Page 27 of Sun Elves of Ardani

It was long and thin, like a serpent with legs, and looked like it was made solely of shards of bone and cloth and light, not entirely corporeal. It was the size of a large horse, so big that it barely fit through the corridor. It slithered into the cavern, and its deer-like skull swung slowly around as it surveyed the room through empty, glowing eye sockets.

Kadaki was completely silent. The light from the creature was just bright enough for him to see her wide eyes. She glanced over at him, shaking her head slightly.

The thing was looking for them. It prowled across the cavern, low to the ground, peering into doorways and windows. The light from its own body lit its way, obliterating any hiding places it came across.

What in the hells is that?he wanted to say.What the hells do we do?He didn’t dare speak.

He couldn’t run very far with his injuries. Of that, he was certain. He reached down in the dark until he found Kadaki’s hand, then grasped it tightly.Don’t leave without me,he wanted to say, andI won’t leave without you, either,but all he could do was hold on to her silently. Her fingers closed around his.

The thing was coming straight toward them. They had no choice but to move. They ducked behind the wall and inched toward the closest building. As soon as they started moving, the creature snarled and spun toward them, slithering rapidly in their direction.

Kadaki jolted into a run. Neiryn stumbled after her, gritting his teeth as his body lit up with pain. After a few steps, she went back to grab his hand and pull him with her. They darted through a doorway into a small building, where they were plunged into darkness again.

The creature raced to follow them, but stopped short at the doorway. It was too big to fit through the entrance. Bone scraped against the walls as it struggled to find a way through.

For a moment, Neiryn thought they were safe. Then, there was a thunderous explosion of stone as the thing simply pounded at the walls, chipping them apart.

They ran to the other side of the building and out a back door. Neiryn pulled his hand out of Kadaki’s grasp to hold a flame aloft.

“There,” Kadaki said breathlessly, pointing. Neiryn followed her gaze to the small, rectangular gap in the wall where the canal exited the cavern. It was too small for the creature to fit through. It might even have been too small forhimto fit through.

They splashed into the knee-deep water of the canal, and he could hear its strange bone-limbs clicking on the floor as it gained on him. They weren’t going to reach the wall fast enough. Kadaki looked behind him at the creature, her eyes wide. She raised a hand as if to cast, and he felt a twinge of awkward magic in the air as the spell failed. She didn’t have the strength left to fight.

Neiryn stopped and turned on his heel to face the thing. It was alarmingly close. Light poured like smoke from its mouth and eye sockets as it croaked a triumphant sound. A smell that was sharp and bright and ozonic, like lightning, hit him as it closed in. Neiryn took a breath and exhaled heat, drawing upon the magic that lived deep in his blood, the magic that was the birthright of all sun elves.

Power welled up within him, and when he raised his hand, it combusted. A blast of fire exploded from his fingers, bathing the width of the street. The flames roared, curling against the sides of the stone buildings and turning the air into waves of dense heat that made sweat bead on his brow.

The creature was engulfed. It shuddered to a stop just steps away from him, its screeching echoing on the high walls of the cavern. It writhed as if hurt, but it did not appear to be dying.

Neiryn didn’t wait for it to recover. He turned and splashed through the canal. Kadaki was gaping at him, awestruck. She quickly snapped her jaw shut and turned to crawl through the hole in the wall, disappearing into the dark.

Neiryn dropped to his knees to peer through. The hole was actually a long tunnel, and he couldn’t see the end of it. There was just enough space between the water and the ceiling of the tunnel to allow room to breathe.

“Kadaki?” he called uncertainly.

“Come on,” came her distorted voice. He heard her cough, choking on water.

The creature roared. Neiryn turned to look. Its skull was blackened, and its light was diminished but was quickly returning.

He ducked and scrambled into the tunnel. No sooner had he crawled inside than the creature slammed into the wall, roaring in frustration. He winced as the stone above him vibrated, but the wall was too massive for the creature to break it.

The current of the water helped carry him through, and soon the creature’s cries faded behind him.

Chapter 8

With the creature far behind them, the tunnel was completely dark. Neiryn turned toward the ceiling to keep his head above the surface. He couldn’t see Kadaki, and all he could hear was the sound of rushing water.

Now that the most imminent danger was behind him, he realized how much pain he was in. He’d hit his arm on something at some point, and now the break was throbbing. His ribs were in agony.

Abruptly the tunnel spit him out into a larger pool, still in complete darkness. He bumped into something soft in the water.

“Neiryn?” Kadaki said, very close.

He could only groan.

“Do you have a light?”

He raised his hand above the surface to hold a flame aloft. They were in a large pool inside an otherwise empty room, with stairs leading up to a corridor above. Reflections of rippling water danced on the walls.

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