Page 139 of Lady of the Drowned Empire

I turned, my blades ready, to face both sets of eyes. My heart pounded as its doubled body slithered forward, its heads striking. I leapt out of the way, watching in horror as it flung itself to the other side of the circle.

The snakes separated from each other and charged again. I slid my dagger across one’s back, drawing blood at last—but just barely. It wasn’t enough to stop it.

Another snake shot forward, and I leaned back, just narrowly missing its bite. Its fangs hit Asherah’s armor, and it bounced off, the snake’s head shaking from the impact.

Fuck! We needed help. More strength, more power.

Kashonim. I needed to call on kashonim. Not my lineage with Rhyan—he had almost nothing left to give—but my lineage with Asherah.

Rhyan backed into me, the space between us and the nahashim shrinking. This was it. There was no way through the circle they’d created unless we traveled.

“Lyr,” Rhyan said desperately. “One more. Just one more.”

I squeezed his hand, my decision made. It was the only way. The only way to save him. The only way to stop this. If the snakes traveled one more time, it was over. Either they’d catch us, or Rhyan would succumb to his exhaustion.

“One more,” I said. “Go!”

Tears burned in my eyes as I felt the familiar tug, the sensation of my feet lifting off the ground. My eyes locked on the red of the snakes’ eyes, capturing their attention, their focus, and I bit back a sob as I let go of Rhyan. His hand vanished from mine as he traveled without me. I gasped, suddenly alone.

He was gone. It was just me and nine nahashim.

My plan had worked.

The vadati around my neck warmed instantly, and Rhyan’s anguished voice cried through it: “LYR! LYR! You let go!”

“Rhyan, I’m sorry. I had to.”

“Where are you?” he yelled.

“Finishing this.” I held up my sword to the sky and placed one hand on my armor. A gale-force wind carrying snow blew back my hood, tossing my hair wildly across my back, where it shone red in the sun.

Asherah’s red.

“LYR!”

“Ani Asherah!” I screamed. “I am Asherah. Her blood is my blood. I call upon you. Ani petrova kashonim, me ka el lyrotz, dhame ra shukroya, aniam anam. Chayate me el ra shukroya. Ani petrova kashonim!”

The diamond centers of the Valalumir stars around my neck began to glow at once, their light brightening with each word of the incantation. All at once, I felt it—the surge of power, the fire burning inside me. It wasn’t painful but energizing, stirring my blood, filling me with power.

The sword that had been fatiguing my arm now lifted higher and I threw my hand above my head, nearly releasing the blade as I did so. Every ache, every sore in my body was gone, as were the pit in my stomach and my nerves. I felt like I’d been in a nightmare, and I was suddenly awake.

I’d only called on kashonim twice before. Once, I’d used Rhyan’s, and I’d taken it slow, spreading the power out as far as I could to survive the habibellum. The second time, in the arena, I’d taken on Asherah’s power without knowing it. This time, I was ready. This time, I knew what to expect.

I didn’t have long.

Neither did the nahashim.

The starfire steel of my sword was alight beneath the sun with my invocation, and with a battle cry, I charged forward, almost stumbling I was moving so fast. The power was so intense, I wasn’t sure how to control it, how to handle it.

I yelled out, colliding with the snake, my body nearly bouncing off its toughened body, like one giant muscle. But the thick scaly skin I’d barely been able to cut through, softened beneath my blade. I shoved the point through its body until I heard a sickening popping sound, and knew the end of my blade had pierced its back. With a grunt, I twisted, turning the sword in my hand, pushing the sword further in, pushing until the hilt pressed against its skin. I gasped. I’d had no idea I could do that, use such force.

The snake hissed in anger then fear as black blood dripped like a faucet from its wounds. Blood gushed from the front and back of its body. Its eyes went wild and feral before they closed with a dying hiss. I almost fell down with it, balancing on my feet at the last second as I pulled the sword, now covered in blood, free from its body.

The first beast collapsed into a coil on the side of the mountain, as my heart beat far too fast. I whipped my head around, seeing the remaining snakes, their hisses too loud for my newly sensitive ears, their black scales now shining too brightly. I felt like I was seeing colors for the first time, hearing my heart beat, feeling my blood pump through my veins as I watched the snakes writhe and twist, each movement more detailed than I could process. It seemed like their bodies were undulating slower and faster at the same time as my brain tried to catch up to the power rushing through my body.

The second nahashim slithered toward me, as something caught my attention in the distance. Shadowy shapes, and a strange noise. A howl?

The snake inched closer, its sharp scent of the snake over me, like rotten eggs. I held back the sudden need to gag. I’d never scented them before. Never knew they had a scent. And just like that, I could smell the grass, the cold of the snow that remained, the dried wolf feces in the distance. Everything was heightened. Overwhelming. Too much. Too intense.