Page 183 of The Lost Ones

“Well you’re about to find out first hand.” Kysen replies drawing his weapon.

We all follow suit.

“Their bite is deadly whatever you do, do not let it bite you!” He orders, “chopping it’s head off is only part of what you have to do to kill it, you also have to separate its front from its back half. Straight behind the front legs!”

That’s all the information he gives before he rushes over to the horses and sets them free, smacking their hind flanks to get them to gallop away from the danger approaching. I hope to god that they’re all ok after this is over. There’s no more time to think about it though as out of the thick trees comes whirring hissing sound that is quite honestly terrifying.

It’s going to haunt my dreams for sure.

Assuming we survive that is.

The creatures that appear from the surrounding trees are quite frankly as terrifying as they sound. There are seven of them which doesn’t sound too bad one for each of us but just from the look of them its obvious that they aren’t going to be easily taken down.

Their bodies are shaped like giant snakes, a similar size to the one that we fought back at the academy that’s where the similarities end, instead of being covered in lava filled boils like that one this one is covered in black fur that makes it look disturbing but what makes it look infinitely worse is that the front part of the creature is more similar to a canine of some sort. It has two legs ending in giant paws, its knees bent backwards. Sunken sickly green eyes glare out from its lumpy and misshapen canine like head, the one nearest to me snaps its large jaw filled with deadly looking teeth in my direction.

It’s like something out of a horror film.

They make a whirring noise and up their speed. Considering they’re half snake half dog they can move surprisingly fast. I swipe out at the creature as it nears. Trying to remember everything that Cain taught me. I have to admit that I wish I’d have paid more attention to them but honestly although he was adamant I was perfect and knew what I was doing I never really thought I’d need to know how to fight with a sword.

Fortunately I was taught by Cain Patrick and he would never let me be trained anything less than perfectly or as close to as he can get.

The recent practice with my sword has helped remind me, though I’m not too sure how I’d hold up against a skilled swordsman.

The creature spins and comes for me again. Opening its jaws as if its preparing to devour me whole. Kysen said their bites were deadly and I don’t even want to begin to think about what their poison will put usthrough before we succumb to it. It barely misses taking a chunk out of my arm and I strike out with one of my swords opening up a gash on its side and making it mad. The creature swings its snake like tail around with such speed that I have no time to move as it comes barrelling towards me it smacks into me launching me into one of the giant trees with enough force that my breath is stolen from my lungs and my vision dims slightly as pain lances through me.

“Sage!” Levi calls a demand in his voice.

I raise my hand to let him know I’m still alive. My vision finally clears just in time to see the creature aiming for me again. I push up to my feet, the pain already fading helped in part to me pushing it away, a skill I’m incredibly grateful for.

I dropped one of my swords when he threw me but thankfully I’ve still got one. One is all I need. I wait until the very last minute, before taking a gamble and using my magic to help me jump higher. I have no idea if it will even work but it’s too late to be cautious now. I focus my magic at my feet and will it to help me jump higher. The truth of it is I have no idea how magic really works and I’m probably using it in the completely wrong way.

Fortunately the fates are on my side and my purple, black and gold magic pools at my feet as I prepare to jump. I push off of the ground as it approaches and launch myself through the air hoping that a similar tactic to what we used to defeat the last snake thing works with this one.

I’m also hoping that its skin isn’t toxic or something because I can’t remember the spell the goddess told me last time to protect myself from the lava boils. I land just behind its neck and on the small flat bit where its shoulders are before the rest of his body changes into snake. The thing immediately starts thrashing around beneath me similar to a bucking bronco and I hold on for dear life. How in the hell am I supposed to kill this thing whilst its moving so quickly and trying to snap at my legs all at the same time.

I’m fairly safe from its bite perched where I am, it’s not flexible enough to be able to reach me but if it manages to dislodge me so that I slide further down and end up on its snake tail, not only will it be able to reach me with its jaws but it will also be able to launch me with incredible force and I’m not certain I’ll survive a collision with a tree if that happens.

I dig my hand further into its greasy fur on its neck and hoping that it will slow it down at least I stab the back of its neck with my sword. I can’t quite chop its head off until it stops moving around quite so much. It clicks and hisses in pain. It speeds up, it’s whole body bucking and moving trying to launch me off but all it’s succeeding in doing is making itself lose blood quicker.

It starts to slow and although it is a creature hell bent on ending me in a no doubt vicious and painful way I don’t want to prolong its suffering so as soon as it’s slowed enough I grip tight with mylegs and with both hands on the sword I twist and slash through the neck of the beast decapitating it.

What I don’t expect is the body to carry on trying to buck me off as the head continues to snap from the floor using its jaws to try to get back to the bucking body. I am so shocked that I don’t really know what to do. I’m distracted enough that with one huge buck of its body it launches me into the air.

Fuck me this is going to hurt like a bitch.

“I’ve got you Beautiful.” Kai says as I land with an ompff in his arms.

“My hero.” I grin before hopping out of his arms and moving back towards the thing, it’s head is nearly back to its body and there’s no way that I can reach it before they reconnect or whatever the hell they do. Maverick gets there first and with his massive broad sword separates the snake tail from the canine front legs it twitches once as it falls to the floor and then falls still.

I wipe the sweat from my forehead but don’t bother with the sweat dripping between my boobs. That was damn hard work!

“We did it!” Kysen says and everyone grins.

“Those things are like nothing I have ever seen before.” Hunter comments.

“So fucking freaky.” Jax shudders.

“It’s nice to know what they teach us at the academy is definitely useful.” Kysen chuckles and I raise my eyebrow staring at him.