Page 17 of A Legacy of Wrath and Reckoning

“He had a penchant for trapping things here,” the creature mused.

“He lives,” Zylah offered, hoping to stoke the embers of Rhaznia’s desire for retribution.

Another wail, halfway between a sob and a scream of frustration, and Rhaznia moved closer. “Where is he?”

A cold sweat chilled the back of Zylah’s neck, but she held her ground. “I don’t know. But his grandson does.”

“And because you have offered this information, you think I should allow you to leave? After you slaughtered two of my children? After you tried to set her free?” She raised one of those clawed fingers at the wolf, its hind legs twitching as if it were trying to move.

“Or I could help you trap him.” Zylah had no doubt that Rhaznia was more than capable of ensnaring Raif if she wished. But it was all she had to bargain with.

The creature paused, head tilted to one side as she assessed her prey.Click.One step closer.Click.Then another. Zylah took an instinctive step back, her heels almost brushing the wolf’s chest. Rhaznia laughed, but a roar cut her off, a low growl echoing through the space. Another cyon wolf.

“These things are worse than the parasites that live in these cursed tunnels,” Rhaznia spat.

The cyon wolf appeared as Rhaznia had, at first a shadow through the cobwebs until it was close enough for Zylah to see every jagged tooth, every whisker as it stalked closer, a low growl directed at her as she stood beside its friend. Zylah swallowed. This one was much larger, a male, if she had to guess, its yellow eyes narrowing. And the sight of her, sword in hand, the prone wolf behind her, did her no favours. The female rumbled quietly, and the male snarled again, head swinging to Rhaznia.

It pounced without warning, teeth smashing and snapping around one of Rhaznia’s arms, a scream rending the air.

Zylah knew she should leave. Should use the moment to run and not look back. But the female still lay unmoving behind her, eyes fixed on the male, a keening noise cutting over the sound of fighting, and Zylah’s heart twisted.

Rhaznia clawed at the male and Zylah ran, sliding under eight legs to slice her sword along the thing’s body, but her weapon only shuddered and scraped against the hard skeleton. A leg smashed down beside her head and Zylah rolled to her feet, swinging her sword at a joint. Rhaznia screamed as she fought the wolf, one hand reaching down to swipe at Zylah and narrowly missing. She wasn’t as lucky with the leg that pinned down her sword arm, a scream tearing from her lungs as agonising pain bloomed through her shoulder.

The wolf’s cry joined hers as Rhaznia flung the male to one side and stalked towards the female.Click. Click. Click.

“No!” Zylah screamed.

Rhaznia didn’t hesitate. A low whine escaped the female as one of Rhaznia’s legs slammed into her torso. The male lunged again, another of Rhaznia’s legs flicking out to kick it away like he was nothing more than a pebble despite the wolf’s great size.

Pain blackened Zylah’s vision. Beside her wounded arm, a skeleton lay slack jawed, its only remaining possession the tattered scraps of its clothing. She dragged herself upright, grinding her teeth against the agony in her shoulder. With one hand, she grabbed the flint and striking rock from her bag, snatched a leg from the skeleton. It wouldn’t miss it. Rhaznia murmured as she spun her web over the female, its blood stark and bright against the white strands, the male still unmoving where it had fallen.

With trembling hands and her sword arm protesting every movement, Zylah tore some fabric from the skeleton, wrapped it around the end of the bone and positioned the flint against it. One firm strike, and sparks spat onto the fabric, the cloth smoking immediately. Zylah loosed a steady breath onto it and flame erupted.

“Leave her alone!” She waved her makeshift torch and Rhaznia wailed. The creature turned to face Zylah, the firelight glinting in her eyes, against the blood staining her mouth, over the piece of flesh she held in her hand. Zylah’s breath faltered… Not flesh. A heart.

The male noticed at the same time she did, rising on trembling limbs and howling, its head thrown back. Zylah swung the torch at Rhaznia, another sharp stab of pain shooting through her shoulder and arm. With a final growl, the male cyon wolf limped away, leaving Zylah to face the monster alone. Now would have been the perfect time to evanesce, but no matter how hard Zylah tried to escape, she couldn’t.Fuck.

The creature flung the bloodied organ to one side. “What would your heart taste like, I wonder?”

Zylah didn’t answer. She pressed her torch to the cobwebs beside her, then flung it at Rhaznia’s face, the creature’s scream cutting the air as the weapon hit its mark. Zylah snatched up her sword and staggered after the male wolf as Rhaznia shrieked behind her.

“Zylah!”Raif’s voice echoed through the maze and Zylah almost froze at the sound, panic slicing through her like a blade.

Let him believe the cries were hers. Let him run right towards the monster. Zylah ran and ran, adrenaline cutting through the pain, Rhaznia’s screams chasing her into the darkness of the maze.

Chapter Eleven

AfterRhaznia’scriesandRaif’s voice had long since faded, Zylah rested, exhaustion demanding she stop.

Best case scenario, the pair had attacked each other. Worst case, Raif had won. Although there was every chance that whatever ability Rhaznia possessed to paralyse through touch or venom also worked against a vampire. Zylah silently prayed luck was on her side.

Twice she had come across Kopi’s feathers since leaving the half woman, half beast to burn, and it had urged her to keep going, even when the pain in her shoulder and arm had her seeing stars. But the adrenaline had long since worn off, pain turning to nausea, black spots swimming in her vision. Zylah slid to the dirt, jagged rock pressing against her back as she gripped her shoulder, fingers delicately prodding. There was nothing she could call to her that would be enough, though even with the vanquicite lodged in her spine, she’d been able to heal herselfandothers.

But nothing answered when she tried, and Zylah swallowed down the nausea at what she needed to do. She lay on her back in the dirt, reaching her arm above her head and crying out in agony. Slowly, she rotated her hand, sweat beading her brow and a scream threatening to tear free as she reached for her other shoulder. The dislocated shoulder popped back into place, and Zylah rolled to her chest, hands pressed into the dirt as she gasped against the pain.

“You survived Kerthen,” she mumbled to herself. “You can survive this.” Only she’d cheated, then. Struck a bargain with a stranger when the pain from the vanquicite became too much and no amount of healing would subdue it.

With her sword to steady her, Zylah made her way through a large chamber of crumbling pillars, vines twisting and wrapping around each of them as she recalled her agreement.

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