Page 165 of Lady of the Drowned Empire

I stopped breathing, my eyes meeting Rhyan’s as his grip on my hand turned vice-like.

“Stay back,” Rhyan said, his voice low. “Lyr. Dagger. And sword.” He released me as I removed my weapons, securing them in my hands.

The akadim came into view. Male. So tall, its head hit the ceiling, making the akadim at least ten feet tall. Its eyes were red, its body covered in dirt.

Rhyan ran, racing straight for the beast. He leapt forward, his sword aiming for the akadim’s arm. Blood spurted as Rhyan landed behind it, his boots crashing into a puddle. But the akadim seemed undeterred by its injury and uninterested in fighting.

Its red eyes were on me, and it pointed a long, filthy claw.

“Asherah!” it roared. “Teka! Teka! Maraak Moriel!” The giant raced toward me as I held my ground, my sword and dagger thrust out.

“LYR!” Rhyan screamed, racing back and throwing himself onto the akadim’s back.

The scent of death and decay coming from its breath filled my nostrils. I moved to attack, my eye on the target—the same spot Rhyan had cut.

But like the other akadim I’d faced, it went right for Asherah’s chest plate sparkling around my neck.

Good. It would react as the others had: hurt, scared, screeching in pain. I’d use the opportunity to attack.

But the akadim’s spiked finger pressed right through the stars, undeterred.

Its claw was met by my Bamarian armor. The Valalumir inside me began to heat.

“Rhyan!” I screamed.

He had climbed up on the monster’s back and gripped its neck before his sword sliced through it.

Blood gushed. The monster was deeply wounded, but not dead. Akadim could only be killed in three ways: by fire, by beheading, or by being stabbed through the heart.

The akadim stumbled forward, roaring in pain. I backed up, feeling the heat of my contract with Mercurial spread through my torso like I was on fire. It was then I noticed the akadim seemed to be wearing some kind of necklace. Almost like a choker. Silver, with a red dot in the center. Blood red.

“Lyr, get back!” Rhyan yelled as the akadim fell forward. Its forehead smashed to the ground, its blood mixing with a puddle. Rhyan jumped to his feet. Standing over the beast, he threw down his sword and severed what remained of its neck. The head rolled forward as Rhyan rushed to my side. “You okay?”

“It’s burning,” I said, hand to my chest. “It’s happening again.”

“Asherah!” came a low hiss.

Rhyan clutched me to him. “Lyr, I don’t think your sisters are here. We’ve got to go—now!”

I wrapped my arms around him. “Go.”

My feet thudded outside the cave, right where we’d arrived. Rhyan grabbed our bags, hoisted them over his shoulder, then grabbed me again. My stomach tugged, and my boots slipped as we landed on icy snow on the cliff of a mountain. A frozen lake was below us. Rhyan pressed me back against a wall. Ice and snow nearly burning with cold against my head. A freezing gust of wind blew so hard that if we weren’t careful, it could blow us off the mountain.

“Shit! Shit!” Rhyan cursed. “Is it still burning?” He turned toward me, shielding my body from the wind.

“It’s fading,” I said, feeling the heat die down. “I don’t understand what caused it or why the akadim didn’t react to my armor—like the others did.” The first one that had attacked me couldn’t stand the touch. And it had bothered Haleika so much so, she’d shattered three of the stars in the arena.

Rhyan frowned. “Could it be because you have her blood in you? With the kashonim?” He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter right now. We have to find cover for the night.”

“Did we go far?” I asked.

“No. We’re nearly at the Glemarian border—if we find somewhere nearby to camp, we’ll cross into Glemaria first thing in the morning.” He brushed hair from my face, staring into my eyes. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought you there.”

“You couldn’t have known.” My teeth chattered more fiercely than before. “It’s worn off, and now I’m definitely…really…fucking…cold.”

“Come on then.”

But a set of growls erupted from ahead on the path. My heart stopped. More akadim.