Page 149 of Forsaken Secrets

Something thunked to the floor to my left and when I looked down, a small feminine hand with a glinting pearl ring and black stone bracelet lay there.

Her scream turned garbled, and I looked up in time to see her face bubble with little pustules and boils like her husband's.

Lord Ellingsworth dropped his head back and let loose a gut curdling scream as pustules spread up his face and his jaw unhinged. Then he turned to us.

Oh fuck.

I crouched in front of Aunt Grace and Eli, guarding them as best I could with my little dagger. But it wouldn't do much good against these monsters.

Damn!

I tried tugging on that bond again, but nothing came through. I looked between the advancing monsters and the two people I loved, heart torn. I needed to get them free!

Perhaps I could drag them? It seemed impossible, but I had to do something!

Then a low rumble sounded, reverberating through the room as dozens of serpentine forms exploded through the entryway.

Solyn? Rehnara? Lunei?

How had Solyn gotten free? And what made them come?

I looked over my shoulder at Eli's prone form.

How had he managed this?

We were out of time, though, and the Lady Ellingsworth creature descended on us. I swiped the dagger towards her and waited for the pain of sharp teeth and claws.

When nothing but a guttural scream came, I looked up to see a vrytra drop from the ceiling, its hinged jaws encompassing Lady Ellingsworth's head to tear it from her shoulders, "This is for my family …"

"Lunei?"My heart hammered, and I dropped to my knees as she tore the Ellingsworths to shreds, sending blood and chunks of flesh everywhere. It made my stomach lurch, but I sent a surge of gratefulness towards the little vrytra.

"Thank you, Weaver,"she whispered in my head before pushing off, scarred tail propelling her through the mass of bodies and blood.

Heart hammering, I watched as the vrytra tore apart the ghouls in a frenzy, sending bits of boiling flesh throughout the room.

The vicar dodged one creature and then another and was almost to the door when a misty shadow fell over him.

That insufferable prince, Jaiel, stood behind the shadow, eyes bright white as he threw back his head and screamed. A writhing black shadow moved over Sir Litsor and within seconds his corpse fell to the floor in a pile of dust.

Perhaps Jaiel wasn't so insufferable after all.

Was that what Eli had meant about an Eater? It certainly seemed different from what Lynk had done. Even his eyes had glowed a different color.

I looked around, the chaos echoing in my skull like a sort of deadly music.

Solyn led her pod of vrytra, tearing the bodies apart of every ghoul they encountered, and I sank to the floor, pulling Eli onto my lap again.

It was over. We'd won. But my chest felt empty as I stared at the mess. Had it been worth it?

Another sound reached my ears. Booted feet pounding down stairs …

I looked up to see a tall woman in a little pink hat descend the last step, eyes wide as she took in the mess of the room.

Ghouls, gremlyns, vrytra, Lady Frexin, Jaiel … Lynk?

The traitorous Lynk stood to my right, staring into my eyes, and I felt him … his anguish … through our bond as he bent to pick up the now prone statue man.

Our bond?! HE was the one I'd bonded?

No! Anyone but him! I shook my head, staring at that lithe form in his arms. Was that why he'd betrayed us? Was he really the Drake? If so, why did it matter to Lynk?

I tried to reach through our bond, to force the information like that man in the korra realm had with me, but I had no idea what I was doing.

Lynk stared at me, silver eyes tense. "I'm sorry, little thief. I wanted this to be different … but I can't let her get free. Drake was the only way …"

Darkness crept across the edges of my vision, and I tried to scream. Was that bastard putting me to sleep again?

Then everything went dark.

Gods be damned. That traitor was going to wish he'd never saved us from that cliff before I was through with him!

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