Page 59 of Crown of Betrayal and Blood

After performing a visual inspection, Sterling stalks forward with his hand on his sword hilt. “Search the area.”

Our group exchanges grim looks before heading off in different directions.

I hurry to the fallen alicorns and kneel, careful not to touch them. The metallic tang of their blood reaches my nose, along with a faint hint of a second scent.

Sweetness, tinged with decay.

A chill creeps into my bones. That smell is one I associate with tainted eyril, but I’d stake my life that a drachen killed this trio. Plus, as far as I know, the small band of smugglers who imported the eyril were apprehended and all the contraband was burned.

Maybe my senses are playing tricks on me, because this doesn’t make any sense.

The male’s proud horn is splintered, and the female’s eyes gaze into the void. As for the foal? I swallow hard, pushing away the bile that rises in my throat. There’s no blood, only the pallor of death and that faint, sickly-sweet odor.

They were too scared to run and likely landed to stop the fear from consuming them.

A drachen’s hunting method.

“Anything?” Agnar scans the tree line, his voice sharp with urgency.

Blair shakes his head as he checks the underbrush. “Nothing yet.”

I climb to my feet, reaching for my sword before remembering that human-made weapons have no effect on these heinous creatures.

“Stay sharp.” The prickling along the back of my neck insists that eyes follow us. The heavy air, saturated with malice, further frays my jittery nerves.

“Over here!” Leesa’s shout whips my head around.

Sterling is closest to her as she takes off running toward a tangle of underbrush at the edge of the clearing. He chases after her, his movements fluid and graceful as he spins on the balls of his feet.

“Leesa, no!”

What the hells is she thinking, racing after the drachen when her magic is at an all-time low?

An invisible rope cinches my ribs, tightening until I can barely breathe. Stupid, brave sister. It’s just like her to charge into danger without a second thought for her own safety.

I sprint after them as fast as I can while still scanning the surrounding trees. The tall shadows cast by their looming forms only heighten my fear. The drachen could be hiding anywhere, blending seamlessly into the darkness. The sun is the only thing I am willing to turn my back to right now.

A sudden burst of motion catches my eye.

Tiny hairs rise on the back of my neck.

Four drachen emerge from the spot where Leesa pointed. Their intangible forms drip from branches and bubble up from beneath leaves.

Like something out of my worst nightmares, the macabre creatures become flesh.

They twist and writhe, morphing into something that resembles a dragon’s alter ego.

Oily. Black. Lethal.

They’re fucking massive, each one every bit as large as Ryu.

Their now sinuous bodies unfurl dark tendrils that drip with an oozing black substance reminiscent of eyril. One of the creatures opens its mouth, revealing jagged, razor-sharp teeth.

The drachen burst from the gloom and head straight for Sterling and Leesa. Leesa screams and stumbles back, throwing her arm over her eyes.

Could that work? If you don’t look, can you avoid being hypnotized by them? Leesa has been through it once before.

One second, Sterling is lunging toward her. The next, he stops short, freezing in an awkward position with his left leg forward and his right arm in the air.

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