Page 80 of A Forgery of Fate

Click, click, click.Thadu’s laugh grated against my ears. His pincers scraped outside the cave, trying to pry Shani from the opening. Puffs of hot air stole in from the cracks around Shani’s fins, clearly hurting her, but she didn’t give in.

Thadu hissed again, his tongue clicking obscenely. Another spray, then he rammed his head against the mountain.It was like being thunderstruck. The sound alone deafened me, and my entire body vibrated with the impact. As the walls fissured, debris spilling from every crack, I dropped onto my stomach and covered my head.

This was not looking good.

You can’t hold the cave forever,I shouted into Shani’s thoughts.

Do you have a better idea?

No, but I hadanidea. I’d seen the way Thadu had squirmed while Shani had snacked on his soul. If only she could do it again, we might have a chance….

I’m going to jump onto your back,I said.When he sees me close, he’ll try to spit steam again. That’s when we’ll dive into his mouth.

What? Are you—

Serious? Yes.And with that, I leapt.

At the sight of me, Thadu widened his jaws once more, about to launch another revolting projectile of spit. “Go, go, go!” I shouted as soon as I landed on Shani’s back.

We barreled out of the cave and shot straight into his mouth. Heat scalded my skin, and demon turds, his breath was foul—like rotting death. As if that weren’t bad enough, his tongue pushed against me, slimy and wet, and his teeth sawed back and forth in anticipation of crushing my bones.

A beat before Thadu’s teeth came biting down, I stabbed upward. The monster snarled, his jaw convulsing. Silvery threads unraveled from every point of his body. Thinking fast, I jammed my umbrella between his tongue and the roof of his mouth like a stake.

He bucked. Steam hissed out of his palate, a fetid perfume of sulfur and iron and decay. I buried my face in my sleeve,trying not to breathe in while I held on to the umbrella. It had already proved to be astoundingly sturdy, but it wouldn’t last long. “Shani, hurry up!”

This time, Shani didn’t drink with relish. She flew out of Thadu’s mouth, her expression solemn as she sipped. “Long you have suffered,” she told him when the silver glow of his strands turned dull. “Be free, Thadu. In your next life, do well to avoid the wrath of dragons.”

Thadu let out a groan. I could feel the heat of his breath turning cold, the fat capillaries in his head swelling as his ten eyes throbbed, almost spasming. Vertebra by vertebra, he began to fold over.

It was my sign to get out of there. His tongue was lolling from side to side, pushing me back. My robe snagged on a tooth, and I couldn’t swim away fast enough.

The roof of his mouth came falling, and he plunged, taking me with him. Down we fell, into a darkness without end.

Chapter Twenty-Two

I covered my head with my hands, bracing myself to shatter as Thadu thudded onto the bottom of the sea. But there was only a rustling whoosh of sand as the monster made impact, and the elephantine thump of his pincers as they fell, a beat after his head. Then his spine went soft against the seabed, his tongue making one last click against his wall of teeth and the life in his eyes petered into darkness.

I sucked in a breath of relief. Using my umbrella, I pried his jaws open and crawled out. I stumbled into a puddle of glassy, bright blood. It was sticky, the globs clinging maliciously to my palms. Disgusting.

My dress was in tatters, and my hair was slick with monster saliva. With a sharp exhale, I waddled out of the mess and sprang to my feet. Slowly I took in my surroundings.

The Fold. It was the valley between the expanse of cliffs, a mysterious vacuum in the already desolate chart of Yonsar. The water was murky, but if I squinted, I could make out a dim silvery light fanning across the seabed. Under my feet was a field of sand, and veins of frost marbled the mountain face. I shivered, rubbing my hands together for warmth. Thesea’s cold bite was already seeping into the marrow of my bones. If I didn’t get out of here soon, I’d freeze.

“Shani?” I called, tapping on the ring.Shani, can you hear me?

My voice echoed off the desolate cliffs. Shani wasn’t here.

I gulped. On the bright side, that hopefully meant the demon was on her way back to the castle with Mailoh. On the not-so-bright side, it meant I was alone.

An icy knot hardened in my gut. Or maybe not as alone as I thought.

I trod along the sandy bottom, following the silver light. Swirls of thick fog laced the water, obscuring its source. But I had a feeling.

“Nazayun,” I whispered.

His eyes blended well into the fog, yet nothing could mask the lightning crackling in his pupils. They glowed bright, watching me.

This was the moment I’d foreseen. A tremor came over me, and I clenched my teeth to keep from making any sound. I stumbled over the sand, crumpling the sketch of my vision in my pocket. No matter what, Nazayun couldn’t know about my Sight.

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