t run; instead, to my horror, he leapt off the rock and raced back toward me.

NO!

I pulled my dagger free from my side. If I turned to fight this thing head-on, while I might be able to kill it, the others would be on me.

If I stopped, I could gather and aim my lightning at them. I’d kill some of them, but I didn’t know if I’d have enough time to slaughter them all, and if I didn’t, then I was dog food.

“Run!” I shouted at Mouse again when he was only a few feet away.

He stopped, and his gaze shot beyond me. Then, he turned and ran again. Following Mouse, I darted around a few large rocks and into an open area amazingly clear of debris.

On each side of me, rows of trees blurred as I raced past them. The black dog’s claws didn’t click as much through this clearer area, but they thudded loudly against the earth as, all together, they released an eerie howl that echoed through the darkening forest.

That howl caused the hair on my nape to rise as their excitement beat against me. I kept waiting for one of those things to sink its teeth into my leg and the following crunch of bone. I could hear the crack of it in my head as I kept running.

Without looking, I unleashed more lightning behind me. When nothing cried out, I knew I’d missed hitting anything, but hopefully, it had made them hesitate.

We were about halfway through the open area when something shot past my head. It was so close it skimmed my temple, and the wind created by its passing ruffled my hair.

I had no idea what had nearly taken me out, but one of the dogs yelped. Despite the fact it would probably seek to kill me too, I welcomed its help with the monsters hunting us.

“Holy shit!” Farley blurted. “Holy shit!”

I didn’t like that sound, and I really didn’t like anything that could surprise Farley in these woods.

“Lery—”

Whatever Farley was about to say was cut off as the ground before Mouse opened. He skidded to a halt to avoid falling into the hole while something rose from it.

Confusion caused me to slow as I tried to understand what was happening, but it was the worst thing I could do. This was proven true less than a second later when a heavy weight smashed into my back, claws hooked into my shirt, and fetid breath washed over me.

I staggered beneath the impact of the weight and couldn’t catch my balance as I slammed into the ground. With my chest pressed into the earth, I had no way to fight off the creature digging its claws into my back.

As it tore into my flesh, a scream ripped from me. Reaching over my back, my hand clamped on one of the dog’s legs as it lowered its muzzle until its teeth hovered centimeters above my cheek, its hot breath filled my ear, and its drool slid down my face.

When its jaws opened wider, I screamed as I pulled energy from me and the ground. The burst of lightning I unleashed threw the dog away with such force that I still held its leg afterward.

The sulfur stench of the beasts mingled with the torched scent of hair. Scrambling toward my feet, I tossed aside the dismembered leg and ran toward Mouse, who staggered away from whatever was rising from the earth.

The boy was so focused on the earth creature that he’d forgotten about the dogs. Lightning danced at the ends of my fingers before I shot a bolt toward whatever moved before him.

When my lightning hit it, a loud rustling came from the trees surrounding us, though no breeze stirred the air. Mouse scampered toward me as something rose from the ground. A row of trees now blocked the way forward.

I didn’t understand how that was possible, considering it was clear moments ago, but I didn’t have time to figure it out either. I was almost to Mouse when three more black dogs emerged from the trees and sprinted toward the boy.

Throwing up my hand, I managed to take out two of the dogs, but the other reared back on its hind legs and leapt into the air. Mouse’s mouth dropped before he threw himself to the ground.

The dog soared over his head as the boy rolled toward me. Farley whizzed around us in frantic circles until he became a see-through blur amidst the trees.

A sickening thud came from somewhere behind me a second before a heavy weight hit me in the side. I’d never seen the black dog coming until we tumbled across the earth.