Page 9 of Sword & Shadow
A spurt of flame burst out, heat searing through the air as Ilain called on her magic. Evylin turned away, closing her eyes to shield them from the sudden flash of light. Immediately, the hound howled in enraged pain, lashing out in fury. She heard it make contact with one of her teammates, and her gut twisted at the barely contained grunt of pain.
Sensing the heat from Ilain’s magic dissipating, Evylin returned to her attacks. She fought to keep hold of her focus. She feared for Deckard. What if he were seriously injured again? What if they couldn’t save him this time? How would she manage to go on without him?
The swell of uncertainty made Evylin’s magic surge. She attacked with renewed vigor, slicing at the bloodwolf’s coat. She still couldn’t hit hard enough or precisely enough to cause damage. She needed better leverage.
Another arrow sank into the hound, this one striking high on its leg. A foolhardy idea came to Evylin, and she bolted forward. She sprang up, grabbing the arrow’s shaft, letting her momentum carry her. Though the arrow snapped, it gave her enough leverage to swing up and press her foot against the other arrow embedded in its shoulder, her weight pushing thearrowhead deeper. The wood snapped, too, but Evylin thrust her knife down before the beast could fling her away. The knife connected, the hide barely giving enough for the blade to sink in.
The Guardian’s roar shook the room. Evylin struggled to hold on to her knife as the bloodwolf flailed madly, trying to buck her off. She knotted her fingers in its fur with one hand, attempting to pull herself up by the blade with the other.
A bloodcurdling howl split the air as the knife sliced lower under her weight.
Just as she felt she was gaining enough leverage to launch a full-strength attack, Evylin’s sweaty palm slipped on the handle of the blade, the Guardian’s thrashing finally knocking her free.
Tumbling to the marble, Evylin’s lungs lost all their air on impact. Her vision went spotty, but she had no time to recover as the bloodwolf raised its paw above her. With the Guardian’s immense size, she knew only one hit could crush her. Instantly, Evylin rolled away, the paw missing her by a fraction. Its horrifying claws dug into the marble, causing it to crack.
Another arrow met its mark, drawing the Guardian’s attention away from her to bellow at Ethenn. Evylin scrambled to her feet, drawing her sword once more. Then, all at once, an enraged howl ripped through the Chamber, and the Guardian vanished. The knife she’d embedded in its shoulder now clattered to the floor.
Evylin stared in shock, taking an instinctive step back. Her eyes darted around the space. With the disappearance of the Guardian, the Chamber now looked decidedly empty. Though the room remained a shadowscape of purple, she saw with far more clarity than before.
Whipping her head toward the dais, Evylin took stock of her team. Thom lay on the far side, Auden kneeling next to him. A flash of golden light marked his healing. Rafferty stood alone, his short swords searching the air.
“Is it gone?” he asked.
Evylin bolted for the final group. At the back of the dais, Ilain and Ethenn crouched next to Deckard, his head in his hands. She dropped to her knees beside Ethenn, panic rippling through her. “What happened?” she demanded.
“He’s just fine,” Ilain assured her.
Deckard dropped his hands and looked up at her. His eyes searched the darkness before finding hers. “I’m all right,” he promised. “My head’s just spinning a bit.”
Evylin looked to Ethenn. “He took a hit for me,” the hunter explained. “I still don’t know how he managed it.”
“What do you mean?” she asked, confused.
“I mean, it’s bloody dark in here,” Ethenn remarked. “I could hardly see well enough to focus on the Guardian. But when it struck out to hit me, the colonel was just...there.”
Ilain narrowed her eyes as Evylin glared at Deckard, but he waved a hand. “I saw its attack coming and found the speed to intervene.”
“And you got hit in the process?” Evylin surmised.
“I was only knocked to the ground. No cuts or scrapes, I promise.” He held out a hand to Ethenn. “Help me up, would you?”
Despite their notable height difference, Ethenn easily pulled Deckard to his feet. Auden and a freshly healed Thom ambled over, drawing Rafferty along.
“Is everyone all right?” Auden asked.
“Define ‘all right,’”Rafferty said.
“We’re all well,” Deckard assured Auden before turning to the weasel. “You look perfectly fine, Rafferty. What’s wrong?”
“Oh, I’m right as rain, Colonel,” Rafferty returned. “It just seems you lot can see far better than I can.”
“I doubt that,” Thom grumbled. “I’m completely in the dark. Are we sure the Guardian’s gone?”
“It’s gone,” Auden confirmed. Then he scanned Thom and Rafferty anew. “Neither of you can see?”
“Nope.” Rafferty frowned, his eyes searching unseeingly.
Auden turned to the rest of them. “What about all of you?”
