Page 120 of A Dance With Fire
The earth cracked down the middle. Iron splintered in half and geysers of dirt flew through the air, only to fall and pelt against their bodies. A groaning sound echoed through the air, like a great machine turning its cogs after disuse.
Behind them, The Seer cackled, but that didn’t drown out the scuttling sound. Like thousands of spider legs running across iron, or the shrieking groans of machines.
Ryker held his breath as they emerged from the mountains.
Iron monsters.
That was the only way he could think to describe them. Massive things made of rusted machinery and iron legs that charged towards them like hulking predators.
“Blood will be shed,” The Seer cackled in a voice that seemed like it would break and crumble to dust. “Run for your lives, Fae, or our race will fall.”
Ryker drowned out the sound of The Seer’s voice and unsheathed his sword. A second later, the monsters attacked.
Ryker’s body hit the ground on a roll, dodging enormous, pointed legs that threatened to impale his body like The Seer’s. He barely missed the striking iron limb as it cut through his leathers. He didn’t feel the pain. The adrenaline didn’t let him.
Gritting his teeth, he shot to his feet, swinging his sword. His aching muscles screamed from days of surrounding himself with iron. He’d grown weak, yet his will to survive was strong. Sparks flew as his blade met the metal, but it was too thick to shear through, and the impact of their collision blasted him backwards.
He fell to his back, the breath whooshing from his lungs. A creature came for him, aiming for his chest. He moved and the iron stabbed into his shoulder instead.
Ryker’s scream came unbidden as the pain ripped through his body and out again. His hand clutched his shoulder, staunching the blood flow. The iron monster emitted a shriek that he felt down to his bones, and he knew the end was coming…
And the approaching iron combusted, clashing against waves of flames and sparks. Then she appeared over him, blocking the oncoming onslaught of violence with her own magic. The force of it was nearly impossible. Hours before she’d been coughing blood, and yet here she stood. Shula Azzarh, wielding fire to save his life.
Her screaming penetrated the haze of his thoughts, palms held out, fire shot from her hands. She made a pushing motion, her feet digging into the ground for purchase. She shoved forward, and the machine went backwards against the force of her magic, back and back until the iron began to melt.
When it became little more than molten metal on the ground, Shula turned back and ran, dropping to her knees between Ryker’s spread legs.
“Can you walk?”
He sat up, never taking his eyes off her face, off the mesmerizing image she made, even paling and with blood dripping down her nose. The ferocity of those thoughts surprised him, and he winced as he sat up, still clutching his injured shoulder.
“I can.” He got to his feet, and Shula followed. When he staggered, she grabbed his arm and wrapped it around her shoulders.
Clay ran towards them, limping and bleeding. “We need to get the fuck out of here!”
A machine charged towards them. Clay whirled and struck, pushed back with a curse. Ryker scanned the chaos. They were outnumbered and weak. There was no way they were getting out of here through those mountains because more kept pouring through.
“Uric!” he grunted. “Where’s Uric?”
He was their only hope if they wanted to survive.
Through the striking iron monsters, he caught glimpses of his Fae companions, slashing their way out of the fray. Weylyn and Valerio cut through first, carrying an unconscious Uric between them. The silver haired Fae had blood over half of his face. They ran, dragging his body towards them, Julius breaking out of the chaos to follow.
As soon as they were within reach, Ryker shook away from Shula and cupped Uric’s face in his palms. He turned his gaze over his shoulder, meeting Shula’s eyes. “Buy me time,” he ordered. After her firm nod, he turned back and let whatever was left of his magic loose.
It ruptured from him to Uric, and in return he received the pain. Uric’s agony mingled with his own, but Ryker gritted his teeth through it. He couldn’t stop, couldn’t halt his magic once it begun. Because of all of them here, Uric was the only one who could get them out.
And that sense of panic was prominent in Ryker’s chest. That need to save, to sacrifice. Because they couldn’t die here.
And Ryker would give anything, even his own life, to make sure the others got out safely.
He screamed as the pain rippled through him, his power a dominating force unleashed against Uric. And Uric… his eyes flew open, his wounds healed, and he took in a sharp breath.
And then all Ryker knew was the darkness.
Darkness and fire.
* * *
