Page 91 of Sharpen Your Claws

“William, there are those left who need you,” Henry said in a calming voice he envied. He didn’t have brothers to guide or protect him, though he was glad William did, that maybe he could let someone else take the lead from time to time because he wouldn’t always be what William needed. Being okay with the thought shocked him.

“For what it’s worth, saving some is better than none, isn’t it?” Arden muttered. A poor attempt at help, which Evera whispered, but William nodded.

“I appreciate the help you’ve all given. I…” William paled. He dropped the woman, barely made it onto his feet when Nicholas felt them; claws piercing his waist. “Nicholas!”

Fearworn’s decaying teeth remained strong. They tore into his shoulder and then there was pain, a shrieking agony as his body went cold. Fearworn yanked him toward the lake. William reached for his hand, the most he could do as he felt life leave his body. The last he saw was William’s terrified expression before he and Fearworn plunged into shadows.

30

William

Thelakeswallowedthem,and William followed. Fearworn had taken so much; his joy, his sense of comfort, friends, and patients, but he would not take Nicholas.

He risked opening his eyes. A useless endeavor because the black lake held no light. The sun did not dare to enter here. But he called to the Sight, willing the strings around Nicholas’ heart to appear. If he was close enough, he would see those convoluted strings and know which direction to swim.

There, a dim light fell lower and lower. He swam to no avail. The light disappeared entirely. Fearworn dragged Nicholas too far down and his lungs screamed. He couldn’t make it. Kicking his feet, he breached the surface, gasping for breath.

“William!” Charmaine splashed over, having jumped into the lake, too. His heart swelled in appreciation, then plummeted, for he couldn’t withhold a feeling other than pure panic for long.

“He’s gone. He’s at the bottom of the lake, I know it,” he hacked.

He would lose Nicholas forever. He couldn’t breathe. His legs and arms went numb. The cavern darkened, shrinking, becoming as dark as the lake. He needed to save Nicholas.

Charmaine grabbed him by the waist to stop him from falling under. He couldn’t swim, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t save anyone. She said something. He couldn’t make out the words over his mind shrieking. Then there was Arden, his voice somehow piercing William’s panic.

“The bottom? I can get that bastard out of there!” Arden shoved his hands into the mushy shore side. “I suggest you get out of the water.”

Charmaine dragged him to the edge where he fell into the muck. The mud cooled his overheated skin. His voice came out hoarse. “What are you going to do?”

Arden snickered. “I am going to make a mess of things.”

The ground grumbled. Debris fell from the ceiling. Henry stayed with the patients, using wind to smack any debris aside. He and Charmaine huddled together, keeping each other steady as the shaking got worse and worse. William’s panic weakened him. His head pounded and knees trembled.

The water bubbled, rippled, then waves splashed over the edge. Great stalks of vines and roots breached the surface. They wiggled and moved like living things. Soon, the water spread and rose until his ankles sank.

“There!” Charmaine pointed at Fearworn and Nicholas caught between a pair of wiggling roots.

Fearworn had his teeth buried in Nicholas’ shoulder and nails pierced his abdomen. Nicholas laid there, motionless, skin an off gray with violet tendrils whipping wildly beneath. His eyes flickered between violet and fuchsia. That violet poured into Fearworn. His once skeletal frame took on muscles, the skin more pale white than gray. He was draining Nicholas, reaping his energy like a leech.

The energy he lost returned in an angry flash. Pure adrenaline propelled him toward the lake. He whipped out his pistol and fired. The bullet pierced Fearworn’s shoulder. He didn’t flinch. Fearworn’s head was too close to Nicholas to chance a headshot. And with the way his eyes swayed, he didn’t trust himself not to mess.

He crawled over the roots, moving in more and more, aiming his gun at Fearworn’s abdomen. Another bullet ripped through him, but he didn’t move. Not until the portal brightened. The strings once connecting to his patients spun toward Fearworn. The shade surged for the portal. The light brightened from the portal, strengthening.

William slipped across the roots, struggling to maintain a hold. They slithered with a mind of their own, lashing out at Fearworn. Corpse-like or not, the bastard was agile enough to weave through the growths.

William cursed his limbs for shaking, for not carrying him further, faster. If he lost Nicholas, he would never forgive himself.

Evera tackled Fearworn. The three of them dropped into the roots. Nicholas fell limply between the crevices. Evera’s blades sank into Fearworn’s back. Shrieking, he knocked her aside so forcefully she flew across the lake.

William fired the last of his shots. The iron seared Fearworn’s flesh that pushed each bullet out. The shade searched frankly for his prey. William scurried for Nicholas, knowing he was too far to get there before Fearworn. The bastard had his claws digging into Nicholas in an instant.

Groaning, Nicholas’ eyes fluttered open. The vibrant hue dulled to gray. His skin took on a sickly pallor. He worked up the energy to elbow Fearworn. Fearworn’s fangs pierced Nicholas’ neck. He jerked this way and that before falling limp once more.

William reloaded his gun, hating that he couldn’t do more. What was he in the face of magic, unlike anything he had ever seen and anything he could ever do? Even Nicholas couldn’t do anything, the life force being ripped out of him by a rabid shade whose eyes grew fiercer in their greed.

However, that shade hadn’t shown his true abilities. William never forgot the terror when Fearworn chased them in the woods to retrieve his book. His power was unimaginable, and that power hadn’t shown itself.

Was he too weak to use it?William wondered.

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