Page 57 of Claimed By Shadow and Blood (Of Fae and Wolf Trilogy #2)

We landed hard on the other side. My knees screamed with pain as they hit the stone floor, and I whimpered.

The mountain behind us peeled away in a roar, a shelf of clay, sand, granite, dirt, and slate crumpling as the well at the top caved in.

Now-red water and debris rained down, sliding toward the chamber entrance.

Adrenaline spiked in my veins, urging me forward. We had to keep moving.

The ground heaved with every step, and the air thickened with dust. Down the other side of the mountain, to the left of the base, I saw an alcove similar to the one at the entrance. Stone jutted out on either side of it, providing possible shelter.

Or a tomb.

Slim chances are better than none .

I cut left, and the unicorn and I lunged onto the next shaking ledge below. I held the arrow tight as its hoofs clattered. We skidded down to the next one, and the ledge we’d just been on split open and cracked apart on either side.

“Move!” I gasped, tugging on the foal’s mane. My voice came in shreds now. My lungs were raw. Each breath scorched and tasted of copper and grit.

The foal balked before stumbling with me toward the alcove. I didn’t dare look back as the earth vibrated harder beneath our feet. I knew what was coming. Just because it was smaller than the main landslide didn’t mean it wouldn’t kill us if it hit us full on.

The embankment steepened into a high shelf, but there wasn’t enough time for us to reach it, and there wasn’t anything to hide behind up there if the debris rose that far.

With a pained grunt, I fisted my hand in the foal’s mane and dragged it into the alcove. The space was barely big enough for us both, but its back curved over our heads like a thick stone shell.

One arm wrapped tight around the foal’s neck, I crouched beside it and turned our faces toward the wall. It sounded as if a freight train was barreling down on us, the whole world shaking.

Rock, soil, clay, and marble struck the alcove and shot in alongside us. I could scarcely breathe as the foal screamed again and pressed hard against me.

Sand and soil, hot and coarse, poured onto us from the side and shoved me against the rough wall, my cheek grinding against stone as I struggled to catch a breath.

Then everything went still.

Light from the golden orbs highlighted heavy dust. My vision blurred. Though my lungs pulled hard, I struggled to get a full breath, and my limbs felt like lead.

Somehow, I was still alive. Somehow. That counted for something, though I felt pretty damn miserable.

The foal nuzzled into my side, its heart thudding fast and frantic.

Slowly, I took in the state of the place. We were mostly buried in the runoff of sand, dirt, silt, and small rocks. The slide had shot all the way up to the top of the embankment, covering some of it with debris. But if an exit was going to form back there, it should still appear.

My eyes grew heavy, and I struggled to lift my head. We have to...have to get out.

The full force of the rockslide had missed us, but the mass that had poured in was enough to pin me.

The unicorn foal wriggled and beat my body as it worked its way free. “ Mmmrrrhhh …”

Groaning, I slid farther down, my eyelids so heavy.

The foal stumbled out and found its footing, then turned and started pawing at the ground as if trying to dig me out.

I choked and coughed, wishing I could get an arm free. Bile rose in the back of my throat. I had to keep moving.

The foal whinnied again, then nuzzled my cheek. Despite the dried blood and mud on its coat, its fur was so soft. If I were in a safe place, I might have cuddled with it.

My nerves spiked. If they sent more assassins, I’d be dead meat. I tried once more to move, and pain burned through my left thigh. A whimper escaped me; then I froze.

The arrow.

I hadn’t let go of the arrow.

The foal stiffened and spun around, laying its gray ears flat against its head. It bared its teeth and stamped its hooves, the vibrations running through me.

Alarm spiked through me. I tried to wriggle my way out, but my left arm was trapped, and my right was barely moving.

The foal tossed its head and backed up. I winced, then froze as I saw a dark mass oozing into the corner.

The fog monster.

One set of red eyes opened. The pupils dilated as they caught sight of me; then five more sets of eyes opened.

The creature moved forward faster.

Fuck! I looked down for the pendant to make sure it was visible, then froze. The pendant was gone!

“Run,” I wheezed. “Go on. Get out.” If the foal jumped, it could get past the fog monster. Or if it ran up the embankment, maybe it could hide.

The foal squealed again, stamping and pacing, but not abandoning me.

The fog monster rolled closer as it slid over gravel, soil, and sand.

No, he couldn’t die this way. He had to stay alive and find his herd.

Thud. Thud. THUD.

A large chunk of the wall across from me crashed inward as a goliath of a man strode across the piece he’d plowed through. He had a wild mass of red hair and a black eye patch over his left eye, and a white pendant hanging from a silver chain around his neck.

My heart thudded. Another assassin . I had to break free or die by his hand.

“Well, hello, trouble, you ready for me?” he boomed.