Page 68 of Sun Elves of Ardani

The magic-eater stood on a ledge halfway up the wall, staring down at them with eyes of blue fire. It leapt off the edge, and Kadaki thought it would go crashing to the ground far below, but fell slowly, as if buoyed by the luminous magic it carried in its body.

As soon as it hit the ground, it was running toward them, its bones rattling against the stone. And now that it was closer, Kadaki could see that it had gotten bigger than before, as if it had been preparing for its next encounter with them.

Rhian shouted a series of orders that Kadaki couldn’t understand. The soldiers fanned out again, facing the magic-eater. Another shout, and they all released blasts of flame. Even from Kadaki’s position behind them, the heat stung her skin. She backed away, holding up a hand against the bright light of the fire.

After what felt like forever, Rhian called out again. The flames stopped. The absence of heat felt unbearably cold.

The magic-eater’s bones were charred completely black, but the glow of magic that made up its body was as luminous as ever. It had flinched, but after a moment, it started toward them again. The fire had done nothing.

“Eliyr!” Rhian called sharply, but he was already casting. With a grunt of effort and a sweep of his arm, he toppled a nearby tree. It fell, catching the magic-eater beneath it before it could move. Bones snapped, and the creature screeched. It writhed beneath the tree trunk, struggling to free itself. It looked more angry than injured.

Everyone backed away. Neiryn appeared next to Kadaki. The heat had left a sheen of sweat on his brow.

“Release me so I can fight!” Kadaki said, raising her voice above the magic-eater’s screams.

“I don’t have a key! Stay behind me.”

The magic-eater was unkillable, as far as she could tell. Fire caused it pain but did nothing to stop it. Crushing its bones would cripple it temporarily, but no more. It would not die.

“We need to get out of here,” Kadaki said.

“You don’t say?” Neiryn replied.

Rhian was across the clearing, still shouting orders to the others. She could barely be heard over the sounds the creature was making. Before Kadaki could move, the magic-eater wriggled free from the tree and shot toward the nearest soldier.

Everyone scattered, shooting fire at it from all sides. The magic-eater staggered, but didn’t stop. Its jaws snapped around the waist of one of the soldiers, crunching metal armor like it was paper, and threw him across the room.

Neiryn cursed under his breath. Suddenly Kadaki was envisioning him in the other elf’s place. If that happened to him next, she wouldn’t be able to heal him.

He whirled to Kadaki, grasping her collar in frustration, as if he might find another way to open it. There was no way to remove it without the key.

“Rhian!” he shouted. “We need the key to the collar!”

There was a crash as the magic-eater leapt across the room. The elves were keeping it at bay with their fire, barely.

“Eliyr!” Rhian snapped again. Eliyr was too busy to respond. He was pivoting in place to follow the magic-eater with his eyes as it chased another of the soldiers through the trees. He waved a hand sharply as he cast, and an invisible force hit the magic-eater, sending it flying into a stand of trees. The attack occupied the magic-eater for a few moments, and then it was up again, resuming its chase.

Kadaki’s hands balled helplessly at her sides as she watched Eliyr. He was a good mage, but he did not perform well under pressure. He hadn’t had enough practice in the field.

There was a scream and another metallic crunch as the magic-eater caught someone. Brush obscured Kadaki’s view of it, but she could see it bent over something, moving its mouth… like it was eating.

She ran to Rhian, grabbing her arm to get her attention. “Release me!”

Rhian jerked her arm away. “Stay out of the way.”

“I can get us out of here. Your people are dropping like flies. You’re as good as dead at this rate.”

“We need her, Rhian,” Neiryn said.

Eliyr cast again, his hands chopping the air. Three massive trees surrounding the magic-eater toppled simultaneously.

And somehow, the magic-eater escaped even faster than it had last time. It hissed and snarled as it pushed out from beneath the trees and barreled toward Eliyr. Eliyr raised his hands defensively, but he didn’t have time to cast. The magic-eater knocked him across the clearing with a swipe of its claws. The magic-eater stalked toward him, its jaws gaping.

Kadaki whirled to Rhian as Neiryn shot fire at the creature. “Commander, please!”

Rhian’s eyes were wide, her jaw tight. She dove a hand into her pocket. “Turn around, Lady Kadaki.”

Kadaki turned. She felt the key slip into the lock, and the collar fell off. Magic rushed to her fingertips again. She ran toward the magic-eater, gathering magic for a spell as she went. The magic-eater had left Eliyr and turned to Neiryn, who had drawn his sword and was still wielding fire with his free hand.

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